Serendipity
by Winger-Hawk
Summary: After the Final Battle, Snape awakes from a coma to a world in which Voldemort is gone, defeated by Harry Potter. Deciding he has nothing more to live for, he tries to end his life, but things don't quite work out the way he planned. Deaging, H/G, Mild CP
1. Au Contraire

Title: Serendipity

Author: Winger-Hawk

Pairing: Harry/Ginny, Remus/Tonks, Ron/Hermione

Status: WIP

Archive: Here, Potions and Snitches

Disclaimer: Familiar characters aren't mine. Unfamiliar characters are. Songs and poems aren't. Google them. Plot is. And…yeah. I think that about covers it.

_**WARNINGS**_: PLEASE read the **WARNINGS** before each chapter!!! I cannot stress this enough. This story contains a few _SWATS_ every now and then as well as _FLASHBACKS OF ABUSE_. If any of this bothers you in any way, shape, or form—meaning it's going to make you toss and turn in your sleep—then I kindly ask you to pass over this particular story. I'll be sure to note when the swats or flashbacks will occur for those people who care to be informed. Whether to turn back or read on will then be up to you. I take no responsibility on whether or not you get bothered if you choose to read on. All reviews containing rants will be blissfully ignored. :-)

By the way, this is an AU piece.

By the other way, I must acknowledge Dramagirl007 here on FFN—her story about the same theme gave me a bit of inspiration for this piece, and for that I thank her.

Author's Note: This story is a WIP (although it is close to being done). Thus, I cannot promise regular updates after a time. However, if I am able to write fast enough, a pause in updates might not even be necessary. Alright. On with the story!

* * *

Serendipity

Harry sighed. He had the framework of the room _finally_ set up after hours of spellwork. Now all he had to do was reinforce the structure and check for any weak spots before moving onto the final phase of construction. Or rather, he should say _re_construction.

"Harry?"

The almost-eighteen year old spun around at the sound of his name and came face-to-face with none other than Albus Dumbledore. _There's a surprise._ He thought sarcastically.

"Headmaster." Harry greeted, giving the old codger a half-smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

Dumbledore returned it with a weary smile of his own. "How are you doing, my boy?"

Harry shrugged. "As best as can be expected," he looked around at his work, "considering I've never done any construction spellwork before." Pocketing his wand, he picked up his perpetually-cold bottle of Butterbeer, threw a towel over his shoulder and walked out the door.

"I told you you would pick it up rather easily." Dumbledore commented, following him down the hall. "There's not much to it."

"Hm." Harry grunted noncommittally, taking a sip of his Butterbeer and refusing to comment further. Aside from his greeting, Harry had yet to meet the old man's eyes. He didn't have much to say to him at the moment.

Dumbledore sighed. Harry was still mad at him. He couldn't blame him, really. Severus was right when he accused him of raising Harry like a pig for the slaughter. He supposed what he did was shameful. Well…who was he kidding? He _knew_ what he did was shameful. The thing was he really _did_ care about Harry. As the years came and went, his affections for the boy grew and as the time for Harry's sacrifice drew nearer, Dumbledore found it increasingly harder to break the news to him.

So he didn't.

He had Severus do it.

After he purposefully separated himself from Harry, Hermione, and Ron during the Horcrux hunt, he stayed in a safe house no one but himself knew about. It was through a painting that he issued his orders to Severus. He knew the trio would succeed at finding and destroying all the remaining Horcruxes. It was just a matter of time. And the wait had paid off—when Remus' patronus had found him and informed him that a battle was about to take place at Hogwarts, Dumbledore knew the boy's darkest hour had finally come. He only hoped Severus somehow succeeded in the impossible task of breaking the news. He did. Harry had accepted his fate, just as he knew he would. He walked into the arms of death and calmly sacrificed himself for everyone fighting the final battle. He provided them with his protection in the same way his mother did. Then he did something completely unexpected—he survived.

Dumbledore had met Riddle as he paraded Harry's body back onto the lawn of Hogwarts. After Neville beheaded the snake, Dumbledore stepped out of the shadows and made the Dark Lord freeze. The two had started fighting there and then, their respective sides quickly following their example. In the ensuing chaos, nobody noticed Harry's body disappear. Then, as Dumbledore lay disarmed on the floor of the Great Hall and Minerva, who had come to his aid, landed next to him, and as Riddle fired a blasting curse at them intent on blowing them up into oblivion, a strong shield charm had come out of nowhere, throwing Riddle back clear across the hall. It was like someone cast a _Petrificus Totalus_ on the crowd. Everybody froze.

Then out of thin air, appeared the boy who was destined to be their savior—Harry. No one, not even Dumbledore, could believe their eyes. The boy was glaring at the Dark Lord who glared at him in return. Everyone had picked themselves up off the ground and just gaped at the impossible situation. The Death Eaters had stopped fighting. Remus, Sirius, Tonks, Moody, the Weasleys, Shacklebolt, and everyone else in the Order had stopped fighting. Ron, Hermione, Neville, and everyone else in the Army had stopped fighting. A deathly silence had taken over the Great Hall.

Then Harry and Riddle began circling each other like two predators circled their prey. They moved in a big ring and everyone made them room. Harry ordered everyone to keep out of it; that the fight was between the two of them and them alone. Riddle taunted him for that. For a while, the two combatants merely threw insults back at each other. Riddle insisted that Harry was no great wizard and that he hid behind real great wizards and let them do all the work. Harry told him he was wrong about that and so many things. The boy informed him about Snape's true loyalties and reasons and then taunted Riddle on how he, the _half-blood_ Dark Lord, was too dim-witted to learn from his mistakes. The insult had thrown Riddle into a fit of fury. He fired the Killing Curse at Harry only to have it stopped by a shield emanating from Harry's hand. Disbelievingly, the Dark Lord tried again and again and each time met with the same results. Harry taunted him mercilessly as Riddle merely proved his claim.

It was then that the greatest duel in wizarding history truly began. Harry steered clear of Unforgivables. Riddle threw nothing but Unforgivables. Both were fighting wandlessly within three seconds. Harry's left hand held up a shield while his right fired a barrage of defense spells at his opponent. Finally, after battling continuously for half an hour, Riddle completely lost his patience and fired a unique Killing Curse at Harry. It was just like before in the graveyard of Little Hangleton. Riddle sent a stream of green light hurtling towards the boy and Harry threw everything he had into the unique shield he created. Then Harry pulled the final trick out of his hat. Using nothing but his power of will, and drawing love and support from his supporters in the crowd, Harry pushed the shield back towards Riddle and with a final shove, sent the Dark Lord's own curse hurtling back towards its source. Lord Voldemort died with a look of frozen shock upon his face.

The celebrations lasted for ten straight days. Harry was asleep for half that time, Dumbledore recalled with a small smile.

Now it was almost a month later…and Harry was still mad at him. Dumbledore sighed. He had no idea how to make it up to the boy! _Could_ he make it up to begin with? And here he was about to ask Harry for yet another great favor. Dumbledore supposed he might never recover the relationship he had with Harry before the betrayal. He might as well resign himself to that now.

The two walked in companionable silence through the Entrance Hall and out onto the grounds, heading towards the lake.

"Harry…what are your plans for this summer and beyond?" The Headmaster asked his former student.

Harry took another sip of his Butterbeer and glance sideways at him. "For the summer, not much. I mean I'm here," he gestured towards the castle, "helping you and the other professors rebuild for the fall term. Plus, I'm restoring my house in Godric's Hollow on the weekends." Harry shrugged.

"And what of your work plans?"

Harry sighed, "Well…Minister Shacklebolt did offer that free entry into the Auror's program for anyone who fought in the Battle last month. I already told him I'd take the job."

"Ah." Dumbledore nodded and smiled. "An Auror is a highly respectable position. Congratulations."

Harry acknowledged his greetings with a nod.

"But from what I hear, because of that temporary relaxation of requirements, there's been an influx of recruits into the training program and they're planning on resolving that by redesigning their training agenda."

Harry took a sip and nodded. "Instead of five days a week of less-intensive training, they're planning on having recruits choose between three days of medium-intensive training per week, or two days of highly-intensive training per week. The training still lasts the same amount of time—three years. They just can't handle that amount of people in the same room, at the same time, going through the same training scenarios. Not with the number of training instructors they have, anyway."

Dumbledore chuckled lightly. "I hear the latter option is considered suicidal."

Harry smirked. "For most, yes." He nodded, "They call it 'The Crucible'. Recruits are only supposed to go through it _once_ in their regular training regime. For those who choose that option, they go through it every week. No food, no water, no rest, just battle-intense scenario after battle-intense scenario from three in the morning Thursday until just before midnight Friday night." He sighed.

"So…just a typical day for you, correct?" Dumbledore's eyes twinkled, but Harry wasn't looking his way.

Harry shrugged. "I suppose." He stopped at the edge of a dock and just looked out onto the peaceful lake.

Dumbledore joined him in silence for a few minutes before asking, "So what do you plan on doing for the other three days of the week? Assuming, of course, you took the two-day option."

Harry nodded, "I did." He took a sip of his Butterbeer and gazed at Dumbledore from the corner of his eye for a long moment before turning back to the lake, "And I supposed what I'll be doing for the remaining three days is whatever it is you're trying to convince me to do right now."

Dumbledore chuckled at that. "Harry…you know me too well."

"Yes, well…"

"How would you like to join the staff as Defense Against the Dark Arts professor?" Dumbledore offered. "I'm pretty sure the curse Riddle put on it died with him last month by your hand. Who better to take up the Defense post than the man whose defense skills bested the darkest wizard in history?" The Headmaster raised an eyebrow.

But Harry was shaking his head, "I don't think that's going to work, Headmaster."

"Why, in heavens, not?"

"Well, for starters, my girlfriend is coming back next year as a Seventh Year." Harry argued.

"Nonsense!" Dumbledore scoffed, "I have the utmost confidence that you and Miss Weasley can keep your business lives and your personal lives separate. After all," he smirked at Harry, "even if _you_ don't think you're able to, I know for a fact that _she_ will make you."

For once, Harry echoed his chuckle. "That she will." He took another sip of Butterbeer. "But still…what about Professor Snape?" He looked at Dumbledore, "He's been pining for that position since he started teaching here. Madame Pomfrey assured me that the snake venom has indeed left his system and, aside for the inexplicable coma, he's on the road to a full recovery. I'm sure come fall term he'll be up and ready to start teaching again and what better subject to teach than the subject he wishes?"

Dumbledore's shoulders drooped and he released a great sigh. "Professor Snape is the other reason why I came out here to talk to you today, Harry?"

Turning to the Headmaster, Harry met Dumbledore's eyes with a look of concern, though for whom, Dumbledore wasn't sure. "He's dead, isn't he?" He boy asked, his tone revealing not surprise, but mild resignation.

"Au contraire, Harry, Severus Snape is very much alive." The Headmaster assured him.

Harry's eyebrows furrowed, "Then what did you need to talk to me about?"

Dumbledore grimace and turned on his heel, "Follow me, please." He called over his shoulder as he hurried up the dock, "I'll explain on the way."

Harry wordlessly met the Professor stride for stride.

"Severus woke up from his coma two days ago." Dumbledore began, "Naturally, he was confused and we did our best to explain the situation to him. As you can probably guess, his reaction was negative."

"He _wanted_ to die." Harry surmised.

"Not quite _wanted_, but his thoughts were somewhere along that line." Dumbledore answered, heading up the moving staircase towards the hospital wing, "You know, of course, that his reason for living beyond your mother's death was to protect you from Voldemort. When we explained that Voldemort had indeed been defeated by your hand, and that you had saved him from certain death, and we were able to patch him up well enough for him to make a full recovery, he became rather upset."

"So let me get this straight," Harry broke in, turning the corner with the Headmaster, his robes billowing behind him, "He couldn't imagine living while my mother was dead, but he did it anyway to protect me from Riddle. He didn't _quite_ want to die, but would welcome death without a fuss if it came for him because he most likely wanted to meet my mother beyond the Veil. But now we've all managed to pull him back from Death's door, thus taking that chance away from him. And when he woke up and you told him everything, he threw a hissy fit."

"Exactly." Dumbledore nodded, eyes twinkling at him.

"So what happened?"

"Well…during the last school year, Poppy informed me that she took to storing poisons in her stores at the infirmary for those unfortunate souls who lost their minds from the endless Cruciatus curses the Carrows taught in 'Defense' classes."

Harry's eyes darkened at that. "I'll see them in Azkaban for that if it's the last thing I do." He muttered under his breath, "So Madame Pomfrey did those unfortunate souls a favor. Was it painless?"

Dumbledore inclined his head. "Considering I've never consumed it, I wouldn't know. Poppy, however, assures me it is. The effect is virtually the same as the poison muggles call cyanide, but the magic imbued in the concoction renders it painless to the drinker as well as undetectable to anyone but the best healers. The Carrows thought the poor souls died from continued exposure to the Cruciatus curse rather than by Poppy's mercy killings; which is fortunate for Poppy."

"Indeed." Harry agreed. "She's an amazing healer and a very good person."

"Oh, yes." Dumbledore nodded. "Anyway…when everything started to calm down last month after the victory celebrations, our usual Potions salesman—the same man who had been selling us new potions and potions recipes for the last fifty years—came back to give us his congratulations and, of course, to do a bit of selling while he was at it." They rounded into the spiral staircase that led to the hospital wing, "He offered us something new and interesting this time around and Poppy just couldn't resist buying several samples of the potion, intent on learning more about it." He paused at the top of the staircase and gave Harry a meaningful look, "It was an aging potion—a permanent one; brand new to the market with absolutely no antidote. And it looked _exactly_ like the poison Poppy used to keep in her stores." He then turned right and continued on to the infirmary.

"Used to? She doesn't keep it anymore?" Harry asked.

"She got rid of them all the first thing in the morning after Victory Day." Dumbledore answered. "But, considering Severus was unconscious at the time of both the poison disposal and the aging potion acquision, he couldn't have known this." They turned another corner. "When Severus awoke, he became rather upset, and it escalated to the point where we had to put him back to sleep several times. Finally, the last time, he unfortunately awoke while the other professors and I were in a meeting and Poppy was the only one there. Somehow, he managed to get a hold of a wand and broke through Poppy's defenses easily. Before she could do anything, he ran to her stores and consumed a vial of what he _thought_ was her mercy poison. It was in the exact place he knew it to be and had the exact same color, consistency, and smell."

Dumbledore made to open the door to the hospital wing, but Harry put a hand on top of his to stop him. "Wait a second! What are you telling me? That Snape tried to kill himself and ended up aging himself instead?"

"Au contraire, my boy," Dumbledore smirked, his eyes twinkling at Harry, "Severus tried to kill himself and ended up _de_-aging himself instead."

The Headmaster pushed open the doors to the hospital wing, revealing a bickering Madame Pomfrey and Professor McGonagall standing next to an oak baby crib.

"Albus!" McGonagall exclaimed, pushing her way around the crib and towards them, "There you are! We've been looking for you. Oh! Hello, Harry."

"Professor McGonagall." Harry greeted with a smile.

"It's a good thing you're here. Albus, Poppy thinks he _might_ have all his adult memories, but we're not entirely sure."

"His adult memories?" Dumbledore echoed.

Madame Pomfrey came over to them then and picked up what sounded like the argument she was having with McGonagall when they first walked in. "The salesman said that he wasn't entirely sure about that detail of the effects, but that he was going to give us the name and contact information of the man who invented…"

Harry inched away from them, disinterested in the three-way argument that was brewing amongst the other adults. Tuning out the slowly rising voices, he shuffled over to the crib and tentatively peered inside.

A small infant stared calmly back at him.

Harry could see the features that so defined the Potions Master here in this young child, but they were muted, not having fully formed yet. The soft black hair, not yet long or greasy, lay flat against the equally soft scalp. The long hook nose was not yet quite so long. The slender, nimble fingers were currently chubby and short. But the eyes…those dark eyes…

Those were the same.

Everything else was different, but the eyes were the same. Those eyes bore into him now just as they did seven years ago in the first potions class he had with the man. Yet Harry knew how to read them now. He knew how to get below the surface to the truth underneath the skin. Harry met the child's eyes and knew what he was thinking.

The baby was scowling at him…slightly. It was Snape's trademark scowl, to be sure, but it looked completely out of place in a child this small.

Harry returned the infant's calm gaze and leaned into one of the sides of the crib. He could feel a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, but it managed to keep it down…for now. "Hello there, Mr. Snape." Harry greeted evenly. Until he found out otherwise, he would speak to the child as he would've spoken to the man. "How are you doing?"

The scowl instantly disappeared and the infant looked at him curiously.

"Happy? Sad? Disgruntled? All of the above? None of the above?" Harry tried, knowing that Snape would understand what he was trying to say. That was, if Snape was still in there.

The baby peered up at him for a long moment before it blinked three times in rapid succession.

Harry raised an eyebrow at that. "Could you answer that one more time, please?"

The baby blinked three more times in rapid succession.

Harry nodded. "Disgruntled, then."

The baby scrunched his eyes shut and opened them again.

"Right." Harry nodded, "I take that as a yes."

Harry waited, and slowly, the child was able to bob its head up and down in a nod.

Harry echoed the gesture. "Yeah. I would feel disgruntled too if I tried to leave here but instead found that I unwillingly lengthened my stay." He gave the child a gentle smile before glancing over his shoulder at the three older adults who were clearly arguing now. Harry rolled his eyes and turned back to the more companionable chatterbox at the moment.

The child, too, turned back to him after peeking at the older people through the bars of his crib. Taking a deep breath, baby Snape stuck out his tongue and blew raspberries at Harry.

Harry raised a surprised eyebrow at him. "Was that for me, or for them?" He gestured over his shoulder.

The baby stared at him for a second before looking back at the arguing group through his crib bars and blowing raspberries as them.

Harry chuckled gently, his laugh soft but straight from the heart. "I quite agree." He told the child. Looking over his shoulder slightly, he gave the group a sidelong glance, stuck out his tongue, and blew soft raspberries in their direction.

Then he heard the most angelic sound in the world: baby Snape laughed at him.

It was like someone cast a _Petrificus Totalus_ on the adults in the room. They stopped mid-rant and turned, astonished, towards the source of the childish giggles.

Harry as well was gaping at the child, shocked at the fact that he had just heard a _laugh_ emanating from a baby with the surname _Snape_. But the soft smile continued to tug at the corners of his lips relentlessly and soon he and the baby wore matching smirks as they gazed at each other silently.

Then baby Snape held his arms out to Harry and opened and closed his hands. "Ah!" He cried. "Ah! Ah! Ah!" He opened and closed his hands faster.

Standing, Harry nodded and held out his fingers to the baby. First Snape rose to the sitting position, and then rested for a second before allowing Harry to pull him to his feet. Snape hung onto the bars of the crib and gazed at the frozen professors.

He blew raspberries at them again then turned to Harry and began patting him on the arm. "Ha ha ha ha ha! Ha weh weeh! Ha weh!" Harry raised an eyebrow at him. "A ba!" Snape pointed to the group of professors with one hand, patted Harry's arm again with the other, and babbled, "Meh meh meh meh." He tapped lightly on his head, then tapped Harry's arm again.

"'Harry, tell them about my memories.'?" Harry guessed, taking a stab at translating the baby talk and gestures.

The infant nodded.

"Right." Harry turned back to his silent professors. "Mr. Snape would like me to inform you that he is currently still in possession of all his memories, so your argument is, respectfully, rather pointless."

"Ah!" The child beside him cried in agreement.

The three professors looked at each other, rather dumbfounded. "Uh…"

"…thank you…my boy…" Dumbledore said finally, "…for clearing that up." He exchanged glances with them again and this time they began whispering to each other furiously.

Harry and Snape shared another look. The baby scowled at Dumbledore, then looked up Harry curiously, then scowled at Dumbledore again.

Harry snorted, turning his back to the professors and once again leaning on the crib railing. "Yeah, I think he's scowl-worthy too." Baby Snape let go of the railing and sat down, leaning on his arms and peering up at Harry. The seventeen-year-old shrugged. "I don't know. It's easier for me to forgive you for treating me like crap for the past seven years than it is to forgive him for betraying me like that." The child's eyes widened. "Well at least you were genuine, you know? At least you cared for me somewhat." The baby scowled at him now. "Oh, quit lying to yourself." Harry retorted, pulling up a chair and sitting down. "You know it's in there _somewhere_. I'm not only my father's son but my mother's. My _mother's_ son. And that's the part you cared about."

Baby Snape narrowed his eyes at him. "Uh-uh!" He shook his head.

"Ah, sure you did." Harry returned.

"Uh-uh!"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Fine. Tell me this," Pulling out his wand, he cast a _Muffliato_ on the two of them so the professors wouldn't be able to hear them, "Tell me, if you were in my shoes right now, and could only find it within yourself to forgive one person, who would you forgive—the man with whom you have clashed for years but cared enough for you—"

"Uh-uh!"

"You cared for my mother, so by extension me. Can you deny that?" Harry narrowed his eyes challengingly.

Baby Snape blew raspberries at him.

Harry shrugged, "So…the man with whom you've clashed for years but cared enough for your mother, so by extension you, to protect you from harm? Or…would you give your forgiveness to the man who _appeared_ to care for you, but was only raising you so that he could trade your life for his enemy's?"

Slowly, the scowl disappeared from baby Snape's face as he gave it some serious thought.

"Honestly, Mr. Snape. _Honestly._ Which is the more cold-hearted?" Harry asked, leaning forward in his chair.

There was silence between them for a while, Harry not daring to interrupt the baby's thoughts. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, baby Snape met his eyes and Harry saw in them a flicker of kinship.

It was all Harry needed and he leaned back in his chair. "Exactly." He gave the child a sad smile.

"Harry?"

The boy glanced up to find Dumbledore standing behind him. Baby Snape was scowling at the Headmaster once again. Canceling the _Muffliato_ with a wave of his hand, Harry stood up.

"Headmaster?"

"What…are you doing?" The old man asked, his gaze bouncing from him to the baby and back.

"Mr. Snape and I were simply having a serious conversation." Harry answered evenly.

"Ah!" Baby Snape cried in agreement.

"Ah…I see." The Headmaster gave them an understanding smile, but his eyes radiated an altogether different opinion.

Baby Snape blew raspberries at him.

Dumbledore flinched in surprise, eyeing the child incredulously. Harry offered his fingers to the baby and helped Snape to stand up. The child hung onto the railing with one hand, and in his other, he held a small stuffed bear.

"Begging your pardon, Mr. Snape," Harry whispered in his ear, "But I think acting like a child is only going to solidify his opinion of you." But it didn't help—the baby still scowled at the man next to him.

"Anyway, Harry…Severus is actually the main reason I came out there to talk to you today." Dumbledore said, turning to the teenager. "As you can see, he's an infant—"

"Ah!" The baby cried in protest, throwing his toy bear at the Headmaster. "Ah!"

The Headmaster's eyes widened yet again and he looked down at the bear disbelievingly.

"Mr. Snape!" Harry exclaimed reproachfully. The child turned from Dumbledore and looked up at Harry with innocent eyes. "Don't give me that look." Harry leaned in to whisper in his ear. "Come on. He's only stating the obvious—that you're an infant, physically. I'll remind him again about your memories, but you shouldn't allow the old codger to get to you like that! Acting like a baby is only going to prove to him his opinion of you is right." He pulled away and looked in the child's eyes. "Now do you want that?"

After a moment of contemplation, baby Snape looked away and narrowed his eyes at Dumbledore. Turning back to Harry with an innocent look, he shook his head, "Uh-uh!"

Harry nodded, "Okay." Then he leaned in to whisper in the baby's ear again, "Then might I suggest you apologize to him?" The teenager pulled back and raised an eyebrow at the baby.

Snape huffed. "Ohweh!" He snapped at Dumbledore, and then gave him the fiercest scowl his baby face could muster.

"That means 'Sorry', Headmaster." Harry translated, crossing his arms, "And please remember that although he may be an infant physically, he's still thirty-eight inside. It's insulting if you talk about him as if he wasn't in the room."

"Ah!" The baby cried in agreement.

Dumbledore sighed, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. "Right." He turned to the baby, "I apologize, Severus. However," he gave Harry a pointed look, "the fact still remains that whatever the state of his mind, his body is still that of a five-month-old child. He's no longer fit to take care of himself, physically."

"Ah Ah Ah!" Baby Snape was bouncing on the balls of his feet and yelling at Dumbledore.

Harry laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Calm down, please." The child did so almost immediately, not pausing in the death glare he was sending Dumbledore's way.

"What are you saying, Headmaster?"

"I'm saying, my boy, that I would appreciate if you would be so kind as to take care of him for the time being."

"AH!"

"Mr. Snape, please!" Harry begged, moving his hand from the child's should to his back and rubbing it gently as the child grew more agitated.

Snape gave him no notice. His bouncing increased and he was waving a hand at Dumbledore in expression of his distress. "Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah!"

"Severus, if you are indeed in there—"

"AH! AH! AH! AH! AH! AH! AH!" Dumbledore's doubt over Snape's memories upset the baby even more, and his cries grew louder. Harry now began whispering calming noises in his ear in addition to the gentle backrub, but it wasn't doing much good. The child was too focused on Dumbledore.

Harry suddenly felt a vibration in his pocket and he used his other hand to pull out the two-way mirror he kept there. Ginny's face looked up at him curiously. "Is this a bad time, Harry?" She could hear the noise in the background and looked slightly alarmed.

"Uh…just hold on a second." Harry shouted over the din. He looked up at the confused Dumbledore, "Excuse me, Headmaster, I'll be…just one moment." Whispering one last calming noise into the baby's ear, he stepped out into the hall.

The sudden absence of the back rub and the whispering words snapped baby Snape out of the trance he was in and he turned from Dumbledore with an abruptness that stunned the Headmaster. He stopped his bouncing immediately and looked about the room frantically. "AH!" He screamed, his cry reaching its peak intensity. "AH! Ah! AHHHH!" He looked on the verge of a breakdown.

"Severus—"

"AH!!!" The shrill shrieks pierced through the Headmaster's head.

Dumbledore turned to Poppy and Minerva helplessly. They both shrugged at him and walked over to try to help him calm the baby down. Minerva pat his back awkwardly and Poppy made baby sounds and faces at him. Snape released the railing of his crib and sat down in frustration. "AH!" His eyelashes began looking suspiciously wet. "AH!" Then, all of a sudden, he began picking up his toys and throwing them at the stupid professors. He threw something hard and straight at all three of them and they all had to duck out of the way to avoid being hit by the flying playthings. One after another he threw at them, his piercing cries continuing to echo about the room.

"Sweetheart, please!" Poppy tried, but had to duck out of the way of a flying block.

"Severus, this is—" Yet Dumbledore's efforts were in vain and he had to sidestep a small train car that was careening towards his head.

"Mr. Snape, that is quite enough!" Minerva snapped, pulling out her wand. But Snape merely shook his head, crying out impossibly louder and hitting his bed in frustration. Then a magical wind swept into the room. Glasses began shaking as side tables trembled and bed frames rattled ominously. All three of the professors exchanged wary looks. Snape's accidental magic was beginning to assert itself.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The infant's voice cracked and the first tears began streaking down his face.

"Hey! Hey! Hey!" Harry exclaimed soothingly as he billowed back into the room, stuffing the two-way mirror back into his pocket. He felt a magical spike a moment ago and he just _knew_ he was needed in there somehow. He felt was needed somewhere in the vicinity of the crib. The magic was calling to him and he felt drawn to it like a moth to a flame. "What's going on here?"

As soon as baby Snape saw him, a whine escaped through his lips and he reached for Harry, opening and closing his hands longingly. "What's wrong?" Harry offered him his fingers and Snape stood up, but continued to hold his arms out beseechingly. Understanding dawned in Harry's eyes. "May I?" The baby sniffed sadly and nodded, leaning on the railing and reaching up towards the teenager. Moving his robes out of the way, Harry lifted Snape into his arms and cradled him against his robes.

Almost immediately, the room stopped vibrating and the rogue magic cleared from the air. Snape began crying in earnest against Harry's robes, while the boy just held him and rubbed his back in slow, comforting circles. "Hey, now. There's no need of that. It's going to be alright. We're going to work on this, okay? We're going to try to fix this." Harry recalled how his godson, Teddy, often fell asleep listening to the sound of his voice and figured it might work for this child as well, no matter how old his mental age. Turning away so that Snape had absolutely no view of the offending professors, Harry began dancing around the room, rubbing smooth circles in the boy's back, while humming a tune that was guaranteed to put any child to sleep. This often worked for Remus' son. There was no reason to believe otherwise that it would work on a three-months-older baby Snape.

After about ten minutes, Snape's cries died down and his eyes began to droop. Harry knew he was now halfway to the land of nod. He still clutched at Harry's robes as if they were a lifeline, but his other hand had somehow drifted towards his mouth and he was now (perhaps subconsciously) sucking his thumb. Harry's other arm wrapped around him and he began running his fingers through the child's soft baby hair. He made sure to keep up his humming; he knew that the soft rumble of his chest against Snape's ear was what was putting the child to sleep. And then, ten minutes later, baby Snape's breathing evened out and he drifted quietly to the island of dreams.

After five more minutes of idle dancing and humming to ensure that the infant was really and truly asleep, Harry turned back to the other professors in the room who were whispering quietly amongst themselves. Meeting Dumbledore's eye over the baby's head, he mouthed, "I'll do it."

All three of them smiled gratefully at him. "Thank you, Harry." The Headmaster said, "You're simply the only person I trust with him who has the ability to raise him at the moment. You know the most about him, you understand his history, and you understand _him_, most importantly. Members of the staff are either not qualified to raise a baby this young, or otherwise too old to do so." He eyed the teenager over his glasses, his eyes twinkling, "Most of the Order doesn't really know him, and those that do…well…you know."

Harry nodded.

"Plus, I simply refuse to entrust him to any of the families he had Death Eater ties with. Can you imagine entrusting him to Mr. Malfoy?"

Harry's eyes darkened and his arms tightened involuntarily around the bundle in his arms. "Not a chance!" He growled, then closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "He's not going to like it—this whole arrangement, I mean. He's not going to like it…much." Harry warned.

"I'm aware of that. However…you do have a way with him." Dumbledore smirked, "I'm sure you'll be able to help him see reason."

Harry rolled his eyes.

"Mr. Potter, Severus _cried_ when you left the room and stopped when you came back in." Poppy pointed out. "I'm certain that indicates he has already formed some kind of bond with you, however unconsciously. Babies at this age tend to have separation anxiety. If he truly _is_ still in there—"

"With all due respect, Madame, he _is_!" Harry broke in.

"Then he will come to see reason once you explain it to him." The healer finished.

Harry sighed. "I'm going to need quarters—bigger ones than the ones I'm currently in."

"We moved all your things already." Dumbledore answered, eyes twinkling.

Harry narrowed his eyes at him but didn't say anything. "And parenting books, spell books with charms on child-proofing and such,"

"I took the liberty of renting all of those out from the library. They'll be in your quarters by the time you get there." McGonagall answered.

"What about clothes, formula, bottles, toys, nappies, changing tables, playpens, cribs, prams, those things some parents wear on their back that the baby rides in, baby shampoo…"

"You may bring the formula, bottles, crib, nappies, toys, and such that we have here over to your new quarters when you head over. We have two more pairs of clothes for him to change into that we transfigured from some towels, but that's about it. The rest you will have to buy, unfortunately." Poppy answered.

Harry nodded and sighed, rubbing Snape's back unconsciously. "Alright. May I have permission to tell Ginny about all this…and possibly Tonks as well?"

"Miss Weasley, by all means. Why do you need to tell Nymphadora?" Dumbledore asked.

"Well…I can barely go out on my own without being assaulted by the paparazzi, so going out with a child that magically appeared out of nowhere is completely out of the question." The teenager answered, slowly swaying from side to side. "Besides, Ginny has a blast whenever she goes out shopping, and she and Tonks are practically best friends, and when Tonks was expecting Teddy, she and Ginny had a blast buying some things for the baby. I think if I asked her to go shopping for this little big man, she'd prefer to have a friend who is willing to return the favor."

Dumbledore began nodding before he even finished speaking. "By all means." He looked out the window. "Well, Harry, the day is nearly done. I'll show you to your new quarters right now. Minerva, Poppy, will you please help gather all the things Severus needs." The two witches nodded and set about shrinking everything and putting them into a diaper bag. "Now, Harry, I'm assuming you know how to hold him properly and change his nappies."

"I _do_ have a godson around his age, whom I babysit frequently. I'm quite sure I can handle it, Headmaster."

"Of course." Dumbledore nodded as he led the group out of the hospital wing. The Headmaster lowered his voice before continuing, "The issue Minerva, Poppy, and I were arguing about a while ago concerned the inventor of the potion Severus drank—the man who first created this permanent aging potion."

Harry looked at him with concern.

"Well it turns out the potion is indeed permanent, and all the evidence we've gathered so far only supports that. It also turns out…the man who invented the potion did so with a purpose."

"He wanted to de-age _himself_." Harry guessed.

"And he got rid of all his notes before he did so." Dumbledore nodded. "He only patented the recipe so that the family he ended up staying with would have a source of income with which to raise him."

"Wait a moment!" Harry interrupted, "If Mr. Snape still has all his memories, even in this form, isn't it possible the inventor still has all of his."

"Possible, but not." Dumbledore shook his head. "His new parents oblivated him completely—by his request. He is, for all intents and purposes, six months old in mind and in body."

Harry narrowed his eyes. "That sounds fishy."

Dumbledore nodded. "I know. That's what we were arguing about." He led the group down to the fourth floor and through a series of twists and turns, "Rest assured, Harry, I'll try to get to the bottom of this. But the thing is…for once, I don't think there's anything more here than what meets the eye. Do you?" The Headmaster raised an eyebrow at him, "I've looked into this man's history. And although he had a few good friends—whom he chose to become his parents—his life was just one misfortune after another. I mean, think of it, my boy—if _you_ lived such a miserable existence and wished to start over, what's to stop _you_ from doing so?"

Harry sighed and nodded. "Well…it doesn't really hurt to double check anyway."

"I quite agree."

As they walked down the hall, Harry's keen sense of observation began to note that they were passing the Defense classroom, and the Defense professor's office, and the Defense supply room, and the Defense professor's…_No way!_

Harry pressed his lips together tightly. "Headmaster, I don't appreciate the implication."

"What implication, my boy?" The old coot asked, an innocent look plastered on his face.

Harry growled and shifted the child in his arms. "Professor Dumbledore, you offered this job to me not three hours ago. Then you dropped _this_ bombshell on me. I haven't had one moment to think about the offer and you're already moving me into the Defense professor's quarters?!" He hissed.

"Harry, please." Dumbledore whispered calmly, "Just think on it. Please. If you still don't want the position in a week or two, then we'll move you to other quarters. Alright?"

Harry tightened his jaw. Suddenly, the child in his arms shifted in his sleep and Harry moved to accommodate him. The abrupt reminder that there was a baby present was enough to force him to calm down. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath.

Then another.

Then another.

Then one more for good measure.

"Alright." He answered, meeting the Headmaster's eyes, "I'll seriously consider it. _But_…_if_ I decide not to take it—"

"I'll respect your decision." Dumbledore broke in, a grand smile blossoming on his face. Harry rolled his eyes and turned away. Who was he kidding? The decision was already made for him. _Meddlesome old coot! Never asks, forever manipulates. Bastard…_

Harry spun around and came face to face with a painting of Merlin himself.

"Good evening, young man, you must be the new resident." The man with a passing resemblance to Dumbledore greeted.

"I am indeed, sir." Harry answered with a bit of a smile.

"Well then the password is 'Excalibur' and welcome to your new home…"

The portrait hole swung open and Harry gasped.

* * *

**Next, the new residents take a tour of their quarters, Severus realizes his physical limitations, and the little potions master learns to push some buttons!**


	2. Welcome Home!

The place was definitely big! It was much bigger than the quarters he thought they would be receiving. Come to recall, he wasn't sure the quarters were this big when Remus was still living here.

"We extended them just recently." Dumbledore said behind them, "In the past month."

As they walked into the chambers, there was a small kitchen immediately to their left. An ice box sat in one corner next to a fireplace with a spit and a cast iron stove. There were counters and sinks and drawers and cabinets and a complete set of cooking utensils, conveniently set high above the reach of little hands. A window sat next to the stove, and a small round table rested on the side, four chairs and a highchair neatly tucked under it. Visible from the kitchen was a den, with bookcases against the walls and under a window, lots of playing room, and an impressive oak desk on the far wall. To their immediate right was a study area with a rectangular oak table, matching chairs, matching bookcases, and a matching fully-stocked liquor cabinet.

"For only those special occasions, of course." Dumbledore commented, amused, as he followed Harry's eye to the impressive collection of alcohol.

Harry smirked, "Of course." Then he raised an eyebrow, "As if Ginny would let me at any other time anyway." The three professors behind him chuckled.

A fireplace dominated the right half of the room. No doubt it was connected to both the inter-school floo network and the British floo network in general. A giant leather couch, flanked by two round side tables, and a large oval coffee table sat across from it. Flanking the coffee table were matching leather easy chairs with retractable footrests. _Nice!_ Harry thought, smirking internally. A long table rested against the back of the couch.

Another large bookcase sat against the far wall. On its left, bordered on the other side by his desk, was the entrance to the master bedroom. On the right of the bookcase, however, was a carpeted stairway that led up to the newly-constructed, lofted section of the quarters. From Harry's ground-floor view, he could make out three medium-sized rooms—two to the left of the staircase, one to the right.

"The rooms to either side of the staircase are guest bedrooms, while the room on the far left is a second bathroom." McGonagall informed him, pointing to the loft, "And that area over there," she pointed to the section of wall on the ground floor to the right of the staircase, "is a space we left empty, just in case you wanted to build another room there in the future."

"Perhaps you should check out the master bedroom, Mr. Potter," Madame Pomfrey suggested, coming out of said room and pointing towards the door, "I just placed the crib in there next to the bed. Perhaps it'd be best to lay Severus down there before doing anything else."

"MO!" Came a muffled whine from the vicinity of his chest.

Harry looked down to see Snape's eyes still closed and thumb still stuck firmly in his mouth, but his eyebrows were furrowed, indicating a state of consciousness.

"Would you like to see our new quarters?" Harry asked. The child opened his eyes fully now and pushed up against Harry's chest.

"Mo ow! Mo ow! Ooo cow…ew. Ooo cow…ew! Mo meh cow—ew!" Baby Snape whined in frustration. He pointed to the teenager, "Ooo cow—ew!" Then shook his head and pointed to himself, "Mo me cow—ew!"

Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Look…Mr. Snape…can you honestly tell me you can take care of yourself at the moment?"

The baby whined, "Meh wa meh cow—ew! Meh wa meh cow—e!"

Harry's lips tightened. "You can't take—"

"MEH WA MEH COW—EW!"

Harry rolled his eyes and sighed in frustration. "Fine." He bent down and placed the infant Snape on the floor. "If you think you can take care of yourself just fine, by all means—get there!" He gestured towards the portrait hole.

"Mr. Potter?" McGonagall questioned. She, Dumbledore, and Madame Pomfrey were looking at him quizzically.

With a wave of hand, Harry cast a _Muffliato_ on all four of them so Snape wouldn't be able to hear. "He refuses to acknowledge that these are _our_ quarters. He insists they're _mine_, not _his_, and wants to go back to _his_ quarters." After a while they nodded in comprehension, and with another wave, he cast a _Finite_ and turned back to the baby on the floor.

Severus lay on his stomach in the same position Harry had put him in moments before. He had to do this, he told himself. He _had_ to do this! He could take care of himself just fine—he _knew_ he could! Now that Potter had thankfully put him down and he was out of that infernal crib, he could finally prove to them that although he _looked_ like an infant, he was still quite capable of doing everything he used to be able to when he looked like an adult. Well…almost everything.

Damn his limited speech skills! It was near impossible to communicate in this miniature form! The last two days had been tantamount to hell for Severus. Not only had Poppy and Minerva insisted on speaking to him and treating him like an infantile idiot, but Albus as well! If anything, Albus was the worst out of all of them. The old man looked like a bloody moron standing there and making those ridiculous faces at him. If the situation wasn't so demeaning, Severus would've laughed at the old codger. But it wasn't funny. No matter how much Severus tried to make the sounds he intended to make, his mouth just wouldn't cooperate! When he intended to make one kind of sound, an altogether different one came out. His 'no' sounded like 'mo'; _forget_ trying to say 'I'. He sounded like a bloody idiot whenever he opened his mouth! Severus felt like he was being horribly tortured and thought the pain would never end…

…until Potter walked through the door.

Potter took one look at him and knew. He met Severus' eyes once and realized he was still in there. Instead of talking to him like a baby, Potter talked to him like a man. Then something weird happened for Severus—in the place where suspicion normally would have taken form, there instead developed trust. Severus Snape unwillingly began to _trust_ Harry Bloody Potter. Severus immediately thought there was something horribly wrong with him. Then he realized—he was five months old! No matter how much his conscious mind was screaming at him to not trust this teenager standing before him, his subconscious—which seemed to control his actions—felt the exact opposite.

At first, he tested to see whether or not Potter would understand his primitive methods of communication. To his surprise, he understood it perfectly! None of the other professors were able to understand him when he tried to communicate; and they were all smarter than Potter! Severus attributed this phenomenon to the fact that it probably took an idiot to understand another idiot. Then he frowned at himself for calling himself an idiot.

Then something truly humiliating started to happen—he started getting emotional and his childish brain began to take over. He recalled mentally frowning at the arguing professors when his body decided to blow raspberries at them. Then when Potter did it too, he internally found it a bit amusing; to his utmost horror, he actually laughed out loud as well! Of course, the shocked looks on everyone's faces drew genuine giggles internally as well as externally. That's when Severus decided to use Potter as his communication device. To his secret delight, Potter not only understood babble and raspberries, he understood hand signals! Trying to say 'Potter' was completely out of the question, so Severus settled for trying to pronounce 'Harry' instead. The boy recognized it and it worked!

Then Dumbledore began to doubt him again and that put Severus into a mood. Fortunately, it was lifted somewhat when Potter began having a serious conversation with him, which made him feel a bit more normal, even though he disagreed with the brat—he cared for _Lily_, not for her son, no matter what the brat thought. Unfortunately, that bit of normalcy was disrupted by Dumbledore who proceeded to talk to Potter about _him_ as if _he_ wasn't even in the room! The nerve of the old coot! Even though Potter reminded him several times to treat him, Severus, like an adult, the old moron wouldn't listen! That was when Severus began giving in to his urge to act his physical age, and it had thrown Albus into a tailspin, much to Severus' delight.

Then Potter walked out of the room. As soon as Severus noticed this, he became rather agitated. Potter was the only one who understood him, and treated him like a big adult man, and didn't talk down to him, and knew what he was saying, and without Potter everything would just go back to being hell again! When Albus, Minerva, and Poppy tried to calm him down with baby talk and stupid faces, it didn't do any good. It just made his tantrum worse. Finally, when Severus was about to lose it completely, to his supreme relief, Potter walked back into the room and Severus decided to grab him and hold on to him and not let his communication device go!

What he didn't count on was falling asleep there. When he had come to, he found himself here—in Potter's quarters, in Potter's _arms_!!! Severus immediately wanted down, but not before he made it perfectly clear that these were _Potter's_ quarters, _not _his! His quarters were in the dungeons—where he belonged! After a rather convincing argument, in his opinion, he made Potter put him down and now all he had to do was get out of here and prove to all of them that he _could_ do this—that he _could_ take care of himself…by himself!

Now what had Potter said? Oh, yes…all he needed to do was get there. 'There' being his quarters, of course. Right! That was easy! He could…ehm…he could walk there. Yes, of course! He could walk. It would probably take a bit of time, but he could walk. Definitely. Now…how to do that. Hmm…well first he had to get on his feet. Right! Easy enough. Er… push up and get on the knees. That's it! Then…lean on the hands and…push up on the feet and…oof!

Severus fell down against the carpet. To his disgust, a whine escaped from his lips. It's not like the fall actually hurt—the carpet was extremely soft. The whine was more a sound of frustration than anything else. This wasn't working the way he planned. Well…it wasn't working the way he _hoped_, was more like it. It wasn't like he actually _planned_ anything before stating he could take care of himself. He just kind of…said it. Impulsively. On principle.

After another failed attempt at standing, Severus tossed that plan out the window and wracked his brain for another option. He was five months old! How did five-month-olds get around, anyway? How did babies in general get around? Severus grimaced internally. He had absolutely no experience with babies. Although…he recalled seeing one or two of them…_crawl!_ That was it! He would _crawl_ to his quarters—yes! It might take even longer than trying to walk, but he could try.

Pushing himself up once again, he managed to get on his hands and knees. Yes, that was the correct position. Now…to put it in effect.

Unbeknownst to baby Severus, the adults were watching him endearingly from above. Minerva and Poppy were whispering between themselves and _giggling_ quietly while Albus silently took pictures. Harry himself couldn't help the smirk that pulled on the corners of his mouth as he watched Snape struggle with standing up before giving up entirely and deciding to try to crawl. Crawling in itself, it seemed, was proving harder than expected for the thirty-eight-year-old, five-month infant.

How the heck was one supposed to bloody crawl?! The process was entirely easier said than done; it was harder than it looked! Severus began by moving his right hand forward slowly and lifting his left leg in an attempt to move forward in conjunction with his hand. And…push…forward…push…forward…push…oof! Severus' face smashed into the carpet. A whine escaped his lips. Bugger! Alright…try again! Right hand up, left leg up, push forward…oof! _Argh!!!_ Why was this so bloody hard?! He was a Potion Master for Merlin's sake! He was a walker with thirty-seven years of walking experience under his belt! Crawling should be a breeze! Alright…one more try. Left hand this time—left hand up, right leg up, push it forward…oof! A longer, more frustrated whine emerged. WHY?! _Why_ couldn't he do this?! What was so bloody hard about _crawling_?!

Severus pushed himself up again and sat back on his butt, leaning on his arms. He eyed the portrait hole sadly. Suddenly it looked so far away…

And his quarters were even farther…

Oh, _why_ did this bloody have to happen to him?! What had he done wrong in this life to deserve all this?! Well…truthfully, he knew what he had done wrong; but wasn't death a good enough punishment for that? Why did he have to be subjected to _this_ punishment, this…humiliation? The bloody Dark Lord had done infinitely worse than what he did and _that_ bastard got to die. Why couldn't he?! Why couldn't he be allowed to cross the Veil and see Lily again?! That's all he wanted—to see his precious love again; to hold her in his arms and tell her everything he wanted to tell her when she was alive but wasn't able to. Then a thought struck him—was it simply because he wasn't _allowed_ to see her again? Ever? Because of the crimes he had committed in his lifetime?

An eternity without Lily? Severus felt a sharp, stabbing pain in his chest.

Merlin, what could he have possibly done to deserve _**that**_?!?!?!

Oh, why couldn't he just die?!

Severus felt two fat tears run down his cheek and he looked up miserably at Potter's blurry form standing above him. Somewhere in the distance he heard a baby's heart-wrenching cry and it took him a few moments to process that that baby was _him_. Reluctantly, he reached his arms up towards the Potter blur and opened and closed his hands in a silent, childlike plea.

Two strong hands wrapped around him, lifted him up, and cradled him between two equally strong arms. Severus began sobbing into Potter's chest for the second time that day. If he had been in a better frame of mind, he would've taken a delight in soiling Potter's robes with tears and snot. But at the moment, he really didn't care for that either way. He was miserable goddamn it and this little body wanted to cry! He grabbed the robes and held on to them like a vise, burying his face within their folds and screaming his frustrations into them. Tears, snot, and drool openly flowed out of him like wild rivers.

After a few moments, Severus felt a hand begin to rub big, comforting circles into his back. A voice started whispering incomprehensible yet soothing sounds into his ear. The soft thump-thud of the heart beating beneath the other ear calmed his morbid thoughts. The gentle swaying motion slowed his racing heart. Soon, Severus felt his frustrations gradually begin to drain away.

With his eyes three-quarters of the way closed, something snuck into his mouth and Severus instinctively began sucking on it. When he felt a strange sensation coming from his hand, he realized he must be sucking on his own thumb! Normally, this situation would have been incredibly humiliating, but Severus found he was too tired to even care at the moment. The sound of Dumbledore's voice perked up his hearing and he idly listened in on their conversation from his comfortable perch in Potter's arms.

"Would you like to place him in the crib, Harry?"

"No, no, I'll just carry him for now. It's fine. Besides, he's not even asleep yet. He'd just get horribly bored in there." The chest rumbled beneath Severus' ear.

"Perhaps you'd like to take a look at the master bedroom then, Mr. Potter." McGonagall suggested. "It has a king-sized bed, two side tables, a wardrobe, Severus' crib, a rocking chair, its own personal master bathroom, and a special little bookcase." She explained as they entered the room itself.

"What's so special about it, Professor?"

"Oh, Harry. You're no longer a student here, child. You no longer need to call me Professor." McGonagall chuckled. "You may call me Minerva."

Harry blushed. "Oh, Professor…I…um…" he chuckled nervously, "I couldn't possibly…" He thought for a second and an idea struck him. "How 'bout I call you 'Nana'? But I don't mean that as any kind of offense or anything. It's just…" he shrugged, "…calling you by your first name seems a bit disrespectful to me, and…and you've been a lot like a grandmother to me throughout these years, and…ehm…That—that's if you don't mind, of course…um…"

McGonagall seemed a bit flustered but beamed at him nonetheless, "It'd be my honor, Harry."

If Severus could have opened his eyes, he would have rolled them. As it were, the more Potter spoke, the more the chest under his ear rumbled, the calmer he became, and the sleepier he felt.

"Great!" Harry cleared his throat, "Nana, then. Ehm…" In an effort to distract himself from the awkward situation, he inspected the room. The wardrobe and the bookcase were across from the bed and Harry remembered his question upon seeing them. "So…special bookcase?"

"The bookcase is a secret entrance that will open only to you—it's charmed to your magical signature." Dumbledore explained.

"What's it a secret entrance to, Headmaster?"

"Well, considering you're joining the Aurors, and rumor has it you're specializing in both the Unforgivables and weaponized potions, we thought you might be able to make use of your own, personal potions lab."

Severus' eyes shot open and he pushed up immediately. "Ah!" _Potions lab? They're giving __Potter__ a potions lab? With a secret entrance? That only __he__ can open?! What about me?! I'm a Potions Master! Potter would ruin every potion he'd get his hands on. He has no right to have his own potions lab. __I__ deserve it! Not __him__! This is completely unfair! _

"Now, Severus—"

Severus pulled his thumb out of his mouth and shook his head violently, "MO! MO! MO! MO! MO! MO! MO!" He glared at the Headmaster, "Meh! Meh! Meh!"

"Mr. Snape—"

"MEH!" He screamed into Harry's face.

"_Excuse_ me—"

But the baby just shook his head faster and began bouncing and wiggling in Harry's arms. "Meh! Meh! Meh! Mei…Moooooiiii…MY! MY! MY! MY! MY!"

"Mr. Sna—"

"MY! MY! MY! MY! MIME! MIME! MIME!"

"_SEVERUS!_" Harry hissed, managing to quiet the surprised child momentarily. "You will stop that right now or—"

"_**MIME**_!" The baby glared, blew raspberries straight into his eye, and screeched, "MIME! MIME! MIME! MO OOO! **MIME**!"

"That's it." Harry's arms tightened around the child and he spun around, screaming over the din, "Nana, does Severus have a playpen or a high chair or something?"

The poor lady looked flustered. "Oh, my! Um…" She turned to Poppy, who was digging through the diaper bag. "I don't think so."

"That's okay." Harry marched directly to the crib.

"MIME! MIME! MIME! MIME! MIME! MIME! MIME! MIME!" Severus began pounding Harry's chest with little firsts, but the teenager ignored him. Holding the infant securely with his right hand, Harry pulled out his wand with his left, promptly tossed all the toys out of the crib with a flick, and transfigured it into a playpen. He then picked up the playpen and brought it into the living room, placing it in a corner. Next, he gently placed the child into the empty playpen.

"MO! MO! MomomomomomomomomomoMO!" The baby fought him tooth and nail, grabbing onto his robes, his glasses, even his hair! He blew raspberries at Harry and kicked him with all his might in an effort to prevent the teen from putting him down.

Despite all of Severus' efforts, Harry was still able to sit him inside the playpen and move out of his reach before the infant could grab on again. "There! Now…"

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Severus wailed at the top of his lungs, gazing up at Harry sadly and reaching out to him in an effort to be picked back up.

"NO!" Harry replied firmly, pointing a reproachful finger at him. "_You_ didn't tolerate disrespect from _me_, so why should I tolerate any from you?" Tears and snot continued to pour down the baby's face. "Now listen to me."

"MO!" Severus wailed, swiping his cheeks before pounding his fists into the bottom of the playpen. "MO! Uuuuuuuuuuuup!"

"No."

"Up!" Baby Snape sniffled, "Up, pea?"

"Severus, you not only yelled at me, you yelled at Professor Dumbledore. You _hit_ me, you _spit_ in my face, you pulled my hair, you grabbed my glasses, you _kicked_ me…You've been a _naughty_ boy, young man!"

Severus had stopped yelling but continued to weep and whimper as Harry lectured him.

"Now I am _not_ speaking to you as a five-month-old, am I?" Harry continued, "I'm trying all I can to treat you as normally as possible, to make your life as bearable as possible—I know you know all this!" He tried to take a calming breath, "Now here's the reality of the situation—if you wish to act like a five-month-old, I will treat you like a five-month-old _with_ a few exceptions—I know you know better than this so you're getting the punishment I think a typical five-year-old would deserve."

"Mo pumeh! Mo pumeh!" The infant shook his head and held up his arms once again, opening and closing his little hands. "Up, pea! Up, pea, Haweh! Pea, Haweh! Uuuup!"

Harry gritted his teeth as he took in the forlorn sight before him. Severus was quite a beautiful baby, but he was also a temperamental one. Harry realized that although Snape still had his memories, they were just that—memories. They were in no way connected with his behavior anymore. It was like someone had removed all of Snape's memories from his adult body and inserted them into this child. Although this infant thought like Snape and remembered things that had happened in Snape's life, his reactions to things and his behavior would not be the same as the Severus Snape everyone was used to. _That_ Snape's neural pathways had already been forged. He was conditioned to act the way he did and think the way he did and like the things he did because of the way he grew up. _This_ Snape, however, was a different case altogether. _This_ Snape was a five month old _baby_. He was a vessel for the adult Snape's memories but nothing more. His behavior, reactions, thinking patterns, likes, dislikes and whatnot had not had the chance to form yet. His neural pathways were just beginning to develop. For the adult Snape, old habits died hard. For the baby Snape, there _were_ _no_ habits to speak of; and Harry would be damned if the habits that _did_ form were bad ones.

"Shhh…quiet now, please. Let me speak." Harry tried in a calmer voice.

"Mmmmm!" Severus sobbed. "Mmmmmm!" Sniff!

The baby looked up at him miserably.

"Now I'm going to leave you in here for ten minutes."

"MO!"

"Do _not_ interrupt me." Harry said firmly, giving the infant a steely look. "I am very disappointed in your behavior, and I think you could use a time-out."

"**MO**! UP PEA!!!" Severus' tears started anew.

"I want you think about everything I just said." Harry continued regardless, his tone even. "And when I get back in here, you owe me and Professor Dumbledore an apology."

"MO!"

But Harry ignored him. He simply walked away from the crib and into the master bedroom where the other professors stood waiting for him.

"MO! MO! COM BAC! COM BAC! PEA!!!!" The shrieking in the next room reached an all-time high.

As soon as Harry was sure he was out of the baby's sight, he clutched at his heart and the ghost of pain he felt there.

"Mr. Potter, are you alright?!" Poppy started, alarmed.

"Oh, no, Madame Pomfrey, I'm fine. It's just…" He glanced behind his shoulder at the other room.

"Oh! Don't worry. We understand." The healer assured her.

"You handled that admirably, Harry." McGonagall complimented.

"I quite agree." Dumbledore agreed.

Harry grimaced, "Thank you." He glanced worriedly at the outer room once again. Severus' cries were like a dagger stabbing him in the heart. He gritted his teeth, reminding himself that he needed to be tough. He needed to instill not only love but discipline as well. He could see now that carrying out the latter was going to become quite a problem.

"He's going to be fine, my boy. Don't worry." Dumbledore clasped his shoulder in support and steered him to the bathroom. "Now…I've already set a timer. It'll inform you when the ten minutes are up. So…how about in that time we examine your new master bathroom and your private lab, hmm?" The boy nodded distractedly. "Minerva, Poppy, would you be so kind as to set up everything we brought from the infirmary." The witches nodded and Dumbledore steered him to his connecting master bathroom.

The bathroom was exquisite—the bathtub was huge, the sink was large enough to fit baby Severus, and the changing table had plenty of room to store nappies. Harry couldn't help but think of Ginny and how she would absolutely love the bathtub and the fact that it could easily convert to a hot tub. Harry smirked. Underneath the Quidditch-playing tough exterior was a bubble bath romantic who loved to be treated like a woman.

Checking the time, Harry noted Severus had five more minutes to go. He was glad the crying had died down somewhat. It was hard enough to leave Severus by himself in another room, let alone to leave Severus _crying_ by himself in another room. It went against all his protective instincts.

"Come, my boy. I'll show you how to access the lab and take you on a bit of a tour." Dumbledore said, steering him to the bookcase.

The lab turned out to be quite fantastic. The Headmaster had graciously supplied him with the basic set of ingredients necessary to make common potions. The room was about as big as the adult Snape's—now Professor Slughorn's—classroom. The only difference was it was all for _him_. The shelves were full of new cauldrons, potions tools, vials, beakers, and potions books from all his years at Hogwarts and then some. Harry even spotted a couple of potions journals about the room.

"It's fantastic! Thank you, sir." Harry smiled.

"One more thing, my boy." Dumbledore pointed to an inconspicuous area of the wall in a corner. "Put your hand on the cracked stone there and see what happens."

Harry did so and the wall quietly slid aside to reveal another well-lit room of about the same size as the lab. It housed a fireplace, shelves stocked with endless bags of shrunken and preserved food and water, an abnormally large bag full of shrunken books and school supplies, a bag full of portkeys, two large bunk beds, and a bag full of shrunken bed rolls.

"It's a safe room." Dumbledore said, walking in behind him. "Or panic room, as some muggles like to call it. Only you and your future family may enter here. Although the fireplace is not connected to the network, you may still use it to floo in and out to escape. That means that no one but you or your family can floo in because you're the only ones who know it's here, but you can certainly floo out to anywhere you like. The room is stocked with enough magically-preserved food to feed the whole of Hogwarts for a year. The bag and school supplies are enough to teach up to ten students first through seventh year material. The portkeys are another way out, and the bed rolls are if you decide to lock yourselves in with extra guests."

"Wow!" Harry gaped, "This is amazing!" He met Dumbledore's eyes, "A well thought-out plan, sir."

"Yes, well, after the last war, I figure we need more of those—"

Suddenly, an alarm blared and Harry pulled out his wand instinctively.

"Don't worry! That's just the timer." The Headmaster told him with a smile, "Looks like Severus' time-out is up, hmm?"

"Thank Merlin." Harry rushed out of the panic room, up the stairs, and out of his bedroom. As he approached the playpen, he could hear quiet sniffling coming from within.

"Com bac..." Sniff! "Com bac, pea…" Sob! From this angle, it looked like baby Snape was now lying down on his side and sobbing into the lone blanket that had been left in there by accident.

"Hey, scamp!" Harry greeted softly, kneeling next to the playpen and giving the child a gentle smile.

Severus' eyes widened, "Ooo bac! Ooo bac!" He pushed himself up onto his hands and knees then sat back on his heels.

Harry chuckled softly, "Of course I'm back. I was only in the next room." He reached up and lowered one wall of the playpen just enough so that they could see each other clearly, but the baby still wouldn't be able to get out. "Now…is there something you want to say to me?" He eyed the child sternly.

Severus pouted and hung his head, a tear running down his face. "Owy Haweh." He replied in a small voice.

"And what for?" Harry guided him softly.

"Oowim empew."

"Losing your temper, yes." Harry nodded.

"Be…com…bing by-o-wemp."

"Becoming violent, alright. That's something I _will not_ tolerate. Go on." Harry told him.

Severus swallowed, "Di…weh…pec…ping Ooo."

"Disrespecting me and…?"

"Dumb…dow."

"And Professor Dumbledore, that's right. Are you going to apologize to him, too?" He raised an eyebrow at the babe.

Severus nodded frantically, reaching his arms out pleadingly and giving Harry his best puppy-dog-eyes look.

Harry smirked. "Alright, my boy, you're forgiven." He lowered the wall the rest of the way, leaned over, and held his arms out. Severus immediately dove forward and wrapped his arms around Harry's neck, sobbing into his robes once again. "Alright now. It's forgiven now. Just apologize to Professor Dumbledore and it'll be okay between us again, alright?" He felt the infant nod against his chest. "Alright."

Slowly and carefully, Harry climbed to his feet and made his way back into the master bedroom. "Professor Dumbledore, someone would like to say something to you." He announced, nudging the infant with his shoulder. "Severus?"

The little boy turned from where he had his face buried within Harry's robes and eyed the Headmaster miserably. "Owy pow my beh-e-bow, ehw."

"That means 'Sorry for my behavior, sir.'" Harry translated.

Dumbledore gave the child a gentle smile, his eyes twinkling in delight. "I forgive you, my boy." He began rubbing the baby Snape's back, but the child shyly dove his face back into Harry's robes.

Harry nodded at Dumbledore and turned back to his young charge, "There, you see now? All forgiven." He kissed the top of Severus' head tenderly and began running his hands through his baby hair. "I'm proud of you." He whispered.

"Well! We'll just leave the both of you to it." Dumbledore smiled, eyes twinkling at Harry.

"Mr. Potter, I've taken the liberty of stocking both your bathrooms with common potions for both children and adults." Poppy told him, "Should you need anything, chances are they'll be in there."

"Thank you, Madame."

"Harry, the parenting books and whatnot are on your desk. I advise reading them as soon as you're able."

"Yes, Nana, I'll be sure to do that." He nodded as he followed the three professors to the door.

"Remember, you don't have to eat all your meals in here. The Great Hall is still where you remember it to be."

"Thank you, Headmaster, I'll remember."

"Call us if you need anything, dear."

"Yes, Nana."

"Mr. Potter, I'd like to see Severus Friday morning." Poppy told him as they stepped out of the portrait hole, "For a check-up and an update on the situation with the inventor."

Harry nodded, "Absolutely."

Dumbledore began ushering the two ladies down the hall, but couldn't resist turning back one last time, "Goodnight, my boys."

"Goodnight, sir." Harry smiled, nudging the child gently with his shoulder.

Severus' baby face turned in their direction, "Goo-my!" He droned before sticking his thumb in his mouth and burrowing into Harry's chest once again.

Albus made sure to discreetly snap a picture of the pair as the portrait hole closed. That was a precious moment.

* * *

**Oh, the workings of an adult mind in an infant body! Or was it an infant mind in an adult mind? No, it was an infant mind in an adult body. Right? RATS!**

Next up, dinner in the new quarters! Severus begins getting these preposterous little urges to do some ridiculous things, Harry gives the little guy some advice on staying sane, and a certain fiery little redheaded girlfriend makes her first appearance.

PICTURE: By the way, if anyone wants to see a schematic of Harry's quarters, go to my website and click on the only link on the page-- it's on the lower right-hand corner.

**Thank you all for the marvelous reviews and adds so far! :-)**


	3. Dreamcatcher

"You hungry?" Severus felt the shoulder nudge him again and he nodded into the warm robes, too tired to lift his head up yet again. "Yeah, I'm hungry, too." He felt Harry walking, and the abrupt sounds of closing cabinets and drawers, and the clanging of silverware on porcelain, piqued his curiosity. Severus turned his head and leaned his ear against his transport's chest instead, allowing the heartbeat to calm him like before.

"Alright…five months old, five months old…" Harry was looking around at the food in his kitchen, wondering what he could feed Severus. "Let's consult the book, eh?"

Severus saw Harry glance down at him briefly before reaching a hand out. Almost immediately, a book from the desk flew across the room, over the counter, and into his waiting palm. Severus sat up in surprise, taking his thumb out of his mouth and widening his eyes at Harry. _Wandless magic? Potter can do wandless magic?! Wandless, __wordless__ magic?! That's…that's…_ "Ah!" His infantile form articulated, sounding quite surprised.

Above him, Harry chuckled. "Well, thank you. Coming from you that's quite a compliment. Now…five months old…" He set the book down on the counter and held a hand over it. Baby Severus could feel a magical wind blow through the room. Suddenly, the book burst open, its pages flying to the side as if some invisible force was flipping through the book at lightning speed. Then, after a moment, it stopped. "Ah! Here we go—five to six month old babies." Severus gripped Harry's robes tighter as the teen leaned over the counter to read the book. "It says your diet includes the mother's milk…well that's not happening, unless, of course, Ginny would volunteer to lactate, but I highly doubt it…so we scratch that one out. Then there's baby formula…" Harry looked down at Severus with a raised eyebrow. Severus looked back up at Harry questioningly.

"Mo." He shook his tiny head slowly.

"Too disgusting?"

This time, the baby nodded.

"I figured." Harry nodded, readjusting the infant on his arm. "Anything made from powder is bound to be disgusting. Okay…" He looked back at the book, "That leaves pureed foods. Unless…have you got your teeth in yet?"

Severus looked at him quizzically.

"May I take a peek in your mouth, please?" Severus opened wide.

"Oh…no, not yet." He tapped Severus' chin gently and the baby closed up, "But I can see a couple peeking up from inside the gums. We have to get you some teething supplies." He snapped his fingers and a flying quill and parchment flew to them from across the room. "Note—teething supplies."

Severus thought the quill and parchment looked like the kind that bitch gossiper from the _Daily Prophet_ carried around with her. He saw the quill scribble furiously on the parchment and idly wondered what would happen if he pulled on the end of the thing. He'd always wanted to do that when he was taller, but his reputation and everything had prevented him from doing so. Now, though…

He glanced up and saw that Harry was busy looking for some soft fruits for his meal. His eyes darted to the quill and parchment following them rather closely. The pretty, green, Slytherin-looking quill—with its rather long tail—flew just within his reach. It was bobbing up and down enticingly. And he really had no reputation to care for right now…not really…and Harry was still distracted…and the quill was still writing…and it was right there…

_YANK!_

A delightfully crooked line now ran down the hitherto neat little page with its neat little handwriting.

The quill pulled itself out of his grip and straightened up, looking rather indignant for a quill. It shook its tail at him reproachfully before returning to write on the parchment, as Harry had yet to stop dictating to it.

Severus grinned. It still floated well within his reach.

"And I suppose we'll need pacifiers, though I imagine you won't need them very much…" _Scribble! Scribble! Scribble!_

_YANK! _

Another offensive line appeared on the paper. Again the quill pulled itself away. Now it was looking rather frustrated with the infant. Severus started giggling. Not having a reputation to protect really _was_ fun, now that he thought about it!

"I guess I'm going to have to read about what other things infants your age might need. Although…Ginny could probably guess rather well, considering Teddy and everything…" _Scribble! Scribble! Scribble! _

_YANK! _

Yet another offensive line. This time, the quill wretched itself away from him so forcefully, its tip ran straight into the parchment, poking a rather big hole in the paper. Now it was the parchment's turn to straighten up and look indignant. The quill looked slightly alarmed. It pointed its tail frantically at the laughing baby, but the parchment paid him no attention. It looked about ready to beat up the quill! Suddenly, the quill jumped and hysterically pointed to something behind the parchment. When the paper looked back to see what it was, the quill hurriedly bounced in the opposite direction. The parchment, which looked to be running on a pair of corners for legs, soon dashed after him. Severus began laughing hysterically at the antics of the normally inanimate objects, twisting his body this way and that to watch the drama unfold around the kitchen.

Harry closed the icebox, discreetly peering down at his giggling charge with an unnoticeable smile on his face. He hadn't expected the dictating quill to become the object of amusement for the thirty-eight-year-old infant, but somehow it had. This behavior just continued to prove his earlier theory about the disconnection between Severus' memories and his state of mind. The situation was proving to be quite a delicate balance. Harry had to talk to Severus like an adult, while he discreetly treated him like a child.

"So how does a mashed banana, apple juice in a bottle, and Wizard Cheerios sound to you?" He nudged the infant to get his attention and waited patiently.

The parchment had effectively chased the quill into the next room and back to the desk, where the two had simultaneously stopped mid-chase and flopped back down onto the table, going inanimate again and ending the impromptu show. It took a few minutes for Severus to calm down from his laughing fit, but once he did, it occurred to him that Harry had asked him a question.

"Uh?" He peered up at the teenager quizzically.

"I asked if a mashed banana, apple juice in a bottle, and Wizard Cheerios is good enough for dinner tonight."

"Oh." Severus thought about it. "Meh…eh?" He patted his chest, then opened and closed his hand, then patted his mouth, then patted his chest once again.

That took Harry a moment to translate. "Er…are you asking if you can feed yourself?" The infant nodded. "Right. According to the book, your fingers should be nimble enough to hold the bottle of juice and grasp at the Wizard Cheerios. However, it's not yet nimble enough to hold the spoon. I'll have to feed you the mashed bananas, but I promise to allow you to practice with the spoon near the end. Is that acceptable?" He hoped the compromise would be enough to convince the adult mind to act babyish, at least in this respect.

Severus thought some more. Well…he didn't really have to rely on Potter too much for that. He could eat most of the meal by himself. Plus, Potter had promised to allow him to be able to practice his dexterity later. It looked to be a good deal. He should be suspicious. He really should. Potter was _never_ this nice—not to _him_, at least. He should be _very_ suspicious of Potter's niceness. But…he wasn't. Huh. Why wasn't he? Where was the suspiciousness he was supposed to feel?!

"Severus?" He looked up at the mention of his name, and Potter's gentle gaze banished the conflicting thoughts momentarily.

"Uh-huh!" His voice sounded approving—enthusiastic, even! He scowled. Why was he excited about the prospect of feeding himself?! He'd done that most of his life; he shouldn't be this excited about it now!

"Excellent." Potter ordered the high chair to pull out from under the table and prepare itself with a wave of a hand. Severus' scowl disappeared. The wandless, wordless magic Potter was suddenly exhibiting was still surprising and…absolutely wicked! _Wicked?! Where in Merlin's name did __that__ come from?!_

Harry set Severus on the high chair, then pulled a box of Wizard Cheerios out of one of the cabinets. He placed a handful on the table of the high chair. "Here you go. Bit of an appetizer while I get your dinner and my dinner ready."

"A ba!"

While Harry made sure the high chair was secure, and that the baby was sitting straight, and that the baby wouldn't fall out, Severus enthusiastically dove a hand into his bunch of Wizard Cheerios. Cereal went flying in whichever direction, landing on the floor, the table, and…Harry's head. A few O's had stuck themselves to Harry's hair! _Ha! Ha! Ha! _Now _that_ was funny! Severus giggled.

Harry's eyebrows furrowed, "What?"

Baby Snape grinned, patted his head, and giggled some more.

"Ha! Ha! Very funny." Rolling his eyes, Harry brushed the cereal off and then turned to prepare the rest of their dinner.

"So I was wondering…" Harry started, as he chopped up some vegetables for a soup, "We don't have a whole lot of baby stuff for you so we'll have to go shopping for some tomorrow." He glanced back to check if Severus was listening, and to his relief, the infant was gazing at him with wide eyes while he chewed on his fingers and Wizard Cheerios. "But here's the catch—the goddamn press won't give me one moment of peace when I go out, and it'll be even worse if I go out with you, so…" He stopped his chopping and looked directly at the child, "…would it be acceptable if I had my girlfriend—Ginny Weasley—do the shopping for us? Her taste is infinitely better than mine, and she'll have Tonks with her, and Tonks just had a baby so she would know exactly what to get for you, and…how about it?"

The baby just looked at him and continued to chew on his fingers and Wizard Cheerios.

_Could this be? The __infamous__ Harry Potter refuses to go out because it would draw too much attention to him?! _Severus scoffed internally. As if Potter never liked the attention! The insufferable brat basked in the limelight! He would do anything to draw attention to himself. _Yeah, and that's why he's refusing to go out with you—so he can draw attention to himself. Right, Snape! __Think__, you bloody idiot! _Severus scowled. Why was he defending Potter…to himself? _He doesn't want to turn this into a media circus. He just wants to go about this quietly. _But then again, when had Potter ever done anything quietly? _Well, there was that whole Dumbledore's Army thing a few years back that nobody knew about for months, and weren't supposed to know about at all. __That__ had been quiet._ Severus paused. _Bloody hell! Why do my thoughts keep jumping around from one thing to another like this?_

"Look, Severus, you _need_ things. Nappies and bottles and formula and baby food are definitely a necessity—even _you_ can't deny that. We only have an overnight change of clothes right now, so you need clothes. I'll make sure Ginny buys stuff in black, silver, and green, but I can also tell you those _aren't_ the only colors she'll buy. Not to mention you need a playpen, things to keep you entertained and to practice your dexterity with, a walker so you can build strength in your legs, teething supplies, and so on and so forth. I'll just write Gringotts authorizing Ginny to draw from my vault, and she could go about buying all those things tomorrow, rather than us schlepping around Diagon Alley all day long. Besides…Ginny likes shopping anyway."

_Did he just say he was going to draw money from __his__ vault? What about Dumbledore? I thought Dumbledore was going to pay for my things._

"Dumb…dow?"

"Dumbledore? What about him?" Harry wondered where this conversation was going.

"Peh…fo…meh?" Severus tapped on his chest.

"Pay for you?" Harry thought for a second. "Uh…he didn't say anything about any of that. All he said was that we had to buy everything else we may need that they didn't already provide. Frankly…that's just about everything. Um…and he didn't say anything about paying for you, why?"

Severus frowned at this. "Ooo peh fo meh?" He pointed at Harry, and then tapped his chest.

"Yes, of course!" Harry answered, as if that should've been obvious. "I mean, who else am I going to spend the money on?" He shrugged. "There's Ginny, but she's not really a materialistic kind of girl. And I'm not really a materialistic kind of guy, either. I already have a house in Godric's Hollow—my parents' place—that I'm renovating at the moment. I already have all the clothes and books I can possibly need. I have nobody else to spend the money on but you."

Severus' frown deepened. This was…new. Potter wasn't…Potter didn't…Dumbledore wasn't…Severus shifted in his seat, unsettled. Several thoughts kept running through his mind—the Headmaster _wasn't_ going to pay for him like he originally thought, _Potter_ was going to pay for him instead—_willingly_, and Potter—who was, unknowingly, the richest young wizard in Great Britain at the moment—didn't have anyone to spend on except _him_—Severus Snape, former Death Eater turned spy turned baby who verbally abused him yet saved his life for seven years?!

_This doesn't add up._ He told himself. He had thought Dumbledore was going to pay Potter for taking care of him until this situation was resolved. Or, in any case, he thought that the Headmaster would pay for his baby supplies, at the very least. He had assumed the old man would perhaps find some way to draw from his, Snape's, Gringotts account to pay for the child support; or, perhaps, he would classify Snape's situation as a medical accident and provide Potter with Hogwarts money to pay for him. But no. Dumbledore had dumped him on Potter wholly and completely, with not a knut of compensation, just a simple word of thanks. And Potter had accepted! Potter had accepted responsibility for him—physically and financially—without so much as one complaint. _With the way I'd treated him over the years?! This doesn't add up._

Normally, at this point, Snape would assume that this would be some sort of publicity stunt on Potter's part. Yet the teenager had just told him the reason he wanted Ms. Weasley to be told was because he didn't want to go out and face the press just because they needed a few baby supplies. _So it's not a publicity stunt. Perhaps he is doing it to impress Ms. Weasley, then?_ Yet if he had to be honest with himself, the prospect of raising himself didn't sound very appealing in the least. _So why would he do this?!_

"Severus?" Harry interrupted his thoughts, looking at the infant with concern. "So how about it? May I tell her?" There was a subtle note of apprehension in his voice.

The baby frowned once more, but then relaxed his face and shrugged.

"Uh-huh!" The infant answered finally, once he got his fingers out of his mouth.

"Alright then. Thank you. Very good!" He turned back to his chopping while Severus switched his focus to trying to grasp the cereal on his little table.

They stayed like that for a few minutes before Harry approached the table. Behind him, the knives were chopping the vegetables by themselves. Taking off his outer robe, Harry hung it on a chair before placing a mirror on Severus' table. "This is a two-way mirror." He explained, "The other end is with Ginny. She's probably going to call tonight sometime soon, but I'm busy cooking at the moment. Will you do me a favor and just watch it for me while I prepare dinner?"

Severus eyed the mirror curiously. He'd never seen something like it before. It would be an interesting new thing to explore. He decided he wanted to find out more about it. Looking up at Harry, he nodded. "Mm-hmm." He mumbled through the fingers in his mouth.

"Thank you." Harry replied, heading for the cast iron stove. "When she calls, invite her over for dinner, if you please."

Severus immediately abandoned his cereal and instead endeavored to pick up the mirror. His progress was slow, but after a long while he was able to rake the mirror over to the edge of the table and tip it upward, grasping one of its edges as he did so. He studied the mirror in his hands curiously. It was a light, round, palm-sized little thing with edges protected by green plastic, big enough to chew on but not small enough to fit entirely in his mouth. It looked very much like an ordinary sort of mirror, but he could feel a bit of magic tingling just beneath his fingers on the surface of the mirror. Suddenly, Severus got this overwhelming urge to put it in his mouth!

_How absolutely preposterous! _

Then he paused.

Severus looked up at Harry. He was busy cooking. He looked down at the mirror. _I __must__ put this in my mouth! _He frowned. He looked up at Harry again. He was still cooking. He looked down at the mirror. _Put in mouth! Put in mouth!...I'm going absolutely bloody mental!_ Harry was still cooking. _Put in mouth! Put in mouth! Put in mouth! _And still, Harry kept cooking. _Put in mouth! Put in mouth! Put in mouth! Oh, bloody hell!_

He stuck the mirror in his mouth.

The strange tingling sensation from the surface of the mirror tickled his gums. Severus grinned around the mirror. _Wow! That feels good!_ He took it out of his mouth, examined it again, then popped it back in. _Ha! Ha! So good…_He eyed Harry warily, taking the mirror out of his mouth when Harry was looking, then popping it back in when the teenager was turned away. His Slytherin sense tingled. _This is fun!_

"Hello? Hellooooo?" A decidedly feminine voice sang from within the confines of his mouth. "Is anybody there?"

Severus frowned. Taking out the mirror, he looked into it again. The curious face of one Ginevra Weasley looked back at him from within. "Oh! Hello! And who might you be?"

Severus glanced at Harry. The boy was busy adding ingredients into the soup. Looking back at the mirror, Snape cleared his throat. _Now to see if she has the same gift for understanding idiot-speak that her boyfriend has. _He opened his mouth to speak, but soon frowned and closed it again. _Curse__ the fact that my name is so hard to pronounce! _He growled internally. _Severus Snape. How am I going to bloody say __that__ without sounding like a lunatic?!...Alright…Go slow, Snape. Go slow…_

Severus sighed. "Eh…eh…eh…beh…oof. Eh…eh…beh…oof. Eh-beh-oof. Mmmmmmmmmmmmm…Mmmmmmmmmmmehp." He heaved an even greater sigh and tried again. "Eh-beh-oof. Mmmmmmehp." He looked into the mirror pleadingly.

Miss Weasley was now giving him an inquisitive look. She blinked. "Can…can you understand me, child?" She asked.

Severus was so relieved he had broken through, he overlooked the child reference. He smiled at her, nodding frantically.

"Merlin me!" Ginny gasped, studying the baby face in the mirror for any familiar features. "Do we…do we know each other? Do you recognize me?"

Severus nodded again enthusiastically.

"Yes, we know each other?" Severus kept nodding. "Yes, you recognize me."

Ginny nodded. "Okay. Now…tell me…" She thought for a second, and then turned back to the mirror. "Alright…tell me how you would pronounce my name, please?"

Severus cleared his throat. This was an easy one! "Immy!" He grinned at her. "Immy…Weeeeeeeeewe."

Ginny seemed satisfied with that for she gave him an approving smile. "Alright. Good! Now will you pronounce your name for me again, please?"

Severus nodded eagerly, "Eh-beh-oof. Mmmmmmmmehp."

It didn't take her long to put the pieces together. "Severus Snape!" She gasped, eyes widening. "Severus Snape?"

The baby nodded and giggled.

"Oh! Alright. Alright. Very good! Very good! Okay…" She thought for a second. "Do you have all your memories?" Severus nodded vigorously. "That's how you can understand me." More nodding. "Alright. Okay. Good!" She contemplated something for a minute. "Alright. Is Harry there?"

Severus nodded, pointing to somewhere behind the mirror. "C…oo…k…ing…" His eyes widened. _Bloody hell! I just pronounced that right! _"Coo…king…" He looked at the mirror and grinned at Ginny. "Cook…ing…Cook…ing…Cooking!" Abruptly, turning from the mirror, he called his caretaker enthusiastically.

"Haweh! **Haweh**!"

Harry ran to him, alarmed. "What?! What?!"

"Cooking!" He grinned at the teenager. "Cooking! Cooking! Cooking!" He banged his hand and the mirror against his table in excitement. "Cooking! Cooking! Cooking! Cooking! Cooking! Cooking! Cooking!"

"Cooking?" Harry echoed him quizzically. "What about cooking?"

Severus gave him a look as if to say, '_How thick are you?_' before remembering he was excited and renewing his banging. "Cooking! Cooking! Cooking!"

"What _about_ cooking?!"

"**Harry**! **How thick are you**?!" The mirror cried as it was banged repeatedly against the table. Severus stopped his slamming and smiled at it. He was starting to like this girl! He offered it up to Harry.

"Ginny?!"

"It's the first word he ever pronounced correctly. Don't you get it?! You should be proud of him! Praise him, you idiot!" The mirror screamed at him.

Harry looked dazed and confused for a bit, and Severus laughed at him. He would remember that look on Potter's face for the rest of his days. It was priceless!

After a moment, Harry shook his head and looked back down at the baby. "It's the first word you ever pronounced correctly?" Severus nodded enthusiastically. _Frankly, I beg to differ, but I have the feeling now's not the time for that._ Harry thought.

When Harry rewarded him with a genuine grin, Severus grinned right back. "Well how about that? Your first real word! Well…your second first real word, but who cares about the technicalities. This is a cause for celebration! Gin?"

"Yeah?" The mirror replied.

"You want to come over for dinner? Maybe make some of your mum's famous chocolate pudding? How's chocolate sound to you, Sev?"

Severus smiled and nodded. His secret guilty pleasure was chocolate. He couldn't get enough of the stuff! "Pay…beh!"

"It's your favorite?" Severus nodded. "Excellent! Then you're in for a treat. What do you say, Gin?" Harry took the mirror from him gently and looked into it. There was no one there. "Gin?" He shook it slightly. "Ginny?"

Severus stopped smiling now and looked at him questioningly. Harry met his eye and shrugged.

Suddenly the floo flared brightly and out of the green flames stepped a beautiful angel. "Ah! There you are!" He walked across to the living room fireplace and gave her a kiss.

Severus stretched around to catch it and gagged silently. _Eew! Yuck! _

"Did they move you to different quarters? This place is big!" He could hear them talking in the background.

"Yeah. I guess Dumbledore put a forwarding service on my old floo to come to this fireplace."

Severus banged his fist against his table to get their attention. "AH! Ahhhhh…AH!"

Ginny saw him first. "Well, good evening, Mr. Snape!" She gave him a gentle smile, speaking to the infant as if she would've spoken to the man. "It's good to see you up and about again. And _alive_! It's very good to see you alive." Harry took her coat and she sat down in a chair across from Severus as her boyfriend finished his cooking. "So? I got it right, didn't I? That was the first word you pronounced correctly in this form?" Severus smiled and nodded. Ginny clapped her hands together once and grinned. "Ha! Yes!" She looked over her shoulder, "I can speak baby better than you can, Harry!" She stuck her tongue out at him. He stuck his out right back. Severus giggled. "So…" She took something out of her pocket, enlarged it, and then turned to Severus. "May I keep you company while you enjoy your cereal and I make my mother's delectable chocolate pudding from scratch?" Severus nodded, focusing on scooping up another piece of cereal. "Thank you. Oh, and congratulations on your first correct word, by the way. It's a stupendous milestone! Would you like to help me make pudding?" Severus' eyes widened and he grinned, nodding enthusiastically.

Over the next ten minutes or so, Harry finished his vegetable soup while Ginny and Severus sat at the table, making pudding and conversing about his situation and all its advantages. Harry had given Ginny a brief account of the situation when they talked outside of the infirmary, so she was slightly prepared when she saw the baby for the first time. What he hadn't given her, however, was the identity of the professor who had been de-aged. She was somewhat surprised to find out it was Snape, but she quickly decided to play the situation by ear, and it had paid off. Baby Snape now seemed to trust her, in addition to Harry. Whether this was a conscious decision or not on the baby's part remained to be seen.

"Mr. Snape—"

"Ah! Ah!" The baby interrupted her, raising his hand. First, he pointed at Harry. "Haweh." Then he pointed at her. "Immy." Then he pointed at himself. "Eb!"

Ginny's eyes widened in surprise. "Sev?" The baby nodded. "Are you sure about that, sir?"

_Not really._ Severus thought. He actually didn't know why he was doing this. He didn't know why he was telling them to refer to him by the nickname he only allowed Lily to call him. He speculated that it was perhaps partially due to his five-month-old mind. Another part of him felt that it was also partially due to the fact that—ironically—these two people were the only people in the world he could trust at the moment. _That_ could have also been attributed to his five-month-old mind. He didn't feel like he could trust Dumbledore anymore. It hurt slightly, for he had solely trusted the old man for so long, but that was the way things were now.

When Dumbledore had chickened out at the last minute and forced not only Potter to complete whatever dangerous and important mission they were on alone, but also forced _him_ to be the bearer of bad news to the boy—even when Dumbledore _knew_ the last person Potter would listen to was Snape—Severus had lost all faith in the old man. Truth be told, he had started losing faith in Dumbledore and started having faith in Potter the moment Dumbledore told him about the boy's true destiny—to die at the hands of the Dark Lord. Snape had been incensed! What kind of cold-hearted fool would raise a child only to have him die at the right time?! Dumbledore, obviously. And he had _used_ Severus to ensure the boy lived! Now Potter didn't trust him, either. Good riddance to the old man! He deserved the cold shoulder for the rest of his days.

Now Harry knew his life story, as only Dumbledore did before. No doubt Ginny did too. Severus doubted anyone else knew about it…completely. Potter wasn't the brightest lumos globe in the world, but he was smart where it counted. Severus could sense the teenager was in full-blown protective mode right now; and the object of his protective instincts was _him_—Severus! His baby instincts told him this protection extended against anyone who would do him _any_ sort of harm; Harry would protect him against friends and family if he had to. Severus could feel it in his bones. The most important thing, though—at least to Severus—was that Potter had willingly taken him in beyond all reason. He received no monetary compensation, nor wanted any publicity. He highly doubted Potter took _him_ in out of pity. And Potter, so far, was treating him relatively well. Severus knew that had to count for something. The fact that Potter was not the scheming, conniving type, like Dumbledore, was also a definite plus.

Severus—again, ironically—didn't trust anybody but Potter now. Potter trusted the Weasley girl. So Severus trusted the Weasley girl by extension. Severus refused to extend his trust any further than Harry's girlfriend. Granger, the rest of the Weasley clan, Lupin, and Black can all be damned! Even though Harry trusted them didn't mean Severus had to!

He shrugged at Ginny and nodded again.

The poor girl looked shocked. "Well…alright! Wow. Thank you, Sev!" Then she remembered what she was about to talk about. "Anyway…"

Severus grinned. He liked how Ginny's mind jumped about from one topic to the next, just as much as his little mind now did.

"…I have an idea that could improve your communication problem." This _really_ got the baby's attention. "It's called baby sign language. I had a friend a few years back who was teaching it to her newborn little brother, who was about your physical age. It's derived from regular sign language, but it's designed with babies in mind—specifically, your hands. Harry! Are you listening?"

"Yes, Gin!"

"She taught me a few signs and I still remember them. But as for the rest of them, I'm going to need to buy a book from a muggle bookstore, because baby sign language is not very well-known in the wizarding world. What do you think about the idea?"

"Ukkew?" He asked.

"Muggle? Yes, baby sign language is a muggle idea. It has actually quite recently began making its way into the wizarding community via some magical families adopting the practice of communicating with their babies via sign." She paused for a moment and gave him a strange look. "Why? Does it being a muggle idea bother you, Sev?"

At this, Harry looked over at him as well.

_Well…it's not really that it's a muggle idea…_Severus mentally kicked himself. _There is nothing wrong with muggles! There is nothing wrong with muggles! There is nothing wrong with muggles! _Part of Severus cursed the fact that he ended up in Slytherin. Growing up in that house—especially during that period of history—had sealed his fate. Well, actually…who was he kidding?! Growing up with his verbally abusive father had sealed his fate even _before_ Hogwarts came along! Home was where he had developed that intense hate he used to have for muggles. Well…all muggles except Lily. _There's nothing wrong with muggles! I don't hate muggles! I don't! _Then he realized. _I __don't__! _This seemed to astonish him a bit. _Wait, aren't I supposed to?...NO, you bloody idiot! There's nothing wrong with muggles!...Right. I don't hate muggles…Do…DON'T! _

"Mo…" Severus answered cautiously. Then he suddenly began slapping his head in an effort to clear his jumbled thoughts.

Ginny looked alarmed. "Sev, stop it! Don't do that!" She grabbed his hand and held it firmly in her grasp.

Harry was eyeing him warily. "Ginny, would you mind finishing up this soup for me, please? And mashing Sev's banana? I think he and I need to have a talk."

Severus' eyes widened. _A talk?!_

"Don't worry. You're not in trouble or anything. It's just…I think I may know what's going on in your mind." Harry told him as he and Ginny exchanged places.

_You do. _Sev thought skeptically. _I highly doubt that. _

"Let me guess—your memories tell you that you should act a certain way, while your brain tells you that you should act another way. Sometimes the other reaction is the complete opposite of what your memories tell you is the appropriate reaction. This leaves you confused. How am I doing so far?"

Severus' eyes widened and he nodded.

"Your thoughts also jump from one topic to another without rest. If you think about a certain topic long enough, you either end up right where you started _or_ you end up on a completely different topic simply because of your thought streams. This distresses and frustrates you. It also puzzles you when you realize your mind and body do something your memories say you normally would not have done. Am I hot or cold?"

Severus' eyes narrowed. "Ow ooo mow?"

Harry shrugged, meeting the child's eyes with a serious look. "Well I _don't_ know. It's just a theory I came up with. But may I offer you my advice?" Severus eyed him warily. "It's completely up to you whether or not you wish to take it."

Severus considered him for a minute, and then nodded.

"Try to go with the flow." Harry said gently. "Don't dwell on memories or reactions too much, lest you end up with jumbled thoughts—much like what happened right now. Unless the situation calls for it, do what feels natural at the moment, then give it more thought later—at night before going to sleep, perhaps. Things are only as complicated as you make them, Sev." He eyed the contemplating baby. "Alright?"

Severus took in his words and turned them over in his mind. Potter was right. He thought too much sometimes and it frustrated him to no end. Things really _were_ only as complicated as you made them. He made a big deal a while ago about the whole name thing. He could've just saved himself a lot of trouble by just admitting to himself that he trusted them enough to want to use their first names and have them reciprocate with him.

Severus shrugged and nodded. "Just think on it." Harry's gaze then caught on the bowl of chocolate pudding Ginny left on the table. "Hey! Chocolate pudding! The best chocolate pudding in the world!" He then leaned closer to Severus conspiratorially. "What do you think? Does eating half a banana warrant an entire bowl of chocolate pudding?" He whispered and winked at the baby.

Severus grinned.

"Harry, I heard that!" Ginny cried from the stove. "One _whole_ banana and _half_ a bowl of chocolate pudding!"

"Aw, Gin, you're no fun!" He got up and turned his back, grabbing the side of the bowl and moving it closer to Severus while Ginny was turned away. Now the bowl rested well within the baby's reach. "No fun at all…" He walked over to her and his arms encircled her waist from behind. Before he dipped his head to kiss her neck, he met Severus' eye and winked.

_Ladies and Gentlemen, Potter is actually a Slytherin in disguise! Who'd have thought! _He grinned back at the teenager.

They exchanged nods and Harry began distracting Ginny as Severus reached over and grabbed a handful of chocolate pudding.

"Harry!" Ginny giggled, and then whispered, "Harry, not right now." Her boyfriend just made a grunt of agreement before lightly sucking on her collarbone.

_Oh, please! Yuck! _Then he began licking his fingers clean and his tune changed completely. _Merlin, me! Potter was right—this __is__ the best chocolate pudding in the world! _No sooner had he finished licking his fingers clean that Ginny called his name. "So Sev—"

Severus quickly hid his guilty, sticky hand under the table and plastered an innocent look on his face. Behind Ginny, Potter's eyes shone with amusement. "Uh-huh?"

"What do you think about the baby sign language thing? Do you want to give it a try?" She asked him. "It'll be a lot less frustrating for you because then you'd be able to communicate more effectively while you learn how to pronounce things correctly again."

Severus thought it sounded like a good idea, so he nodded. "Uh-huh!"

"Great! I'll teach you a couple of signs over dinner." With that, she placed a bowl of hot vegetable soup on the table along with two bowls and spoons, while Harry presented Severus with a bowl of mashed banana accompanied by a shrunken spoon, as well as a bottle of apple juice. Severus quickly picked up the apple juice and drank greedily. He was parched!

"Sev, why are your hands so sticky?" Ginny frowned, and as she wiped his hands with a wet towel, he and Potter exchanged a look and a smile over her head.

Over the course of dinner, Harry fed Severus while Ginny taught him several different signs. She would name the sign and demonstrate, and then he would copy her. She encouraged him to say the word while signing so he would be able to practice his pronunciations. Severus caught on and memorized all the signs fairly quickly. He was beginning to think whoever invented baby sign language was a genius!

"Okay, what's the sign for hungry?" Severus cupped a hand over his neck and ran it down his front. "Excellent!" Ginny smiled. Severus grinned, basking in the praise. "What about if you want a drink?" Severus made a 'c' over his mouth and imitated drinking a cup. "Excellent!" The more Ginny praised him, the more excited Sev got. "Harry, you got all that?"

"Yes, yes...Open up, Sev." Severus accepted more banana, but kept his eyes on Ginny.

"Alright. What if you want more of something?" Sev touched the tips of his fingers together and ran both hands into each other three times. "Very good!" He liked it when Ginny got excited, because he did too. "Okay. What about if you want to say 'sorry'?" Sev made a fist and rubbed it over his chest. "Excellent! And please and thank you?" Sev rubbed an open hand over his chest, and then placed the same hand on his chin and brought it out. "Ah! Excellent! Now…what about if you need a nappy change? What's the sign for 'potty'?" Sev scowled at that. "Oh, come on, Sev, you can't stay with a dirty nappy forever. Look at it this way—when you're out in public or Harry takes you to class or you're in the Great Hall, and you need a change, but you don't want to say it out loud, then you can use the sign and Harry will know what you're talking about but no one else will. It's like a private message! Besides, I think it would be _more_ embarrassing if you just let it sit there and stink up the place. _Then_ everyone would _really_ know about it. So…what do you say?"

Severus thought about it for a minute. As humiliating as it was, she had a point. He made a fist, sticking his thumb between his pointer and middle finger, and waved it at them.

"Very good! Now…can I give you a _kiss_…" Ginny kissed the tips of her fingers and placed the same fingers on her cheek, "…and a _hug_…" she wrapped her arms around herself and swung from side to side, "…because I'm so _proud_…" she pointed her thumb at her stomach and ran it up to her chest, "…of _you_." She pointed at his chest and smiled.

Sev grinned. He imitated the kiss and hug and reached out to her. Ginny beamed and hugged him, kissing his cheek as she did so. "You are a brilliant little man. Now…let's see if _Harry_ was smart enough to pay attention." Sev giggled.

It turned out Harry was. By the time they were finished with the chocolate pudding, all three of them were effectively able to communicate…somewhat. "We'll have to go to a muggle bookstore to find a good book with the rest of the signs. I'm pretty sure you two will be able to come with me to some shopping mall in London, right?"

Severus looked at Harry, who nodded. "Yes. It's only in the wizarding world that I can't wander about effectively. It's quite annoying, really! I can't even visit Diagon Alley without the press hounding me about something or another."

"Don't worry, Harry. It'll die down eventually."

"Hopefully…"

"But in the meantime, I'll do the shopping for you two in the wizarding world. So how about it, Sev? Any special requests? This is your one and only chance."

"Back…weem…ewbew…"

Ginny rolled her eyes and smirked. "Black, green, and silver. Yes, I know. But I'll have you know this—those _aren't_ the only colors I'm buying for you, okay?"

"Told you." Harry muttered in his ear.

"Where's your desk, Harry, I need to make a list. Plus, you need to write me that authorization for Gringotts." She said, getting up and heading for the desk in the den. "Plus, I need to talk to Tonks."

Harry sighed. "You tired?" Severus nodded sluggishly as he finished his bottle of juice. His eyes were already half closed. "Alright. Let's give you a bath and get you ready for bed. I think a bit of _Tales of Beedle the Bard_ will be enough, right?" But the infant didn't say anything. He just put down the empty bottle and wordlessly reached out to Harry.

Severus clung onto Harry's robes as the teen picked him up. He rested his head against his transport's chest and allowed the steady heartbeat and rumbling voice to lull him once again. "Make sure you add baby soap and shampoo and teething supplies to that list, as well as a walker." A pause. "My vault at Gringotts is 687, and you have to remind me to give you the key." Another pause. "Oh! And I think Remus, Tonks, and their little one are staying at Andromeda's place at the moment, so when you floo call—"

"Call for Andromeda Tonks' house. I know. I talked to Tonks just this morning, Harry." Ginny interrupted.

"Alright." After Harry transfigured the playpen back into a crib and returned it to its place next to his bed, he carried baby Snape into the bathroom.

Severus became a bit whiny when it came to taking a bath; but when Harry reminded him that it was better than the alternative in the long run, Severus screwed his eyes shut and gave in. Unfortunately, his resolve to remain utterly mortified didn't last for long. Harry had transfigured several sponges and bathroom odds and ends into bath play toys, and placed them into the sink along with Severus. It was then that Severus' long-dormant imagination finally reawakened.

Before long, he was directing wizard divers on underwater rescue missions to deep-sea merpeople castles in order to rescue red-haired damsels in distress. As Harry shampooed his hair, he and the other divers battled non-docile giant squids and merpeople and sirens, while dodging white balls of flesh-eating foam that fell in the water from somewhere above. When Harry soaped his body, Severus imagined being hit by one of those flesh-eating foam balls and dying and telling his men to leave without him. Then when Harry rinsed all the soap and shampoo off, Severus found himself resurrected on a ship somewhere in the arctic, near the edge of the world. He and his men had to navigate the waters carefully, else they hit an iceberg and die in the frigid water. They needed to find the edge of the world so they could rescue the red-haired damsel in distress from Davy Jones' locker—which is off the edge of the world. When Harry tipped his head back and ran the water down his hair, he imagined falling down the big waterfall off the edge of the world and screaming his lungs out for someone to help him. Then, when he finally landed, he found himself wrapped securely in a big fluffy towel, being carried by his men to the big bed in Heaven, because he had somehow died in that horrendous fall.

Ginny smiled adoringly, from where she leaned against the doorframe, as her boyfriend dumped the giggling baby on the bed and toweled him off. The sound of Sev's imagination revealing itself drew her and Harry's camera to the bathroom door, where she was able to capture an entire roll of film of Sev and Harry playing together at bath time. Watching the two of them interact was absolutely adorable.

"What's going on in that head of yours, huh?" She heard Harry ask the squealing child. Severus was still hanging on to one of his bath toys—a tall, wooden ship. He was steering it around in a figure eight in the air, making funny sounds as he did so.

Soon enough, Sev was dressed in a nappy and blue footsie and was riding on Harry's arm to the bookshelf. Ginny watched as Harry picked up _The Tales of Beedle the Bard_ and proceeded to read to the infant on the rocking chair. Sev was asleep—his thumb in his mouth—after only one story. Ginny made sure to take plenty of pictures.

"Remember, Harry, '_Back_ to Sleep'." Ginny whispered as Harry made to put Severus in his crib. "Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is real, so don't take chances."

"I know, love, I know." Harry placed the sleeping infant on his back and laid a stuffed baby snake next to him. "Goodnight, Sev." Leaning down, he placed a gentle kiss on the sleeping babe's forehead. "Sweet dreams."

He lowered the lumos globes and made to walk out, but paused in the doorway. He looked back at the slumbering child.

_Sweet dreams…_

That gave him an idea. As quietly as he could, he opened his trunk and dug around until he found what he was looking for. It was a dreamcatcher. He had bought it one day in fifth year, out of impulse, from an eccentric old witch in Hogsmeade. She had been kind to him that day, helping him find the place he had been looking for, and he felt compelled to repay her kindness. She had offered him this dreamcatcher, saying how it had been imported by the witches from America. Rare, for it was real and one of only ten in the world. She had given it to him at such an absurdly low price that he was hard-pressed to believe it was everything she said it was.

"_You guard that dreamcatcher well, my child. I have infused it with my white magic so that it may keep the darkness from your dreams. When one day you feel the need to pass it on, infuse it with your own white magic, child, and it will keep the darkness out of __your__ children's dreams as well. Sweet dreams, my child. Sweet dreams…"_

He had turned away to examine the object more closely. When he turned back to ask the old witch a question, she had disappeared. There was not a trace of her anywhere, and after that day he had never seen her again. Yet she had been right—the dreamcatcher _was_ real. It had helped him master controlled Occlumency that year, and kept Voldemort out of his mind. He had kept it with him throughout the years, taking advantage of its legendary power.

He looked back at Sev's crib. _But now I feel a need to pass it on. _He fingered the soft leather of the net and toyed with the silky feathers and charms dangling from the snare. _He's going to need it more than I will now. No doubt he'll have nightmares about evil tonight. _Harry set his jaw. _Well…not on my watch, he won't!_

Slowly, Harry approached the crib. There, he held the dreamcatcher between his palms, closed his eyes, and focused his power. He directed all his energy into infusing the dreamcatcher with his white magic. He poured his love into the object, as well as all the protective spells he knew about. Harry even ensured that the spell he invented to counter the Killing Curse was inlaid into the dreamcatcher. He was taking no chances.

After a while, when Harry believed the dreamcatcher finally _felt_ right, he opened his eyes and examined his work. To his surprise, a new charm now hung next to the others, dangling from the snare. It was a small silver lightning bolt. He smiled. It worked!

Harry opened his palm and watched as the dreamcatcher floated up high above the crib and suspended itself in midair, right over the baby's head. He could feel wave upon wave of white magic emanating from the sacred object, driving the darkness away into the night.

Harry smiled and ran his fingers through Sev's soft baby hair. "Sweet dreams, my child. Sweet dreams."

* * *

**Next, the girls go shopping in Diagon Alley. But wait! Is that Remus I see coming through the floo? And who is that stranger over there with the cute baby attached to his chest? There be surprises on the horizon!**

Kudos to Pirates of the Caribbean 3! You can't have missed that reference. It was SO obvious. :-)

PICTURE (See Ch.2 end note on how to access it): Mr. Parchment and Mrs. Quill

**A big thanks to all who reviewed and added so far! You're great! :-)**


	4. Shopping:Girls Love It, Guys Not So Much

"So who is this mysterious child that Harry's suddenly taking care of, hmm?" Tonks smirked, readjusting the baby sling as Teddy shifted within. "And why isn't Remus allowed to see him yet?"

"How do you know Remus isn't allowed to see him?" Ginny asked, scrutinizing a stuffed lion for any choking hazards.

"Well…because you fire-called me last night while Remus and Teddy were both falling asleep together, so I wasn't able to tell Remus that I was going out shopping with you until this morning. And when he heard that, he jumped at the chance to hang out with Harry and fire-called him at breakfast to ask him if he could come over for the day. You know—girls' day out, guys' day in, that sort of thing." She and Ginny exchanged a look and laughed.

Ginny threw the lion into the basket she was carrying, "That happens every time we get together, did you notice? Even when we go out together, you and I always end up talking, while Remus and Harry chat and tag along behind us."

"It's great." Tonks nodded. "So anyway…Remus got put out, though, when Harry told him he was taking care of a baby now and that today wasn't a good time for just hanging out. And then Remus asked him why he couldn't just come over and help him take care of the baby, and Harry kind of avoided answering the question. So, yeah…" She began feeding Teddy a bottle, "Remus was kind of sad when I left."

"Aw! I'm sorry." Ginny frowned. "Was he _really_ put out?"

"No, no, nothing that dramatic." Tonks giggled. "It's just that with a newborn and everything, it's rare to get time alone, you know? And when I told Remus that I was taking Teddy with me today, he was looking forward to having some fun today." She shrugged. "And Harry kind of…shot him down."

"So where's Remus now?" Ginny asked, scrutinizing some bath toys this time.

"He's at home—well, at my mom's place, at least—sleeping…reading, maybe."

"Why didn't he just go and visit Sirius?" Ginny threw the bath toys in the basket and walked on.

"Sirius is at the Ministry today, taking care of technicalities and everything. He's trying to get his Auror's license back and is arguing back and forth with Kingsley about whether or not he needs to brush up on his training."

"Oh, I'm betting he's enjoying _that_ conversation." Ginny smirked, picking up a baby raven and badger and examining them for choking hazards.

"You know our Sirius." Tonks laughed.

"So why don't you invite him to come shopping with us?" Ginny threw the badger into the basket.

"I don't know." Tonks shrugged. "Think he'll mind?"

"I think if I were Remus, I'd rather go out shopping with my wife and her best friend than sit around in my mother-in-law's, bored all day, because _my_ two best friends are busy." Ginny threw the raven in the basket and moved to the checkout line.

Tonks laughed. "No, Ginny, I was talking about Harry. Oh! Aren't you going to get a snake, too?"

"No, Sev already has a baby snake." Ginny answered distractedly, digging into her pocket. She looked up at Tonks' gasp. "What?"

"Baby's name is Sev." Tonks narrowed her eyes at Ginny and smirked.

"Oh, for Merlin's sake, Dora—"

"And he has a stuffed snake!"

"Tonks—"

"Let's see what else I can find out about baby." Tonks stroked her chin playfully and laughed at Ginny, who rolled her eyes.

"To answer your question, why in Merlin's name would Harry mind if Remus came with us?" Ginny replied. "By the way, you _do_ know you can get stuff, too, right? Harry told me he would gladly pay for anything you wanted to buy for Teddy. After all, Teddy _is_ his godson."

"I have the feeling that even if Teddy _wasn't_ his godson, Harry would still be the same way." Tonks smirked.

"You're probably right." Ginny nodded.

"Teddy has a lot of toys at home right now, anyway."

"Are you sure about that?" Ginny raised an eyebrow at her.

"Trust me, Gin, you have _no_ idea." Tonks smirked. "And besides, he's only two months old! All he does all day is eat, sleep, and poop. He's living the good life, I tell ya." She and Ginny shared a look and burst into a fit of laughter.

"Ah, to be two months old again." Ginny greeted the shopkeeper as the old woman tallied her purchases.

"Anyway, I was thinking Harry would mind if Remus came with us because…well, he wouldn't let Remus come over today to see the baby…and we're going baby shopping…so I kind of figured…" She shrugged.

Ginny took the bag of toys from the shopkeeper and bid her a good day. "Well…" Ginny contemplated how to go about doing this. She knew Sev wouldn't appreciate Remus being apprised of his situation before he was ready. On the other hand, though, she didn't want Remus and Tonks to feel left out. "Let's put it this way—the situation is more complicated than you can imagine. I mean…if Sev was just a regular baby, Harry wouldn't mind Remus coming over today and everything. But the thing is…Sev _isn't_ a regular baby."

Tonks furrowed her eyebrows. "What do you mean? How old is he, anyway?"

"Sev's five months old." Ginny began navigating them towards the Leaky Cauldron.

"And how is he not a regular baby?" Tonks paused for a second. "Wait a minute…does this have something to do with how he came to be in Harry's care? Because, I mean, Harry's virtually been confined to the grounds of Hogwarts for the past month on the count of the press. And the only people there this summer are the Professors because they're rebuilding. I mean, where's Harry going to suddenly find a—" Tonks stopped abruptly and let out a loud gasp.

"What?!" Ginny questioned, alarmed.

"Oh my god!" She turned to the younger girl and grasped her by the shoulders. "Ginny! He _isn't_ a regular baby?! Which means he's _smarter_ or _knows more_ than a regular baby? And his name is _Sev_? And he has a stuffed _snake_?"

"SHHH!" Ginny hissed, her eyes darting around at the surrounding people. "For Merlin's sake, Dora, not out here and not out loud!" She steered the metamorphamagus into The Leaky Cauldron and found a booth somewhere in the back. Ginny took out her wand, "_Muffliato...Now_ we can talk about it."

"Severus Snape!" Tonks' eyes widened and Teddy began crying within his sling. Tonks immediately began rocking him. "The baby is Severus Snape. The baby _Harry Potter_ is taking care of—the baby Harry is spending _his_ money on—is _Severus Snape_?!"

"Look…" Ginny shrunk the bothersome toy bag and stuck it in her pocket, "…you know how Severus was bitten by the snake, right?" Tonks nodded. "Well…Harry was able to get to him on time and Madame Pomfrey was able to save his life. He was stuck in a coma for a bit, and when he woke up a few days ago, he became rather irritated at the fact that he hadn't died." Tonks looked surprised, Ginny raised her hand, "Long story. Don't ask. Anyway…long story short, he tried to kill himself with a painless but lethal poison, only to find out—the hard way—that the poison had been replaced by a harmless potion that permanently de-ages people. The two looked exactly the same on the outside, you see. So instead of shortening his stay, he lengthened it. Now…he's five months old. And in Harry's care. So there." Ginny shrugged.

"Oh my…stars!" Tonks looked astounded.

"Yes. So now that you know both sides, maybe you can help me with the dilemma."

"Okay. What's the dilemma?" Tonks replied excitedly, still continuing to rock her son back and forth.

"I feel bad that Remus is stuck at home and bored because Harry and Sev are still adjusting to their situation. I want to invite him to come shopping with us. You fire-call him. But here's the dilemma—"

"Okay. The dilemma." Tonks was now listening to her anxiously.

"Severus and Remus have a history together. Frankly, they hate each other. Well…Remus doesn't quite hate Severus, but Severus isn't too fond of Remus either. This goes back well into their school days."

"Is this the whole Whomping Willow incident?"

"Yeah." Ginny nodded. "And as you know, Severus is the type to hold a grudge." Tonks nodded in agreement. "Although…now that he's five months old, I don't think that's going to be the case for much longer."

"Does he have all his memories?"

"Yeah. Which brings me to dilemma—Severus trusts me—somewhat—and I don't want to betray his trust. He…I think he thinks being five months old is going to be seen as a weakness…and the last people he wants to know about his weaknesses are…"

"His enemies." Tonks nodded in understanding.

"But the thing is Remus and Sirius _aren't_ his enemies anymore. Not really." Ginny threw in. "I think he knows that and understands that. I think he realizes the reality of the situation—the fact that _Harry's_ caring for him now means he's going to need to interact with them sooner or later."

"You just want him to get used to the situation first." Tonks nodded in understanding. "That's why Harry didn't want Remus to come over just yet. He wants Snape to become more comfortable with his…condition before he tackles things that are slightly less comfortable. Okay. I get it."

"So you can definitely invite Remus to come shopping with us, but you're going to have to dance around the questions I'm pretty sure he's going to ask." Ginny said.

"Or how about this—we tell him, but we swear him to secrecy—meaning no telling Sirius—and we can only come over when Harry gives us the go-ahead."

Ginny looked torn. "I don't know…"

"Okay. We don't tell him, then. That's fine." Tonks shrugged and smirked at the younger girl. "It was worth a try."

"How about this—I'll see what Harry says later. Maybe by the time we're finished shopping, Sev will be in a…kiddie mood…and the prospect of the three of you coming over for dinner might not be so unwelcome."

"Kiddie mood?" Tonks raised an amused eyebrow.

"Harry theorized that Severus' memories are conflicting with his infantile brain." Ginny explained, "And, actually, I quite agree. There are times when Sev acts like an adult stuck in a child's body, and there are times he acts like a normal five-month-old child. It all depends on his excitement level. You can never speak to him in baby speak. You _always_ have to talk to him as if he was an intelligent adult…or at least an intelligent five-year-old…but how he reacts to you depends on his mood. It's actually quite interesting if you're into the mind and stuff like that."

"Honey, that sounds like a _normal_ baby to me." Tonks smirked. "_All_ babies are intelligent, Gin, and they _all_ react differently depending on their mood. That's how their minds work. Heck, that's how adults' minds work as well."

"Yes, well…it's really a delicate situation." Ginny shrugged.

"Okay." Tonks readjusted Teddy, who finally decided to stop fussing and was trying to go to sleep. "So do you want me to call Remus now? I think what you said a while ago is best—we don't tell him now, but if Snape is ready for a visit tonight, we'll tell him then and come over. It all depends on Harry and Snape."

Ginny grinned at her. "Absolutely. Thanks, Tonks."

"You got it!" Tonks nodded. "Would you mind holding Teddy for me please, Gin, he doesn't do well with floos."

After about five minutes of Ginny making funny faces at the newborn, Tonks came back with a quiet Remus in tow.

"Thanks, Ginny." Tonks said, putting Teddy back in the baby sling she wore.

"My pleasure. Hey, Moony!" She reached up to give Remus a hug.

"Hey, Ginny." He smiled.

"Come on. Cheer up, eh! Harry told me if there's anything you see here that you want for yourselves or Teddy, just tell me and I'll get it for you guys, okay? Don't be ashamed at all. You're family!"

"I already told her we have everything we need." Tonks stage-whispered to Remus playfully.

"Yeah, Gin, we really don't need anything right now. But thanks to you and Harry for offering anyway." Remus smirked.

"Well then at least let me buy the both of you lunch in gratitude for keeping me company and giving me advice." With that, she shooed them into their booth and signaled a waiter.

"So, Ginny," Remus started, casually folding his hands across the table, "How did Harry come to care for a baby and why can't I come over to see it yet?"

At that, Tonks started laughing hysterically and Ginny soon joined her. Remus just watched them both, bemused. "It's just that…I asked that very same question not half an hour ago, love." Tonks answered.

"And the reply…?" Remus signaled for them to continue.

Ginny and Tonks exchanged a look. "Look…Moony, it's really complicated. Okay? And…and it's not that easy to explain. But I'll promise you this—if, by tonight, I call Harry and he feels the baby is ready for visitors…_then_ I promise to explain the situation to you _and_ to invite the three of you over for dinner. Alright? However, if Harry feels the baby is not ready for visitors yet…then perhaps we could all have dinner together later in the week…just not now."

Remus' shoulders visibly sagged. "Alright. But I'll hold you to that promise." Ginny nodded and gave him a sympathetic smile.

Soon their orders arrived and Tonks steered the conversation away from Harry to try to lift Remus' spirits a bit. "So…what were we able to accomplish and what's next on the list?"

Ginny took a bite of her lunch. "Well…we got the bath toys and stuffed toys and letter puzzles. He's going to _love_ those. We are in desperate need of nappies and wipes and such. He definitely needs clothes—lots of them, in different colors."

"Remember—" Remus and Tonks started to say together, but Remus waved for his wife to continue.

"Remember that the baby's going to grow rather quickly, so you shouldn't buy so many clothes that are a particular size. Now Sev's five months old, right?" Ginny nodded, "Well then buy some clothes that would fit six months to a year. But remember—those are only going to go for _six months_, so you don't want to buy too much, okay?"

"Right." Ginny nodded.

"Sev." Remus muttered. Both girls turned to him. "The baby's name is Sev?"

"Oh my god!" Tonks gasped, "Sorry, Ginny!"

Ginny just shook her head and waved it off with a sigh. "It's okay. I mean it was bound to slip at some point." She fed herself another bite. "Anyway, in addition to that, I need to buy teething supplies because his teeth are coming in, a walker so he'll be able to get around Harry's quarters. He's desperate to walk. I also need baby slings."

"Remus, do we have teething supplies?" Tonks broke in, turning to her husband.

Remus thought for a second. "Um…I don't know. I don't think so." He shook his head, "Teddy's just two months old, Dora, teething doesn't come for at least another two months."

"Oh." Teddy started fussing again so Tonks decided to take advantage of the sling and breastfeed him while they ate lunch.

"Where'd you buy that baby sling, Dora?" Ginny asked. "It's really useful!"

"I know, isn't it?!" Tonks' eyes shone. "I fell in love with it when I saw it. Remus and I bought it at _Alkyds and Moore_ down that way, by Gringotts. It's a great place! They have _everything_, Ginny. It's like a…what do the muggles call it? A one-stop shop?"

"It really is great." Remus agreed, "You should check it out. And it's a large store as well."

"Yeah. That sounds good." Ginny checked her list, "Oh…and he needs a few baby books as well—"

"I hope you didn't forget to add baby shampoo and soap to that list." A stranger commented as he passed their table.

"Oh!" Ginny gasped and reached for a quill, "Yeah, that's right! Baby soap and—" She paused abruptly and swiveled in her seat.

The stranger calmly looked back at her from his seat in the booth behind them. His hair and facial structure looked completely unfamiliar to Ginny. Yet she could recognize those shining green eyes from anywhere, that endearing smirk on his face didn't belong to just anyone, and, last but not least, the familiar black-haired infant clinging to the front of his robes didn't allow just _anyone_ to hold him. "Harry!" She hissed.

"Good afternoon, love." Harry smirked, rising from his seat and bending down to give her a kiss.

"What are you doing here?" Ginny instinctively began checking for paparazzi.

"Don't worry! They're all camped at the gates outside of Hogwarts. No one knows I'm here." Harry whispered back. He turned to the other occupants of the table, "Remus."

"Harry!" The werewolf greeted, his spirits suddenly lifted tenfold. They two men shook hands good-naturedly. "How are you doing, my friend?"

Harry grinned. "I'm doing great, Remus. Absolutely great! Wotcher, Tonks!"

"Wotcher, Harry!" The metamorphamagus replied with a smile.

"I'd greet you properly, but I see you're busy, and I've got my hands full." The two of them chuckled at each other.

"Harry, sit down, for Merlin's sake!" Ginny waved him over, making room for him next to her. "What are you doing here?"

"We have no more nappies, Gin, _none_!" Harry murmured, "Sev's on his last one right now. We've been doing a run-around of the castle all morning. The other professors are busy with repairs, Madame Pomfrey is out of the castle, Dumbledore's off Merlin-knows-where, and I can't leave the Entrance Hall without getting my picture snapped by the circus outside the gates. So I can't go to Hogsmeade, no one has the time to run an errand for me, and Sev needs nappies. Only option—don a disguise and come here to buy some."

Ginny rubbed Sev's back. He was gripping Harry's robes with a vengeance and had his face buried in their folds. "Sev, are you alright?" She whispered. The baby shook his head. "What's wrong?"

"We flooed here." Harry answered, wrapping his arms tighter around the infant, "The floo no longer agrees with him."

"Didn't I tell you that was the case with Teddy, too?" Tonks smirked. "Try rubbing his back and just give him some time. His stomach should feel easier soon." Both Harry and Ginny nodded.

Remus was staring at the child in Harry's arms curiously.

Harry looked down and studied Sev's head. "Would you like me to introduce you to them?" He whispered in the infant's ear.

Sev whimpered sadly and just shook his head. Harry felt sorry for him. Sev didn't want to come here to start with, and it took quite a bit of convincing to get him to agree. It took an entire hour and a half, a time out, and _three_ runs around the school to convince Severus that although _neither_ of them wanted to show their faces in public, they were in desperate need of nappies—especially considering Sev woke up with diarrhea—and the only way they were going to get nappies in time would be if they went out and got it themselves. So, Sev had donned his last nappy, and Harry had donned a glamour, and together they reluctantly flooed to Diagon Alley.

So now Sev had diarrhea, was nauseous from the floo, felt utterly humiliated at the fact that Remus and Tonks were here, and was running on his last nappy.

"He's having a horrible day." Harry told them, rubbing Sev's back soothingly. "How about I just tell them your name. No harm done, right?" The baby merely shrugged and nodded, his face never leaving the folds of Harry's robes.

"Remus, Dora, this is Sev." Harry introduced him with a gentle smile. "I'm sorry. He's really shy. And…he's not feeling so well."

Remus waved it off with a smile. "No harm done. Sev…" he addressed the baby, "…it's a pleasure meeting you! Dora and I would like to get to know you better."

At that, Sev grabbed onto the other bottom half of Harry's robes and tried to wrap them around himself, attempting to disappear within their folds. "Whoa! Whoa! Sev—"

"Ahhhhhhhhh!" And the little potions master began to have a crying fit.

Harry sighed, "Sev…" But it did no good, Sev just continued to cry harder and louder.

Remus looked bewildered. "Was it something I said?" He asked his wife.

"What's wrong?" Harry whispered in the baby's ear, trying to ignore the ringing going on in his own ear from Sev's wailing. "Sev, please, come on. Everyone's staring at you!" He knew the infant's ultimate weakness, if ever there was one, was embarrassment. If the situation had to do with humiliation or avoiding it, Sev suddenly became an avid listener.

That did the trick. Severus stopped crying and instead resorted to whimpering and wrapping Harry's robe further around himself. "Now you don't have a dirty nappy, you don't seem nauseous…what's wrong?"

"Harry, are you…" Remus paused, giving the teen a curious look, "Are you having a conversation with a five-month-old?"

Harry sighed and grimaced, "I'm sorry, Remus. It's a really long story." He turned back to the infant. "Sev, I want you to tell me what's bothering you." He ordered sternly, knowing Severus was most likely to listen when he used that tone of voice. "Now."

Baby Snape sighed. Tugging at Harry's robes, he pulled himself into a sitting position and pushed back from the teen slightly. Harry supported his back and leaned forward so he would be able to understand the child correctly. Ever so slowly, Severus made two signs—the first for 'scared' and the second for 'drink'. Harry and Ginny exchanged a glance. "Well…let's deal with the second one first, alright? How does your stomach feel?" Sev shrugged and signed a 'yes'. "Are you sure?" Another 'yes'. Ginny dug into Harry's diaper bag and pulled out a bottle of milk. "Now let's deal with the first one before I give this to you." He lifted Severus up and transferred him to Ginny. "I'm going to need you to stay with Ginny for a bit."

"MO!!!" Sev immediately pushed against Ginny's hold and reached for Harry.

"I'm only going to make a few adjustments to my robe, alright? So you'll be able to hide in it better. Is that okay?" Harry asked. Severus whined. "I'll be here the entire time." He pointed to the area next to the booth. "Right here. The entire time. You can watch me." He got up and Severus whined again, but made no move of protest.

As Harry went about fixing his robes into a makeshift baby sling, Harry eyed Tonks' enviously. "Dora, I would love one of those things right about now."

Tonks laughed. "Well, Harry, we're almost finished up here. We'll take you and Ginny to the store that sells them right after. I promise."

Harry nodded and glanced at Remus. The werewolf was staring at the infant on Ginny's lap, completely bewildered. "Hey Sev, take a look at Remus. He's got a funny look on his face." Lupin froze and Sev's head shot around to meet his gaze.

Remus blinked.

Sev blinked.

_There's something familiar about that baby. _Remus realized.

Sev turned to Harry and grinned, signaling a 'yes' with his right hand. Beneath him, Ginny laughed, and Severus smiled down at her as well.

"Alright…Hop in, little big man." Harry said, sitting back down. Severus immediately dove back towards him. "Hey! Hey! Hey! Slow down…" Ginny helped Harry position the baby and lay him inside the makeshift sling. "There. How am I doing with the first one?" Severus nodded. Ginny gave him the bottle of milk, which he immediately began drinking. "And the second?" Another nod. "Okay. So we'll have no more issues at the moment, right?" A shake of the head now. "Good."

As Sev drank his bottle and Harry rubbed his back, Remus met the teenager's eyes and raised a questioning eyebrow. "Later." Harry mouthed, looking down to check if Severus was watching. The infant had his eyes closed and looked to preparing to go to sleep. "When he's asleep."

Remus nodded immediately, and then switched the topic. "So how's the remodeling going? And the rebuilding?"

"Harry, are you hungry?"

"No, no thank you. We just ate." Harry shook his head. "The remodeling is going rather well. I just finished with the kitchen and after I finish both porches, I'll be done with the first floor of the house. And as for the rebuilding…it's going a lot faster than everyone expected. We should be done with the entire castle by mid-July."

Thus their conversations revolved around the mundane rather than the unusual until the three diners finished their meals and Ginny took care of the bill. By the time they returned to walking the streets, both infants were asleep. Tonks and Ginny took the lead, of course, chatting up a storm, while Remus and Harry trailed behind them.

"So how about now, Harry?" Remus murmured, pleading with his eyes.

Harry chuckled and waved his hand, muttering, "_Muffliato,_" under his breath. "Now is a…okay time." He shrugged.

"So…?" Remus pushed, his curiosity peaked.

Harry smirked, "Remus…doesn't this child seem familiar to you somehow?" He whispered, willing Sev not to wake up.

"Familiar how?"

"Come on, Moony." Harry elbowed him playfully, "This is one mystery that's not _that_ difficult to solve." He gestured towards the infant. "Take a good sniff. His scent should be…somewhat familiar." Harry was sure Severus reeked of potions ingredients before his de-aging, but he wasn't sure that was the case now. However, the teenager was aware Sev's base scent should not have changed during his transition from man to boy.

The werewolf leaned over and took a few good sniffs, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion. Harry watched his reactions, amused. "His name is…Sev?"

"Which is short for…?" A grin blossomed on Harry's face as comprehension dawned on Remus'. It was quickly followed disbelief.

"Severus?!" He hissed, astounded. "Severus…the—the one we know about?"

Harry chuckled at his reaction. "The one and only, Moony."

"But…but how?"

Harry sighed. _Here goes nothing._ And as the ladies led the way to the baby store, the gentlemen conversed about the baby. By the time Harry finished telling the tale, Remus' mouth practically hung open from astonishment. "Remember, Moony, this is really sensitive information, alright? If word of this got out, Sev would be in danger. Anyone could vie for custody of him. _Anyone_, Moony."

"Death Eaters." Remus picked up the underlying tones immediately.

"Everyone knows of his betrayal now. They'll want their revenge." Harry nodded. "I'm worried that if word of this got out, it'd be Malfoy who'd try to gain custody."

"What's he got against you?"

"Plenty."

"But I thought you were the one keeping him and his family out of Azkaban?"

"I am!" Harry hissed. He still had mixed feelings about that decision. "But I swear to you, Moony—if they try to take Sev away from me—"

"You'll have them _in_ Azkaban—" Remus smirked.

"Faster than a Firebolt, Remus! _Faster_ than a _Firebolt_." His arms tightened instinctively around the child under his robe.

Remus chuckled at Harry's behavior. "And _how long_ have you been taking care of this child, Harry?"

"It's the principle of the thing, Remus!" Harry retorted defensively.

After a moment of silence, Remus began laughing at him. Harry looked at him, offended for a moment, before giving in and chuckling along with his best friends.

"I've got your back, Harry, you know that right? And now I've got his back, too." Remus said, clasping Harry's shoulder supportively and gesturing towards Sev. Harry merely nodded. "Whatever happens."

"I'm going to need you to keep quiet about this, Moony, at least for now." Harry pleaded. "Sev's still adjusting to his situation. If we didn't actually _need_ to come here, we wouldn't have. I mean…it took an entire hour and a half to convince both him and _myself_ that we had to come today."

Remus nodded, "That's why you didn't want me to come over today."

"I hope that didn't offend you or—"

"No, no, don't worry." Remus waved a dismissing hand, "I guess I was being a bit childish this morning. I mean, now that I know the situation, I would've done the same thing if I was in your shoes." He smirked, "I swear it must be the lack of sleep."

Harry laughed. "Newborn!"

"Hey! Did _he_ wake up last night?" Remus retorted, gesturing towards the infant. Harry merely turned away and made a face. Remus snickered at him unrepentantly. "Exactly! How many times? Once? Twice? Thrice?"

Harry shrugged, "Thrice." He muttered.

Remus nodded and smirked. "So no telling Sirius, I gather."

"Definitely no telling Sirius." Harry shook his head vehemently. "He was embarrassed enough when he heard that _you_ were here, Moony. You saw how he reacted."

"So it _was_ something I said."

"Unfortunately, yes." Harry adjusted his robes so Sev wasn't leaning down so low.

Remus helped support the baby while Harry made adjustments, "I'll try to be less assertive then. Leave that up to him."

"Yeah, that's all. Let him grow comfortable with you first. If he's in a better mood by the end of the day, he may be open to you more and you'll get to know the Severus whose company is actually rather enjoyable."

"I'm looking forward to it." Remus replied, genuinely interested. They followed the girls into a rather large store with a wooden sign hanging on the front that said _Alkyds and Moore: Al Your Kyds Need and Moore! _

Ginny and Tonks immediately began perusing the shelves, grabbing items and examining them excitedly. "Ginny, I'm going to go ahead and buy some nappies and a baby sling and a carrier." He said.

Ginny glanced back at him and nodded. "You want some of your—"

But Harry merely shook his head. "No, no, I have some with me. Remus, do you know where they are?"

Remus gave him an amused look, "Do I look like I know where they are?" The two men laughed at each other.

The nappies were easy enough to find. The slings and carriers, on the other hand, were an entirely different story. It turns out they didn't need to look all that hard, though, for the women had already found them for them. Ginny spent ten minutes trying to decide which carrier and which sling she wanted to get. Harry rolled his eyes. "You know if it'd been up to me, I'd have grabbed the first one I saw and been done with it." He murmured to the werewolf, who snorted. Finally, after what seemed like forever, Ginny picked one blue sling and one beige carrier and handed them to Harry. "Thank you." He smiled indulgingly at her. Behind him, Remus snickered quietly.

After Harry bought the items, he transferred a half-awake Severus into the carrier with Ginny's help, and then told the girls that he and Remus were going to leave them to their shopping. Harry loaded the diaper bag with nappies and wipes, then shrunk everything else and pocketed his purchases. He and Remus had decided to make a day of it sitting outside Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, eating the biggest sundaes on the menu. Before they left the baby store, though, Harry gave in to his paranoia and made sure to cast as many protective wards around his young charge as possible. The whole process took about ten minutes. Remus waited patiently, and when he was through, he complimented Harry on his absolute mastery of Defense.

"It's all thanks to you, Moony." Harry replied, scooping some ice cream into his mouth and basking in the afternoon sun. "Without you, mate, I never would've realized my strength in Defense."

"Well, you're very welcome, then." Remus smiled. As the day wore on, the two friends talked about a multitude of subjects, including Quidditch and who had the chance of making it to the Quidditch World Cup, how Dumbledore offered Harry the position of Defense professor and how the teenager was willing to accept it if Remus came aboard to teach during the two days a week he had to be gone.

"You're the best Defense professor I ever had, Remus. Heck, the best one the school's ever had, mate."

"I think that's a bit of an exaggeration, Harry." Remus blushed.

"That's your opinion, mate." Harry pointed the spoon at him playfully, "Consider this—three years from now, when I graduate from Auror training, and begin working with the department full-time, I'm not going to be able to be the Defense Professor anymore. The job would go to you—full-time."

"I don't know, Harry, people are going to protest—"

"They're going to protest a war hero?! Remus, I highly doubt that. They couldn't protest you becoming a professor any more than they can protest me."

"I beg to differ about that."

"Remus, please." Harry practically begged, "I wouldn't have gotten to my level of proficiency in Defense if it wasn't for you. You deserve this position a lot more than I do. Please." He turned on his best puppy-dog eyes look. "Just think about it, please? Dumbledore could quell any of the parents who have any complaints. Please."

Remus sighed. He took one look at Harry's pathetic little face and rolled his eyes. "That's a low blow, Harry." He smirked.

"But, hey, it works like magic, doesn't it?" Harry laughed.

"Fine. I'll talk to Dora about it." The werewolf agreed.

"Thank you." He glanced in the other direction, "Ah, and here come our lovely ladies now."

Turns out the lovely ladies only came to drop off their purchases before heading to a baby clothing store across the street from the ice cream parlor. Both men rolled their eyes. "Ice cream refill?" Remus asked. Harry nodded and the werewolf picked up his dish, "My treat."

They were halfway through a conversation about the differences in the shopping habits of men and women when Severus finally decided to rejoin the waking world.

"Good afternoon, sir." Harry greeted with a gentle smile. Severus looked up and blinked sluggishly at him. The infant must've recognized there was something different about his sleeping position for he then proceeded to examine the contraption in which he now sat. "Ah, yes. While you were asleep, we went into _Alkyds and Moore_ and bought a thousand-pack of nappies, as well as a sling and a carrier for you to ride in." Sev blinked slowly, his eyes only halfway open. He nodded listlessly, yawned, and went back to leaning against Harry's chest, eyes closed. With his right hand, though, he held up the very familiar sign for 'potty'. "Ah! Right! Remus, if you'll excuse us for a minute, please?"

The werewolf smiled and nodded. When he saw Harry pick up the diaper bag, a sympathetic knowing look crossed his face. He was a bit intrigued by the little hand signals that baby Sev was using to communicate with Harry and Ginny. It was the third time today he saw the child use them, and he'd actually come across such a display before, while Dora was still pregnant with Teddy. He didn't have the time or the courage to go up to the strange mother back then to inquire about them, but now he had all the time in the world, and he had no problem asking Harry anything.

When Harry returned, Sev was much more awake this time and sat facing outward in his carrier. Harry slid another sundae over to Remus, laid one down for himself, and put a smaller cup full of chocolate ice cream next to his. "Mr. Fortescue has a spell that allows his ice cream to be digestible by babies four months and older." He said as he sat down, "I think it's brilliant! It also prevents any teeth-rotting, on the count of babies have sensitive teeth." Sev stared at the cup of ice cream adoringly, waiting for Harry to feed it to him. "Here we go." Harry scooped up a small portion for Sev, but didn't bring it up yet. "Are you _absolutely __sure_ your stomach is fine now?" He asked the infant.

"UH-HUH!" Sev whined, eyeing the ice cream greedily. He added the 'yes' hand sign for good measure.

"Alright." Harry sighed and brought the ice cream to his mouth. The baby devoured it quickly and opened up for the next bite. "Ginny's going to kill me for giving you this." He muttered under his breath, feeding Sev another spoonful.

Remus smiled at the adorable sight, but wisely didn't comment. "Harry, I have a question." He said after a while. At that, Sev slowed his eating and eyed the werewolf warily.

Harry replied distractedly as he wiped the little boy's mouth, "And that question would be…?"

"Those hand signs that…that you're using…Se--Severus," he proceeded cautiously, wanting to include the baby in the conversation as well, knowing that would help him feel more normal, "Those hand signals?" Both Harry and Sev nodded. "What…are they?"

Harry and Sev exchanged a glance. "It's called Baby Sign Language." Harry answered, feeding Sev another spoonful of ice cream. "It was Ginny's idea. Said she got it from a friend of hers at the dorms who was teaching it to her baby brother. She asked Sev last night if he wanted to learn a few signs that she knew so as to help him communicate better with the two of us. He agreed, and we learned the signs together." He fed the baby another spoonful of ice cream.

"Ah!" Sev cried once he swallowed.

"What?"

"Behby…" The infant clapped his hands, and then pointed to a palm.

"Oh, right!" Harry nodded, "Baby Sign Language is designed to be easier than regular sign language because baby's hands aren't as nimble as an adult's."

"AH!"

"What?" Sev simply pointed to the ice cream, mouth open wide. Harry sighed and fed it to him. Halfway through the cup and the conversation about Baby Sign Language, Sev signed for a drink. "Milk or water. No juice, because I think that's what caused this morning's episode to begin with."

"Wawa." And Harry gave him a bottle full of water, which the baby drank greedily.

"Harry James Potter!" A voice shrieked and Harry froze. "Are you feeding him _ice cream_?!"

Sev dropped his bottle and started laughing at Harry. "Haweh! Ha, ha, ha! Ah-cweem! Immy, Haweh ba ah-cweem!"

"_Why_ are you feeding Severus ice cream?!" Ginny cried.

"You _knew_ this was going to get me in trouble, you little brat!" Harry hissed in Severus' ear and the baby laughed all the harder. "He wanted ice cream!" He replied, defending himself to his girlfriend.

"Oh, and I suppose if he wants steak you're going to buy it for him? You're spoiling him, Harry." Ginny retorted, examining Sev's almost-empty chocolate bowl with a frown. "He's five months old, for Merlin's sake, he can't _digest_ ice cream!"

"Not true! Mr. Fortescue has a spell that allows his ice cream to be digested by babies four months and older. He put it on this one when I bought it."

"Uh-huh, and I assume the upset stomach he had this morning means nothing to you."

"He said he's fine!" Harry retorted, "Sev, tell her you're fine."

"Immy, Ah-cweem!"

Ginny rolled her eyes and rubbed her forehead with a sigh. "No more for you, Sev. You can't eat more than this until you're older." She shot Harry a death glare and went to return the cup to Mr. Fortescue.

"AH! AH! IMIF FEH! IMIF FEH, IMMY!"

Ginny sighed, scraped the sides of the cup, and fed him the last spoonful of ice cream. "There. Happy?" Severus graced her with a chocolate-covered smile and Ginny's heart melted. "Oh, Merlin…" She sighed, and then went inside to return the cup.

By the time she got back, Tonks was stuffing a bunch of shrunken bags in Remus' pocket and transferring Teddy's baby sling over to him. "There. You can watch your son for a minute while Ginny and I look for prams and walkers."

"Did you get the baby shampoo and soap?"

"Yes, Harry, I got the baby shampoo and soap." Ginny sighed. She bent down to dig in one of her bags and came back up with a smile. "Okay. Sev, take a look at what I found for you."

"And she says _I_ spoil him." Harry muttered at Remus.

"It's not as comprehensive as I was expecting. I know there's a bit more signs than this. However, considering _this_ is a magical book, I expect it to be a lot more helpful than a muggle one, on the count of the fact that the pictures move." She laid a Baby Sign Language book down on the table and Sev's eyes widened. He immediately got excited.

"Opem! Opem!" Sev shrieked.

"Oh! Look here, Sev, see?" She pointed to a moving picture in corner of the front cover. "That's the sign for 'open'."

Sev imitated it immediately. "Opem! Opem!"

Ginny was about to oblige him, when Harry gently but firmly held the cover down. "Was that a request or an order, Sev?" He whispered in the child's ear, his voice stern.

"Opem, pea." Severus asked more politely, signing both 'open' and 'please'.

"That's better." Harry replied, lifting his hand from the book and allowing the child to take in all the pictures.

"I bought a copy of that, too, Remus." Tonks said, as they all studied the book. "Did Harry tell you about them?"

"Yes, we were just discussing it right now." The werewolf nodded. "It's actually quite fascinating. I'd like to teach it to Teddy when he's old enough. Harry, may I?"

Harry smirked, "You're going to have to scoot over here, Remus. I'm afraid _someone's_ not going to want to let this go for a while."

Once Remus settled next to Harry, though, Sev's reaction was immediate. He whined and writhed, bouncing in his carrier and kicking with all his might, "HAWEH! HAWEH! HAWEH!" He shrieked.

Harry stood up so quickly his chair tipped and fell behind him. "What?! What?!" He looked around for any sign of danger, alarm, concern and a surge of protectiveness shooting through his veins.

"Sev, what's wrong?!" Ginny broke in, lifting the thrashing baby from his carrier.

"AWEH! AWEH! **AWEH**!"

Harry and Ginny exchanged a glance. "Away? Away from what, sweetheart?"

"HAWEH! MOB AWEH!!!" Severus screeched before finally breaking down into tears. "Ahhhhhhhhh!"

Harry was at a loss on what to do. Severus was having a crying fit, Ginny was doing all she should could to hold him despite his squirming, Tonks and Remus were staring in confusion, the passersby were looking at him with a mixture of disgust and sympathy, and his two-month-old godson was eyeing the display with an air of curiosity. _Move away. Move away from what?_ With a bewildered shrug, Harry followed his instincts and moved about ten feet away from the table. Severus' crying immediately subsided into whimpers and he reached for Harry once again.

"Maybe you should use the sling now, rather than the carrier." Ginny suggested as she approached Harry. Her boyfriend nodded and retrieved the baby sling from his pocket. He enlarged it and quickly switched it with the carrier. When the sling was prepped, Ginny gently laid Severus inside. The baby instantly latched onto his robes with one hand and began sucking the thumb of his other hand.

"Severus," Ginny started, looking down at the baby within, "Can you tell me what that was all about, love? What happened?" Sev whimpered and held up the 'scared' sign after a moment of contemplation. "Scared? Scared of what, sweetheart?"

Then it occurred to Harry—Severus' violent reaction started the moment Remus took a seat next to him—within his, and therefore Severus', personal space. "Or whom?"

Sev whined, sticking his thumb back in his mouth and burrowing deeper into the folds of the sling. "Moomy." He murmured around his thumb.

Harry and Ginny gazed at each other in concern. "Moony." Harry turned his attention to Severus, rubbing his back soothingly and wrapping his other arm around the sling for good measure, while Ginny glanced at Tonks and Remus with concern. Harry accioed his chair from the table and sat down where he stood. "I'll talk to him, Gin. Would you mind talking to them?" He gestured towards the table.

"No, sure. I'll just…go." Ginny rubbed the back of Sev's head through the sling once more before going off to reassure the other couple that he was fine.

Harry got as comfortable as he could in his chair before turning to the infant in his arms. He ran his fingers through the child's soft baby hair until those apprehensive dark orbs were directed towards him. He gave Sev a gently smile meant to ease his nerves. "Alright, cub…let's talk, shall we?"

* * *

**Next, Harry and Sev take a trip into each others minds, prompting Sev to reevaluate everything he knew about both Harry and Lupin, and take his first step towards healing.**

**Once again, thank you all for your wonderful adds and reviews! They make my day! :-) **


	5. Cub

**WARNING: Flashbacks of abuse**

* * *

"You want to tell me what that was all about?"

Sev scowled at him. _Why don't you take a bloody guess, Potter!_ He blew raspberries at Harry around his thumb.

"I don't appreciate the attitude, Severus." Harry said sternly, an eyebrow raised in warning.

Sev sighed. How was it that Potter suddenly had this mysterious power over him? When in Merlin's name did _that_ come about? When Potter smiled, it made him want to smile back; when Potter went along with his prank a few minutes ago, it made him laugh; when Potter held him and comforted him, it filled him with a sense of calm, as well this bizarre fuzzy feeling that he had absolutely _no_ desire to analyze right now; when Potter punished him with a time out, it made him swear to himself that he'd never do anything to deserve another again; and when Potter spoke to him in _that_ tone of voice, it made his insides squirm, and he felt weighed down with guilt for some reason.

"Owy." He murmured around his thumb, using his right hand to sign 'sorry' for good measure.

Harry nodded. He cast a _Muffliato_ with a wave of a hand and settled back. "Now…you want to tell me why you suddenly reacted that way towards Remus?" Harry took a guess in an effort to make this easier for both of them. "Does this have to do with the Shrieking Shack incident way back when?"

Severus shifted in his sling, staring up at Harry with sad dark eyes. He nodded.

Ever since Black played that nearly-fatal prank on him all those years ago, Severus has had an almost acute phobia of werewolves. He couldn't even _look_ at Lupin for over a month without shaking uncontrollably. Severus recalled locking himself in the bathroom for hours on end, meditating, occluding his mind, and practically beating himself like a house-elf in an effort to keep his fear at bay. Eventually, he was able to shut it away, and when he could finally look at Lupin again, loathing, rather than fear, emerged.

As an adult, Severus was able to strengthen his shielding and fine-tune his meditation techniques so that the fear never, ever reared its ugly head. Though it took much effort, he even managed to tone down his hate for the man, which Dumbledore practically required of him during that year that Lupin taught at Hogwarts. Yet now, Severus was a baby; and though he still had all his adult memories, he no longer had the control over his mind that he used to. Frankly, Severus was proud of the fact that he was able to forestall his panic attack for so long. When they had first arrived, Severus had clung to either Harry or Ginny like they were a lifeline, then he was asleep for most of the other time, and when he awoke, he kept himself distracted with the ice cream and by repeating 'Potter killed the Dark Lord, he can kill Lupin too' in his head like a mantra. But when the werewolf crossed into his personal space and Potter did nothing to stop it, fear's ugly head reared with a vengeance.

_Now how in the bloody hell am I supposed to tell Potter all of this?! _Severus whined in frustration around his thumb.

"There's a larger story behind this, isn't there?" Harry asked

Severus signed 'yes', then whined some more and began shifting in his sling out of frustration.

"Hey, hey, hey…" Harry chided, tightening his arms in comfort while readjusting his hold on the infant, "Calm down. Shhh…" Harry knew Severus was frustrated because he didn't have any way of relating his story. He could only make a handful of sounds, he knew even less signs, and his fingers were barely able to pick up a piece of cereal, much worse hold and write with an actual quill. Then something occurred to him. "Sev." He called gently, "Sev, listen to me, cub."

The baby settled down after a few moments and focused all his attention on the loose fabric inside the sling. He began picking on it with his fingers. Harry sighed and gently ran his fingers through Sev's soft baby hair until those cheerless eyes finally refocused on him. "I know one way you can tell me your story, without me having to do any translating whatsoever." The baby's eyes widened slightly. "But you're going to have to trust me—implicitly. Without your trust, it isn't going to work?"

"Wa?" Sev asked around his thumb.

"I want to ligilimize you." Harry told him softly, "I promise to only look at what you show me and nothing more. Before I do anything, I promise to give you advanced warning, and if you wish me to leave at any point, all you'll have to do is shout 'no' in your mind and I'll hear you and oblige."

_Potter's a ligilimens? A __ligilimens__?! That's not possible! He's not even an __occlumens__! I refused to give him any more lessons after that whole pensieve incident. It was a wonder our whole operation was never compromised with his connection to the Dark Lord and all. Although…come to think of it, I did find it a might strange that Dumbledore suddenly completely reversed his decision to keep Potter in the dark one day, out of the blue. I never really did find out why he discouraged us from telling Potter anything one day, and then encouraged us to tell him everything the next. That was careless of me—not investigating the old man's unusual behavior. Then again, Dumbledore is generally the definition of unusual on his best of days._

"How about I share something with you first? Then you can decide if you rather let your problem fester in there like an open wound, or allow me to help you heal it. How does that sound?"

_Well when he puts it __that__ way…_Sev grimaced internally. An open wound? _Yuck!_

Suddenly, he was bombarded with image upon image of open wounds, yellow from infection and oozing pus. There were bodies missing limbs, limbs missing bodies, sightless eyes staring back at him. There were people—muggles, mudbloods, half-breeds, and blood traitors—dead, blue and purple with their mouths hanging open, staring back at him, their eyes full of shock and betrayal.

Severus immediately broke down in tears. "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

Harry screwed his eyes shut, "Potter, you're an idiot!" He berated himself aloud. _Open wound. Yeah. Good job! Make him remember everything he wants to forget. Moron!_

The teenager sighed. _Here goes nothing._ Harry ran his fingers through the baby's soft hair once again, before resting his palm on the infant's head.

Wave upon wave of white, calming energy suddenly flooded Sev's mind. The dark images that overtook him only moments ago were now being chased away by a bright white light. _No. Not chased. Destroyed! _Sev realized. Tentacles emerged from the light and pushed the gruesome images away into a white void, allowing them to fly for some distance before attacking them with something akin to lightning. Sev took an intense delight in watching the offending pictures being hurled into oblivion then burned to ashes before his mind's eye. After a few minutes of idle watching, he wanted to try it himself.

Almost immediately, a little boy materialized in his mind. He must have been about five years old, had dark brown (almost black) eyes, and jet-black hair that touched the base of his neck and obscured his vision. _That's me._ Sev realized, after he had had a good look at the child. _That was me when I was five._ Soon after the boy appeared, the white light approached him and began retracting unto itself until a very familiar man stood in its place. Severus gaped. _Potter!_

Sev continued to watch through his mind's eye as Potter crouched next to the boy, offered him a ribbon to tie his hair with, and then proceeded to instruct him on how to throw the dark images out and how to burn them.

"_Watch me first, alright? I'll do one, and then you'll do one." The boy nodded eagerly and Harry smiled. Picking up one of the dark images from where they were piled next to the mind's eye, Harry grasped it by its edge, wrapped a finger around a corner, and then rolled it into his arm, preparing to fling it like a Frisbee. "You have to take it first, embrace it and accept as part of your past—like so. And once you've done that, gather your energy, and…fling!" He flung the rectangular picture into the air and it flew high and far into the void. "Then!" Harry held up an empty hand and showed it to the boy. "You focus all your energy. You tell yourself that this is the past, that this isn't your fault, that you are no longer this person, that you have atoned for these sins, and that it is now time to move on. If you tell yourself this and __believe__ it," a fireball appeared in his hand, "you get this. And, of course, after this comes the fun part." He stood up and lobbed the fireball at the flying picture, watching as it hit and burned it to ashes. The five-year-old Sev grinned up at him, enjoying the show. _

"_Now __you__ try it, cub." Harry stood behind him and gripped his shoulders in support, giving the child a gentle smile. _

_Sev nodded and gulped. "Okay." He approached the images cautiously and took one. It was a picture of an old man—naked, missing an arm and a leg, with various gashes and bruises along his body. Sev could feel his breaths becoming shallower and more erratic. Then all of a sudden, two strong hands wrapped around his hands and guided him in gripping and embracing the picture. "Remember. This is part of your past. You don't have to like it. Just accept it." A calming voice whispered in his ear. "You can't run away from things like this, Sev. You can't push them to the back of your mind and ignore them your whole life." The boy swallowed, took a deep breath, and nodded. "Now…pull back and…release!" Sev launched the picture high into the air and far into the distance. "Excellent! Now…cup your hand…" Sev nodded, his small cupped hand resting neatly inside Harry's bigger one. "Now tell yourself everything I told you earlier. Say it out loud. Say it and __mean__ it, my boy!" _

_Sev closed his eyes. "This is my past. This is not my fault. I am no longer this person. I have atoned for these sins. Now it's time to move on." He repeated it over and over under his breath until he felt a tingling in his hand. Sev's eyes shot open to find a fireball resting within his palm. He grinned up at a smirking Harry. "Now's the fun part?" _

"_Now's the fun part, Sev. Burn it!" The little boy threw the fireball towards the dark image and the picture abruptly burst into flames. "Whoa! Nice shot!" Harry chuckled. Then he gestured towards the rest of the images in the dark pile. "Shall we?" Together, Sev and Harry had the time of their lives launching bad memories into the air and burning them to ashes. _

"_Right! Excellent!" Harry beamed as he dusted his hands off. Little Sev mirrored him with a grin. "Now that that's done, how about we return to our original topic, shall we?" _

_The smile quickly faded from Sev's face and his head hung low as he suddenly developed an interest in the non-existent white floor. _

"_Ai! Come now, Sev, you didn't find that last exercise too horrible, did you?" Harry crouched before him. "And besides, I said I'd share one of my memories with you before I asked you to share one of your memories with me. It's only fair." He brushed the boy's fringe out of his eyes and smiled gently at him. "Remember—you can't run from these things your whole life." _

"_I'm not running!" The child retorted defensively. _

_Harry chuckled slightly and raised his hands in surrender. "Alright. My mistake. You're not running." He stood up and held a hand out to the boy. "Come then, cub, and I'll lead you into my mind." _

_Sev took it hesitantly and gazed up at Harry with childish curiosity. "What memory are you going to show me?" _

"_I don't know." Harry smiled gently down at the boy as they walked along the white void. "We'll see what comes up, shall we?" _

"_Why do you call me 'cub'?" Sev asked out of the blue. _

"_I bet your pardon?"_

"_You call me 'cub'. Why?" He asked again, curiosity spiking his voice. _

_Harry narrowed his eyes at Sev playfully. "Why don't you tell me?" _

_The five-year-old bit his lip in contemplation. "Well…I figure it's because of one of two reasons—you're either an Animagus and the animal you assume calls its young 'cubs'…"_

_Harry nodded. It was a good assumption. "Mm-hmm. Or…?" _

"_Or…it's because you're a Gryffindor and your house symbol is a lion and lions call their young 'cubs'." When Harry's hand squeezed his lightly, Sev knew he had his answer. "So I'm like a lion's cub, then." He assumed. _

"_Why? Does that bother you?" Harry's eyebrows furrowed at the young man, uncertainty creeping into his voice for the first time. "Would you rather I called you something else?" _

_Sev shrugged. "I don't know. I don't mind being called a cub." _

"_You were in Slytherin. Would you rather I called you 'hatchling'?" Harry suggested. _

_Sev grimaced. That didn't sound __nearly__ as nice as 'cub' did. In fact…it sounded just plain __weird__! Hatchling. Sev shuddered. It made him sound like an alien-devil spawn from hell that just popped out of a lumpy, green, fleshy egg-pod full of goo and slime and disgusting purple veins that ran up the walls of the incubator room the egg-pods were being kept in. Yuck! Sev had absolutely no desire to be associated with __that__ image ever again. Besides…if he was to be honest with himself, being called 'cub' sounded almost natural. It made him feel like he was part of a pride or a pack, as well as left him with this vague fuzzy feeling in his chest that he __still__ had no desire to analyze right now._

_Sev shook his head. "No, thank you." He answered politely. "It sounds strange. Besides…you weren't in Slytherin. It'd be even weirder." _

_Harry chuckled. "Actually…if I had left it up to the hat, I would've been." _

_The little boy's eyes widened and his head shot upwards to stare at Harry with surprise. "What do you mean 'if you left it up to the hat'? Isn't it up __to__ the hat to begin with? What did you do, talk it into putting you in Gryffindor? Were you really meant to be in Slytherin, then? Why didn't you want to come into my house? Is it because you listened to all those bastards—"_

"_Hey! Watch it!" Harry raised a warning finger._

_Sev rolled his eyes and glared. "That was it then, wasn't it? You listened to those ba—dumb people," he corrected at Harry's warning glare, "and their biased opinions about Slytherin and dark wizards, didn't you?!" His tone was accusatory. _

"_Know the facts before you go accusing me of anything, Severus." Harry replied sternly. Sev averted his gaze. "And for your information, __no__—that was __not__ the reason I chose not to be in Slytherin." He stopped walking and turned to face the young boy completely. "The reason I didn't want to be in Slytherin was entirely due to one person—Draco Malfoy." Sev froze and peered up at Harry. An uneasy feeling settled in his gut; as if he'd come across this situation before. "We met on the Hogwarts Express that day, and he took it upon himself to insult my __first ever friend__—Ron. Well…needless to say, I turned down his bid for friendship when he made one. I may have been desperate for friends, but there was no way on God's green earth that I was going to surround myself with fake ones, no matter how desperate I was. That was the point our 'legendary' rivalry began." _

_The room swirled around them and soon the white void dissipated entirely to show images and flashes from the life of a young Harry Potter. _

_An image flashed of a four-year-old Harry being dragged to a cupboard by his hair and being thrown in violently, his uncle securing a padlock to each of the ten locks on the door. "Stay in there, you little freak! I won't have you ruining my party and robbing Dudley of his friends!" His uncle boomed from the hallway. "Oh, and BOY…if you make __one__peep__ from in there, that lashing I gave you last week will pale in comparison to the beating I'll give you if you make a noise. Do you understand me, freak?!" _

_Flash!_

_They see the same four-year-old Harry looking longingly through the crack at the bottom of the cupboard door, watching as the shadows of Dudley and his party friends saunter by. They were laughing, talking, and having fun. Harry sighed sadly. He sniffed and happened to smell the food they also seemed to be carrying. His stomach growled loudly in response. Suppressing a groan, Harry wrapped his arms around his middle and curled into a ball next to the door. He hadn't eaten in three days. _

_Flash!_

_Seven-year-old Harry dashed through the alley at top speed, dodging trashcans, dumpsters, trash bags, puddles, and rats. Not far behind him ran a group of six or seven boys. The ones at the front of the group were smaller, lighter, and faster than the ones at the back of the group. The heavier boys, though, carried with them chains and sticks, intent on beating their prey to a pulp upon capture. "Harry! Come now, Harry, you know running away is useless!" Dudley taunted from the back of the group. "We've played this game before. You know the Harry Hunters won't rest until you're captured and taught your place like the animal you are!" At that, the other boys in the gang whooped and cheered, seeming to gain energy and ground due to their leader's encouragement. Harry spared them only a glance before turning down another alleyway and promptly running into a fence. "No! No, no, no, no, no, no, no!" The young boy looked around frantically, looking for some way to defend himself. He could hear Dudley's gang approaching rapidly. "Think, think, think!" Then he saw it—something slithering from the field on other side of the fence over to the alley on his side. "Harry!" He heard around the corner. "He went behind there! Let's get him!" Throwing all caution to the wind, Harry threw aside the trashcans the snake was slithering behind and came face to face with a European Viper. Moving faster than he thought possible, Harry snatched the snake behind the head before the thing could even look in his direction, and picked it up. When the boys skidded around the corner, fists and weapons raised in expectation, Harry held up the snake and waved it at them. Dudley and has gang froze. "Come one foot closer and I'll have him bite you!" To his delight, the snake seemed to hiss in agreement, opening its mouth wide and showing its fangs. The boys blanched, dropped their weapons, and ran crying back the way they came. Harry breathed a sigh of relief and soon released the snake with a word of apology and gratitude. The snake assured him it was fine. _

_Flash!_

"_Do not ever, __ever__, __EVER__ threaten my Dudley or his friends EVER again!" Harry's uncle bellowed, bringing his belt down over and over and over again unto Harry's already-bruised and bleeding back. "Threatening my Dudley with a __snake__! HUH?!" Lash! Lash! Lash! "The Devil's child, you are! The Devil's child! FREAK!" Then he flipped the poor little seven-year-old over and started pummeling his chest with the strap. _

_Flash!_

_The kids at school looked at him with disgust, fear, and loathing. He could hear whispers, but couldn't make out what they were. When he sat down at a lunch table, everyone else stood up and moved. Dudley and his friends looked back at him from where they sat and snickered. Harry glowered. They must've made up some cover story about the alley incident with the snake. It's most likely the one Uncle Vernon heard as well. The one he had gotten beaten for last night. He could hear the whispers now. "Devil's child", "Freak", "Satan's spawn", "Stay away from him!", "He might let a snake loose on you!", "Don't even look at him!", "He's evil!". Harry sighed. He was used to this by now. Every time he came to a new school, Dudley would find some way to scare his friends away. Now everyone looked at him with disgust and kept at least ten feet away from him. As he walked home, he could hear the neighbors whisper from their porches. "That's the Dursley's nephew—troublemaker, that one.", "I hear he steals—from them and from other people as well.", "Watch your daughters. That boy might come after her. I hear he's a right pervert, that one. Gets into fights a lot, too, so guard your sons well." His uncle's and aunt's doing, no doubt. Now even the entire neighborhood hated him. Left him alone. Friendless. The lonely, lowly freak of nature. _

_Flash! _

_Sev and Harry now stood in the back room of Madam Malkin's Dress Robes for All Occasions. On one stool stood eleven-year-old Harry, being fitted for robes by Madam Malkin herself. On the stool next to him stood an equally young Draco Malfoy. __"My father's next door buying my books and mother's up the street looking at wands," He had a bored, drawling voice. "Then I'm going to drag them off to look at racing brooms. I don't see why first years can't have their own. I think I'll bully father into getting me one and I'll smuggle it in somehow." _

_As the scene played on, Sev tugged on older-Harry's robes. The seventeen-year-old lifted the five-year-old into his arms. _

"_Has Malfoy always been this way?" Sev whispered into his ear. _

_Harry raised an eyebrow at him. "You haven't noticed?!" His eyes widened in surprise. _

"_No. I've noticed." Sev shrugged. "It's just…I thought…I didn't realize it was this pronounced. I thought they were all isolated incidences, small lapses of judgment and whatnot." He shuddered. "He reminds me a lot of…" he bit his lip, eyeing Harry warily. _

_The teenager peered at him with a raised eyebrow and a gentle smirk, "James Potter and Sirius Black?" _

_Sev blushed and leaned his forehead against Harry's shoulder, watching the rest of the scene play out. _

"_I really don't think they should let the other sort in, do you?" Malfoy went on. "They're just not the same, they've never been brought up to know our ways. Some of them have never even heard of Hogwarts until they get the letter, imagine. I think they should keep it in the old wizarding families. What's your surname, anyway?"_

_Flash!_

_Harry sat shirtless upon his beat-up, barren cot in Dudley's now-bare second bedroom. He was tending to his newly-inflicted injuries. The calendar behind him read Sept. 1__st__ and the clock read 12:14AM. Half the time, he muttered under his breath about how he was going to hide these injuries from everyone once he got to school. The other half of the time, though, he prayed. He prayed for two things—one, that the police come and arrest Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia for child abuse, and two, that he make at least one friend when he got to Hogwarts. _

_Flash!_

_Sev and older-Harry watched as eleven-year-old Harry met Ron and the other Weasleys, how he watched from inside his compartment as they realized who he was, and how Ginny squealed and begged her mom to meet him. "Oh, Mom, can I go on the train and see him, Mom, eh please…"_

_Sev sat up in older-Harry's arms and met the teenager's eyes. They both grinned at each other and Harry commented, "Oh, I am __so__ going to rub that in her face when we get back later." Sev giggled into his shoulder as they continued to watch the scene. _

_They watched as the Ron explained everything to Harry, Harry bought out a cart of candy, and the boys met Neville and Hermione in passing. Finally, Malfoy showed his ugly face. "Is it true?" he said. "They're saying all down the train that Harry Potter's in this compartment. So it's you, is it?" Harry nodded and Malfoy introduced himself and his two goons. Then he turned to Ron, "No need to ask who you are. My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford." He turned back to Harry. "You'll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there." He held out his hand to shake Harry's, but Harry didn't take it. "I think I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, thanks," he answered coolly. Malfoy blushed slightly. "I'd be careful if I were you, Potter," he growled, his eyes narrowing. "Unless you're a bit politer, you'll go the same way as your parents. They didn't know what was good for them, either. You hang around with riffraff like the Weasleys and that Hagrid, and it'll rub off on you." Both Harry and Ron stood up._

"_Yeah, he __definitely__ reminds me of James Potter and Sirius Black…but in a different way." Sev whispered in older-Harry's ear. _

"_A Lucius-Malfoy-tinged James Potter and Sirius Black, then." Harry suggested. _

_Sev shuddered. "That's such a __bad__ combination." Harry chuckled. _

_Flash!_

_They stood next to the stool at the sorting ceremony. Malfoy approached the seat and sat down. As the hat neared his head, it screamed out "Slytherin!" and the blonde boy smirked before heading over to said table. He met Harry's eyes in challenge along the way. "If he's going to be in Slytherin, I want to be in the furthest house from it." Harry hissed at Ron, his eyes never leaving Malfoy's haughty form. "Then you'll want to be in Gryffindor, mate." Ron whispered in reply. "Potter, Harry!" As Harry sat on the stool, the older-Harry and Sev leaned in to listen to the hat's quiet words. "Hmm…Difficult. Very difficult. Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind either. There's talent, oh my goodness, yes — and a nice thirst to prove yourself, now that's interesting… So where shall I put you?" There was a slight pause. "Not Slytherin, eh?" It continued, "Are you sure? You could be great, you know, it's all here in your head, and Slytherin will help you on the way to greatness, no doubt about that. No? Well, if you're sure…" The hat thought for a moment. "Better be…GRYFFINDOR!"_

_There was a deafening applause, but it soon faded into the distance as the world dissolved around them and they found themselves standing in a white void once again. _

_Harry bent down and placed Severus back onto his feet. "Now…I got déjà vu watching that. Did you?" He looked at the little boy expectantly. _

_Sev blushed and looked away shyly. "I…I had no idea our lives were so…similar." He said softly. _

_Harry crouched before him and laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. "And thus I reiterate—know the facts before you go accusing __anyone__ of __anything__, Severus." He tipped the boy's chin so that Sev was looking at him, and gave the child a gentle smile. "Prejudice—willful or ignorant—has no place in this world. Understand?" _

_The five-year-old peered at him through his fringe. He smiled shyly and nodded. _

_Harry beamed. "Excellent." He stood up and peered into the distance. "Now…I do believe you have something to show me, don't you, cub?" The little boy froze, gazing up at Harry warily. The teenager sighed. "Let me ask you a question, okay, Sev? Imagine you're a butterbeer enthusiast. You make your own butterbeer. One day, you take an empty bottle, fill it with butterbeer, then clamp a lid on it tightly, sealing it inside. Someone else then takes this bottle and, in a bout of childish folly, decides to give it a good shake. What do you reckon will happen if you so much as put a tiny bit of pressure on the bottom of that lid?" _

_Sev answered slowly and softly. "It'll explode."_

"_This is why you cannot simply bottle up feelings and emotions like you did when you were an adult." Harry continued. "Granted, at that point they hadn't exploded yet…" Then something occurred to him, "Or perhaps they did…?" _

_Sev gazed up at him with a raised eyebrow. _

"_Perhaps when you woke up from your coma a few days ago, all your bottled up feelings and emotions finally __did__ explode. I mean, you __did__ try to kill yourself…"_

"…_and ended up like __this__." Sev finished bitterly. "Not __even__ like this. I'm five months old and can't even talk yet!" He spat, scowling at the ground. _

"_There! So do you see now how it isn't healthy to keep things like that bottled up?" Harry pushed gently. _

_Sev narrowed his eyes at him. "You're one to talk about keeping things bottled up! How many people have __you__ told about the child abuse __you__ endured growing up? Neglect, physical abuse, emotional abuse—from those muggles __and__ from me, I'm not denying it." He paused mid-rant, a horrible thought entering his mind. The only one left out was sexual abuse. The very idea made him gulp and blanch. He studied Harry's blank face and was suddenly reminded of the present conversation, "There's __bound__ to have been a ton of feelings and emotions associated with every beating and every foul name. I know it! Yet I haven't seen any of it. Not one bit! I didn't even get __one image__ of the abuse when we were doing Occlumency together! That only suggests the emotions and everything associated with the images are buried much deeper!"_

_Harry's jaw tightened. Screwing his eyes shut, he took a calming breath. Then another. Then another. Then he threw his eyes opened and glared at the child. "That is not my fault!" He hissed, "I am a natural occlumens, Severus. It's a defense mechanism and a survival tactic. I wasn't able to completely control my mind until the end of my fifth year, when I mastered __controlled__ Occlumency—__without__ your help, I might add." He pointed an accusing finger at the child. Then he seemed to realize what he was doing for he turned away abruptly, cursing under his breath. After a few more calming breaths, he continued in a much more controlled voice. "It is very…__difficult__ for me, cub—"_

"_It's difficult for me too!" Sev blurted out indignantly. _

_Harry sighed and studied the boy for a full minute. "Are you a natural occlumens or a learned one?" The boy gave him an assessing look. "Oh, for Merlin's sake, Sev, one is __not__ better than the other one! Just answer the bloody question!" Harry ordered exasperatedly. _

"_A learned occlumens." Sev answered warily. _

"_Then it'll be easier for you to overcome your fear of werewolves than it would be for me to overcome my feelings regarding my aunt and uncle and their treatment of me. It's a matter of circumstance, Sev! It's like having a package full of memories to hide and having an entire building full of empty rooms in which you could hide it. A __learned__ occlumens __knowingly__ takes the package to a room number of his __choosing__ and hides it in there. If he needs the package again, for whatever reason, he knows where to find it. A __natural__ occlumens, on the other hand, __unknowingly__ takes the package to a __random__ room and hides it in there. It would take me much, much longer to get over something than it would take for you to get over it." He tipped Sev's head so that the boy was meeting his eyes. "Comprendé?" _

_Sev rolled his eyes and sighed, his shoulders drooping slightly. "Fine." He muttered reluctantly. _

"_Thank you." He squeezed the back of Sev's neck in support. "We can talk about my past another time. Until then, I kindly ask that you keep it between us." He raised an eyebrow at the boy and received a reluctant nod in return. "Thank you, again. Now…shall we take a foray into __your__ mind this time?"_

_Sev grimaced and replied in a put-out sort of voice, "Must we __absolutely__ do that?" He eyed the teenager pleadingly. _

_Harry chuckled and picked up the five year old once again, "Yes, cub, we must." _

"_My life sucks." Sev sighed dramatically into Harry's shoulder as the teen retraced their previous steps through the white void. _

"_That's all a matter of opinion, my boy." Harry smirked. "Now…tell me about the Shrieking Shack incident—the __whole__ story this time." _

_Sev sighed and the white void dissipated around them to bring them to a hallway in Hogwarts. _

_They were following a young Severus Snape as he trekked through the hallway to the library. He stopped by Madame Pince's desk to ask a quick question before winding his way through the various tables and settling into one of the desks on the far side of the room, his back against the wall. He then proceeded to pull out a book on Hogwarts' history, a book on magical trees, and a book of charms. He opened all three to different pages, took out some parchment and ink and quill, and buried his nose in the books. "Snape, don't you know how to write without sticking your face so close to the paper?" Sirius Black's voice startled Severus slightly but he was able to prevent it from showing too much. "Black!" He spat, pulling out his wand and pointing it under the table at the boy that dared sit across from him. "What do you want? And where's your little gang at?" Black looked bored. "I don't know. They're off studying somewhere." Severus sneered. "And why aren't you? Books too good for you? Or is it that you can't even read?" Black sat up and glared. "If I can't read, how do I know you're doing research on the Whomping Willow right now, eh?" Severus snatched his parchment from the desk and buried it in his satchel. "Interesting tree, the Whomping Willow, don't you think?" The other boy continued, leaning back on his chair nonchalantly and studying his nails. Severus continued to sneer and waved a dismissing hand at him. "Get lost, Black! Go bother someone who actually cares about your blathering." Black ignored him. "Did you know that there's this knot at the base of the trunk that you can poke that'll immobilize the tree? Yeah. It's real neat. Remus found out about it in first year and ever since then he's been using the secret passage every—" Black stopped abruptly, eyes widening in momentary shock. Then in a blink he seemed to get control of himself and turned away. "Uh…" he cleared his throat uncomfortably, "…um…never mind what I said, Snivellus. Get back to your ridiculous Whomping Willow research!" Sirius stood rather quickly, looking flustered. With a half-hearty wave and a lame "Cheerio," Black hastily retreated from the library. Severus saw him smack himself on the head a few times on the way out. As quickly as he could, Severus wrote down everything he just heard from Black. _

_Flash! _

_It worked! It bloody worked! Black was right! Severus used a levitating charm to poke the knot at the base of the tree with a big stick, and now the tree was sufficiently paralyzed! Severus felt proud of himself. He found the secret passage easily enough and slipped down. The tunnel was a bit of a tight fit but he managed well enough. Once Severus emerged at the other end, he found himself—to his unending surprise—at the Shrieking Shack! The place appeared completely abandoned and everything was just a wreck. Suddenly, a loud noise came from the upstairs landing and Severus took it upon himself to investigate. The prospect of catching someone—hopefully a Gryffindor—and turning them in made him feel giddy all over. As quietly as he could, he crept up the stairs and peered through the middle crack in the double doorway. Remus Lupin lay writhing on the floor of the room beyond. He was screaming at the top of his lungs and looked to be possessed. Severus immediately drew his wand. Then, all of a sudden, the moonlight filtered through the flimsy curtains and Lupin froze on the floor. He was positioned on all fours and his back was arched. Then something strange happened. Severus blinked and a creature of some sort suddenly appeared in Lupin's place! Whatever it was let out a loud howl._

_A hand grabbed Severus' shoulder and the boy shot around to come face to face with none other than James Potter! "What are you __doing__ here, Snape! Are you bloody __crazy__?! RUN!" Before Severus could even blink, Potter was pushing him down the stairs and back into the passageway. "Faster, you bloody idiot! FASTER!" It was then that Severus registered the sound of claws against wood and then rock. He heard the snarl of the creature closing in behind them, and adrenaline started pumping in his veins. "FASTER, SNAPE, FASTER!!!" Potter bellowed, forcing the other boy to match his speed. When they got to the entrance to the secret passage, Severus jumped up and Potter boosted him the rest of the way with his foot. Severus stopped to take a breath once he got outside, but when Potter popped up beside him, the other boy would have none of it. He grabbed Severus by the back of the robes and threw him in the direction of the castle. "Go, Snape. RUN! Don't stop running until you're INSIDE the castle! I'll distract him!" He then ran in the opposite direction, towards the Forbidden Forest. As Snape dashed up the steps to the Entrance Hall, he could hear a snarl and a bark in the distance. _

_Flash! _

_Severus sat alone on one end of the Slytherin table, munching on cereal. It was rather early and there weren't that many people about. On a whim, he glanced over to the Gryffindor table and his eyes met with Lupin's. Suddenly, Severus froze mid-chew and his spoon fell out of his hand and bounced off the edge of the bowl. Taking advantage of the distraction, Severus tore his eyes away from the other boy and focused his gaze on his fallen spoon. That was when he began noticing the fact that he was trembling horribly. Bending down, Severus made to retrieve the spoon, but it bounced out of his hand and clanked on the floor once again. He tried again, and again the spoon fell and clanged. Severus' shaking was now even more pronounced and people close by were starting to stare at him. Severus swallowed. Pushing away his bowl, the boy shouldered his satchel and quickly dashed out of the room. He found an empty lavatory on the seventh floor and locked himself in. He splashed some cold water on his face and took several deep breaths. Still, the shaking wouldn't abate. His nerves finally began to calm after several minutes, a sink full of water, and a harsh slap to each of his cheeks. _

_Flash!_

_Severus locked himself in the same bathroom again. This time, he sat there and meditated until his shaking abated. The next time he locked himself in, he performed several occlumency exercises. The time after that, he began slapping himself. Thus went several more flashes—Severus locked himself in the bathroom and splashed water on himself, occluded, meditated, or slapped himself silly until his shaking subsided. _

_Flash!_

_The final image showed Severus passing a lone Remus in the hallway. Lupin smiled amicably at him, but Severus did not return the sentiment. Instead, he scowled fiercely at the other boy, pulling his wand from its hiding place and holding it stiffly at him side until Lupin turned the corner. _

"_Okay. Let's pause here, shall we?" Harry broke in suddenly. He held up a hand and the world around them froze in place. _

_Sev lifted his head from Harry's shoulder and looked around. "Why?" _

"_Because I want to help you resolve this issue, and I feel this is a good place to start." Harry explained. "After this, I'm going to show you a bit of my memories of Remus." He placed Sev down on the floor and knelt before him. "Two things determine your reality—your experience and your focus. All the memories you have of Remus are either bad or neutral, am I correct? You have no good ones of him?" _

_Sev thought about it for a minute before shaking his head. _

_Harry nodded. "That's what I thought. Alright. That's the experience part of the issue. We'll deal with that soon. Using this particular scene, however, we're going to deal with the focus part." He stood up and, placing a gentle hand on the boy back, guided Sev over to his teenage self. "Now…I want you to tell me everything that was going through your mind at this point." Harry told Sev._

_The teenage Severus stood frozen in the middle of the hallway, wand drawn and stiff at his side. He had his complete attention on Remus and was solely focused on watching him as he walked away. "All I wanted was for him to walk away." Sev answered after a moment of contemplation. "I was able to control the shaking by then, but not by very much. I remember being grateful that no one else was in the hallway at that point because I knew if Lupin stayed too long, I'd lose it, and the moment he rounded the corner, I'd lose it. Either way, I was going to lose it and it was just a question of timing. Therefore, I was grateful no one else was there." The boy paused for a second, studying his other self thoroughly. "I felt terrified, no doubt there. I felt vulnerable." Then something seemed to dawn on him. "Ah! I was also right angry at Lupin, too!" _

"_So your fear was beginning to morph into hate." Harry elaborated candidly. _

"_Hey!" _

"_It's a perfectly natural reaction, Sev, to feelings that are forced to be bottled up in __that__ manner." Harry gestured behind him, but Sev knew he was talking about his previously-viewed bathroom exercises. _

_Sev sighed and shrugged. "I guess." _

"_Right. So…anger, fear, vulnerability…you felt extremely defensive. Anything else?" Sev shook his head. "Good. So those were your feelings. Now walk with me over to Remus, if you will." Harry placed his hand on Sev's back once again and steered him towards the frozen teenage Remus. "This is a focusing exercise, Severus. I want you to focus on his posture, his shoulders, his hands, his face, his eyes, my boy. The eyes are the windows to one's soul. I want you to tell me what you see in his." Harry made sure to stop them where Remus' face was extremely visible. He nudged the little boy slightly until Sev reluctantly began examining the other teen in the same manner he had examined himself. _

_Sev noted the posture, the hunched shoulders, the fingers wringing the wrists, the depressing frown, the wrinkles on his forehead, and the bags under his eyes. "I can't see into his eyes, Harry." Sev told the other teen. _

"_Up you go." Harry lifted him into his arms and made sure to stand right next to Remus. "Now tell me what you see." _

_Sev sighed and peered into the blue eyes. "I see…" What? What did he see? What could he possibly see in the eyes of a human mon…ster…? His thoughts trailed off as he stared into Remus' blue orbs. Those eyes…they looked familiar. Too familiar. Terribly familiar. Severus was too well-acquainted with the altogether different monster that lurked behind those eyes to be able to ignore seeing it in one of his most-hated rivals. "He's lonely." Sev answered, the words sounding forced. "He…looks depressed…shy…nervous…guilty…" The little boy gulped. "He looks like…the world's against him…" Sev couldn't take that look anymore. He turned his head into Harry's shoulder and buried his face into his robes. _

"_Yes, he does, doesn't he?" He heard Harry murmur before they began moving again. "Precisely like the world is against him." A hand soon began rubbing smooth circles into his back. "An altogether different picture than the one you had painted not moments before, am I right?" Sev shifted uncomfortably and his arms tightened around the teenager's neck. "Funny how our world can change so dramatically with just the slightest bit of focus." Harry drawled, his voice soothing the child's nerves. "Come along, cub. I have something to show you." _

_They walked in silence for a few minutes until Severus found the courage to unbury his head from Harry's robes. "Where are we going?" _

"_I'm going to show you images from __my__ experiences with Remus." Harry explained. "I'm going to try to…paint you a magical picture rather than a muggle one, so to speak. This way, you'll have a whole and complete view of the man rather than just the monster in disguise." He pushed open the door to one of the classrooms and walked in. _

_The room then morphed before their eyes as Severus watched flashes of Harry's life experiences with Remus. He watched as Lupin saved Harry from a Dementor on the train. He watched as Remus tried and succeeded in teaching Harry the Patronus charm. He watched as the two of them just walked and talked around the castle and in the woods. He watched as they joked and laughed with each other over the years. He watched as Harry came to Remus for advice and received it, along with a hefty dose of support. He watched as Harry cried on Remus' shoulder and vice versa. He watched as Harry and Remus stood back-to-back in battle, fighting off Death Eaters. He watched as Remus and Harry had a row over Tonks and parental responsibilities. He watched as Remus burst in through a door, a goofy smile on his face, declaring that 'it was a boy' in the loudest voice possible. He watched as Remus named Harry godfather to his son. He watched as Harry watched Remus sleep, with his son tucked under one arm and his wife tucked under the other. The goofy smile was still stuck on his face. _

"_Now does this look like the life of a monster?" Harry murmured in his ear. Sev was silent for a long while. Then, slowly, he began shaking his head. "No. Didn't think so." _

_The two of them exited the bedroom and found themselves in the middle of Diagon Alley as the door swung closed. Sev realized whatever Harry was showing him now must've taken place just earlier today. They were walking next to Remus and a disguised Harry, Sev's five-month-old form wrapped in his arms. __"I've got your back, Harry, you know that right? And now I've got his back, too." Remus said, clasping Harry's shoulder supportively and gesturing towards Sev. Harry merely nodded. "Whatever happens…"_

_Whatever happens…_

_I've got your back…_

_Remus' voice grew distant as a white haze overtook Sev's senses and the next thing he knew…_

Severus' eyes fluttered open.

"Easy, there, cub." He heard Harry's soothing voice over him, "Our eyes have been closed for at least ten minutes, most likely more. Let your eyes get used to the light again."

Sev found that rather easy, considering Harry was still holding a hand over his head and eyes. He waited patiently for Harry to remove it, shifting to find a more comfortable position in his sling in the meantime.

Finally, Harry lifted his hand. "So…are we feeling a bit better about Remus now?"

Sev sighed. Loathed as he was to admit it, he felt a _great deal_ better about Lupin now that he had some of Harry's memories inside of him. The thought of the werewolf no longer begot jitters and nervousness, but rather a slight bit of comfort. Funny thing, his mind. He'd carried his thoughts and opinions about Lupin around for years, adamant that they would never change. Then Potter comes along and turns them around completely in the space of five minutes.

He signed 'yes'.

Harry beamed. "Good. I'm glad." He stood up and picked up his chair. "Come along, then. The others over there look a bit anxious, and I do believe my godson has expressed an interest in meeting you." Sev pulled against the sides of his sling in an effort to sit up and Harry obliged him. The infant then shifted to examine the crowd around him.

"Sev, are you alright now?" Ginny questioned worriedly. Sev smiled at her, signing 'yes'. "Are you sure?" He signed 'yes' again. Ginny glanced up at Harry who nodded to her a smirk. "Oh, thank Merlin!" She rushed over to the baby and kissed him on top of the head. "You had me worried there. I thought you were sick, or something was wrong, that maybe the ice cream was poisoned—"

"Ginny, Ginny!" Harry laid his hands on her shoulders to try to calm her. "Calm down, love, he's fine." He said soothingly. "He just had a bit of a reaction to Remus," he glanced over at the guilty-looking werewolf, "but he's absolutely _fine_ now."

"Harry, if he doesn't want me here, I can—"

"With all due respect, Remus John Lupin, don't you finish that sentence." Harry interrupted, giving Remus an intense look. Lupin's mouth snapped shut and he looked a bit hesitant, like he didn't know what to do with himself. "I want you here. Ginny wants you here. And…" he glanced down at the infant in his sling. Sev was studying Remus with an air of curiosity. "…Severus…"

The baby sat back in his sling and tipped his head back against Harry's chest to look up at him. "Uh-huh!"

"Severus wants you here as well." Harry finished confidently. "I went into his mind a while ago and he and I had a long and thorough heart-to-heart about various subjects." He explained with nonchalantly. "You, me, present, past, this, that, and the other thing. It's not important. What _is_ important, though, is that Severus here…" the baby was once again examining Remus inquisitively, "…is now willing to get to know you."

"Haweh!"

"Yes, sir?" Harry turned his attention to his infant.

Sev pointed at Teddy, who was mirroring Severus' perched position in Remus' sling. "Behby…Ooo." He pointed at Harry. Then he pointed at Remus himself. "Moomy…Up!"

Harry's eyebrows rose to his hairline and he blinked at the child in his arms. Sev giggled slightly at his funny expression. "Are you serious?"

"Uh-huh!"

"Are you sure?"

"Uh-huh!" Sev answered before pointing to his own little chest. He first made the 'scared' sign before attempting to speak again, "B…Bah!...Boh!...Bop…" He pointed to the spot directly over his heart and started patting it lightly. "BuhBuh…BuhBuh…BuhBuh…BuhBuh…" He looked directly at Harry. "Woooooooooooaaaaaaaaw!" Then he thought for a second before inspiration seemed to hit him. "Cub!" He beamed at Harry and pointed to his little chest. "Cub! Wooooaaaaw! Cub!" He pointed at Remus once again. "Moomy. Up!"

Harry chuckled lightly, laying a hand on Severus' soft head in silent support and agreement.

"Harry…what did that mean?" Ginny asked beside him.

Harry leaned in to whisper in her ear. "In my chest beats the heart of a lion." Severus grinned from his sling as Harry pulled away. "Isn't that right, cub?" He asked out loud.

"Uh-huh!"

"And it also means…" Harry lifted Severus from his perch and, holding him in his arms, approached Remus. "No, no, no! Don't back away, Remus. Trust me. Just…stay still." As Harry slowly breached Remus' personal space, he felt Sev's little hand tighten on his robes, but otherwise the child didn't react. "Easy, Sev, alright? Slowly." He turned to the werewolf. "Remus…_somebody's_ willing to let you hold him. You might want to sit down." Lupin did so almost immediately, dropping into the chair he felt behind his knees.

"Harry, maybe you should sit down, too. Right there—next to Remus." Ginny suggested and Tonks placed a seat next to her husband then took the seat next to Ginny.

Harry perched on the edge of the offered chair. "Easy, Sev. Go at your pace. No one's forcing you to do this."

Sev gave him a funny look. "Bw…Bw…Bwa…ma…Bwa-ma…Bing!"

Harry rolled his eyes and scooted back into his chair. He turned from the snickering ladies with a sigh and addressed a confused Remus. "He just called me a drama king." Tonks and Ginny burst into a fit of laughter and Remus smirked at him. "Oh, ha, ha! It's not _that_ funny." Harry stuck out his tongue at Ginny. Sev giggled in Harry's arms. "Of course _you_ would find this funny." The baby giggled some more. Harry rolled his eyes.

It was after the excitement died down a few minutes later that Severus found the courage to reach over and tap Remus on the arm. Lupin looked startled and uncertain.

Severus decided to take control of the situation. "Up!" He cried loudly, reaching his arms out to Remus.

"Sev," Harry started in a warning tone, "Was that a request or a demand?"

Sev took one glance at his stern face and changed his tune, "Up, pea?" He said in a gentler tone.

Remus relaxed a bit and gave Sev a gentle smile. After exchanging a glance with Harry, he shifted a little in his chair and reached over. Harry deposited Sev onto his lap and held on until Remus had an arm wrapped firmly around his kid. Then he let go.

For about a minute or two, both Sev and Remus just sat there, tense and frozen. Remus stared at Severus and Severus stared at Remus. Neither of them moved. Neither of them even breathed!

Then, out of nowhere, came a childish, "Coo!" followed closely by a giggle.

Everyone turned to face Teddy, wide-eyed.

"That was his first smile!" Tonks exclaimed, her hair flaring hot pink in excitement, "And his first laugh! AND his first _sound_!"

"What do you mean? He's never made a sound before?" Ginny broke in, confused.

"No, no. He's cried before and everything, but that's all he's done. He's never actually made any other attempts at communication beyond crying. Oh my god, Remus!" She beamed at her husband.

Remus kept staring from one child to the other in barely-contained exhilaration. His gaze moved from Severus in his left, who was now eyeing Teddy with an avid curiosity, to Teddy in his right, who was smiling at Severus and waving his hands about enthusiastically. Sev turned to Harry questioningly.

"Remus, maybe you should introduce them." Harry suggested.

"Oh. Right!" Remus cleared his throat, "Severus, this is my son Teddy. Teddy, this is…Sev—erus." He stuttered a bit at the end, not sure if Severus would allow him to call him 'Sev'.

Severus didn't seem to notice either way as he continued to study the smiling metamorphamagus. Then, for some reason unknown to him, he smiled back.

Teddy giggled at him.

Severus giggled back.

Teddy cooed and laughed at him.

"Ah! Babeh!" He turned to Harry, pointing at Teddy excitedly, before facing the baby once more and laughing in return.

Thus, the two infants continued to laugh and babble at each other incessantly, while Remus held onto both with barely-restrained enthusiasm, Harry looked on with pride, and the two ladies smiled and excitedly took pictures of the momentous occasion.

* * *

**Next, the Lupins come over for dinner! The infants bond, Remus feels overwhelmed by something, Tonks meets Merlin, and the three of them are witness to an interesting new dynamic between Harry, Ginny, and Severus.**

PICTURE (See Ch. 2 end note on how to access it): Hatchling

**Let me know what you think! :-)**


	6. Moods & Drama w Silliness on the Side

"Would you and the missus fancy coming over for dinner tonight, Remus?" Harry asked as they made their way back to the Leaky Cauldron. The boys were still in their respective slings, Severus showing Teddy how different toys worked and both infants babbling up a storm.

"Are you sure he'll have me?" Remus asked hesitantly, inclining his head towards Severus.

"Sev," Harry called, rubbing the infant's back to get his attention.

"Uh?" Sev looked up at him curiously.

"Would you be alright with Remus, Teddy, and Dora coming over for dinner?"

Sev grinned up at him. "Peb…by. Peb-by. Pebby!" He squealed, shaking the rattle in his hand and waving it at a giggling Teddy.

"Sev, come now, I need an answer." Harry patted his back gently, catching his attention once more.

"Uh-huh!" The infant smiled, signing 'yes' at him.

"Thank you." Harry turned to Remus, "See? No problem. He and Teddy are getting along way better than I expected."

Remus smiled down at his son. "Yes, I know." He and Harry exchanged a knowing look. "Dora, would you like to have dinner over at Harry and Ginny's tonight?" Remus asked, peering over his shoulder at his wife.

"Sounds great, Remus!" Tonks called back distractedly, as she and Ginny were in the middle of a rather intense bitching session. Something about Ministry law and whatnot.

"Oh, that reminds me." Harry said, having caught wind of one of their complaints. "Hermione wants to meet with you to ask you a few questions regarding your…furry little problem." He said to Remus, lowering his voice significantly. Harry glanced around at the people surrounding them and decided casting a _Muffliato_ would be the better idea. "She, Ron, and I have been poring over Ministry law books the past week or two and she's been marking all the laws that give purebloods precedence as well as those that discriminate against people with disabilities." He gestured towards his friend. "Like yours." He held open the door to the Leaky Cauldron and gestured everyone inside. "She, Ron, and I have already spoken to Minister Shacklebolt about this and he quite agrees. The old laws need reforming. Muggles already have laws that prevent employers from discriminating against an employee because of a disability, why shouldn't the wizarding world have the same?"

Remus nodded wordlessly. "I agree with you, Harry—wholeheartedly! But…" he paused for a moment, unsure of what to say, "…these changes that the three of you are talking about…they're not going to happen overnight."

"I'm well aware of that, Remus. Well aware." He gestured for the ladies to precede them into the floo. "Even Kingsley told us that. We weren't expecting them to, anyway." He paused, "However, we _do_ want to get the ball rolling on the process—make a plan, draft a bill, talk about how we're going go about getting it passed—"

"Absolutely, absolutely. I'm completely at your service." Remus nodded in agreement. "You first?" He gestured towards the floo.

"How about we go together?" Harry suggested. He bent down to whisper in Sev's ear while Remus merely covered Teddy up as best he could. "We're about to floo back now, Sev. Are you ready?"

Severus whined and buried his face into Harry's robes, curling as far into the baby sling as he could. He hated flooing now!

Harry made sure his face was completely covered up before stepping into the floo next to Remus. "Hogwarts!"

They stepped out of the hearth in the Great Hall. Crying immediately ensued from the vicinity of Remus' chest, while Sev shifted irritably in Harry's. "Haweh! Haweh!"

Harry removed the blanked covering Sev's head straight away and helped him to sit up again. Once the infant was upright, though, he went very still and soon began to turn green. "Sev, are you alright?" The teenager asked, concerned.

He got his answer as soon as Severus began to cough, sputter, and eventually threw up all over himself and Harry.

"Severus! My goodness!" Ginny shrieked as she pushed up from one of the house tables and hustled over to them. Sev began crying as soon as he finished spilling his guts, and he clung onto Ginny tightly when she lifted him from his sling.

"I told you the floo no longer agreed with him." Harry said, wiping his soiled hands on the bottom of his robes.

"If you knew that, why didn't you just apparate here?" Ginny snapped, holding Severus against her shoulder and patting him on the back, dancing from side to side.

Harry stared at Ginny incredulously as he dropped his glamour and retook his regular appearance. "Ginny, there's a media circus outside of the gates of Hogwarts. I can't very well apparate there without them hounding me like mad!"

"You were wearing a glamour!" His girlfriend argued.

"Even so! It still makes me uncomfortable." He muttered, cleaning his clothes and hands with a wave of his wand. "And besides," he took Sev in his arms and held him out so that Ginny could clean the both of them, "most people vomit the first time they travel via side-along apparition. If the floo doesn't agree with him now, side-along apparition would only be worse." As soon as everyone was clean again, Ginny helped Harry put Sev back in his sling. The baby had yet to stop crying.

"Is he alright?" Tonks asked as she balanced a crying Teddy against her shoulder.

"He's fine." Ginny answered, digging into Sev's diaper bag. "Just had a bit of trouble with the floo again, that's all."

"My quarters are this way." Harry said, leading them out of the Great Hall and towards the moving staircases.

"Here Harry—Children's Stomach Calming Draught," Ginny placed a tiny vial of potion in his hand. As the staircase moved between the first and second floors, Severus' crying finally subsided enough to allow Harry to place a few drops into his mouth. He handed the vial back to his girlfriend. "Dora, you want any Children's Stomach Calming Draught for Teddy?" The metamorphamagus smiled gratefully and accepted the vial, Remus helping her administer it to their son.

By the time they reached the fourth floor corridor, both boys were back to normal.

Sev was back in his sling, sitting up and babbling at Teddy, while the two-month-old was ensconced facing outward in the sling across Remus' chest, listening to him.

"Peb-by. Peb-by. PEB-BY!" Sev squealed.

"Sev, not so loud." Harry reprimanded automatically as they turned the corner into their corridor.

"Peb-by. Mewmew!" The infant pointed somewhere down the hall. "Da! Da! Mewmew." He spread his arms wide. "Bi-ck. Bi-ck. Bick!"

"What's he saying, Harry?" Tonks asked curiously as Teddy cooed and smiled at the other infant.

"He's telling Teddy about how something is rather big." Harry answered over his shoulder, "And it has something to do with Merlin."

"Merlin?" Tonks looked puzzled.

"Harry, isn't this the way to the Defense professor's quarters?" Remus asked, noticing the familiar surroundings.

Harry snorted humorlessly, "Dumbledore's _subtle_ little push in the direction of his agenda."

"That's sneaky!" Tonks frowned.

"Ha!" Harry shook his head, "If you _that's_ sneaky, wait until you see the inside." They stopped in front of the painting of Merlin.

"Ah! Sir Henry, Master Severus, and Lady Ginevra, what a fine scene the three of you make, indeed. How do you do this evening?" Merlin asked with a smile.

"We're all very well, Sir Merlin. Thank you!" Ginny answered, nudging Tonks with her elbow as she snorted at Ginny's full name. "I'd like to introduce you to two other friends of ours: Sir Remus, Lady Nymphadora," Tonks' hair flashed red at the use of her full name and Ginny grinned unrepentantly, "and their son Theodore."

"Well, 'tis my honor to meet the three of you tonight." Merlin greeted with a smile and a slight bow. "And what a fine scene the three of you make as well."

Tonks couldn't help but grin at that. "Thank you, Sir Merlin."

"Mewmew! Mewmew!" Severus cried, waving his hands about to get the wizard's attention.

"Yes, Master Severus?" Merlin smiled at the infant.

"Opem, pea." Sev asked politely.

"It would be my pleasure if you would kindly just provide the correct password, please?"

"Eck…" Sev frowned. "Eck…" He scrunched his eyebrows in concentration. "Eck…" _Oh, bloody hell!_ "Haweh, pawa!" He said, tapping Harry on the stomach and looking over his shoulder.

Harry had to lock his jaw to keep from laughing out loud. Apparently, everyone else did as well, including Merlin. When he felt he was finally able to control it, he smiled at the great wizard. "Excalibur."

"Welcome home, Master Severus!" Merlin said with a smile and a small bow as he swung the door open. "Sir Henry, Lady Ginevra. Oh, and what a pleasure it was meeting you, Sir Remus, Lady Nymphadora, Master Theodore."

"Thank you, Sir Merlin." Harry gave the painting a small smile and showed his guests in.

"Oh, my goodness! You have _lofted_ quarters?!" Tonks cried as she walked into the room. "Dumbledore gave you _lofted_ quarters?!" She gaped at Harry.

"Dumbledore gave me lofted quarters with a fully stocked liquor bar, room to grow, my own secret potions lab that opens only for me, and a secret panic room for my future family. Now…if _that's_ not bribery, I don't know what is." Harry finished.

"You know what, Harry, you're right." Tonks nodded as she spun around to take in the place, "That's _really_ sneaky!" Then she squealed and dashed towards the stairs. "I'm going to go check out the second floor!" And without further ado, she ran upstairs.

"You know…you could've just not taken the bribe, on principle." Tonks cried, as she stood by the railing and looked down at them from the loft.

"He didn't give me the option of not accepting!" Harry complained as he removed his shoes and placed them by the door. "He moved my stuff in here _before_ he even told me about Severus, or even asked me if I wanted the Defense Professor's position!" He started emptying his pockets of shrunken bags, placing them on the table. "He just automatically _assumed_ that I would accept Severus, and _assumed_ that I would accept the Defense position. Now, granted, I wasn't about to deny either, but the issue is he doesn't even _ask_ me these things!" Harry complained, passing Sev over to Ginny while he removed his outer robes. "I mean, I thought I made it perfectly clear to him after our row a month ago—"

"You had a row with _Dumbledore_?!" Tonks gasped as she stuck her head out of one of the guest bedrooms. "With _DUMBLEDORE_?! Why?!" Even Remus looked shocked.

"He's been manipulating me!" Harry cried. "He's been manipulating me my entire life! Severus as well!"

Severus muttered "Dum-dow" under his breath and blew raspberries from where he sat in Ginny's arms.

Harry pointed to him. "Exactly! Dumbledore," and he blew raspberries as well.

Sev grinned and giggled at him. Tonks, Remus, and Ginny couldn't help but follow his example.

Teddy cooed and tried his hand at blowing raspberries as well. Sev giggled and blew more at Teddy. Teddy laughed and blew more at Sev. Soon enough, the two boys were back to giggling at each other and blowing raspberries back and forth. The tense atmosphere in the room was officially broken.

Tonks, not one for too much drama, dropped the issue for now and continued to explore the loft.

"Harry, would you please find his playpen somewhere over there? It's in one of the blue bags." Ginny said before turning to Remus, "You mind putting these two in the same playpen? They seem to enjoy each other's company."

"Oh, not at all. Absolutely!" Remus smiled. He was beyond happy his son had found a playmate.

"Here, Gin." Harry threw the playpen up into the air and waved a hand. It flew up, enlarged itself, and landed softly in the middle of the den. "I'll take Teddy, Remus. You go on and relax." Harry said as he reached for the baby metamorphamagus. "How's my godson, huh? How's my Teddy bear? How's my boy, eh?" They laid both infants on their stomachs in the playpen and Harry summoned several stuffed animals from Sev's crib and laid them in there with them.

As soon as the boys were suitably occupied, Harry and Ginny set about enlarging their purchases and putting them away while Remus helped and Tonks kept an eye on the children.

"Harry, I thought Dumbledore gave you a ton of potions ingredients when he gave you the lab?" Ginny commented as she dug through a bag from Slug and Jiggers Apothecary.

"He did." Harry answered, unpacking everything he had to put in the bathroom. "But he didn't give me those—I checked."

Ginny eyed a bottle full of brown sludge in dismay. "What, in Merlin's name, _is_ this stuff?"

Harry glanced up. "Bat dung."

Ginny's lip curled. "What's it used for?"

"Wolfsbane." Harry answered as he pulled the baby shampoo and soap out of a bag. Both Ginny and Remus turned to him in surprise. "I'll be brewing your Wolfsbane potion from now on, Remus." He told his best friend. "Don't worry—I've done it before. It was my potion you drank last month. Did it work well?"

"Perfectly!" Remus answered, surprised by the new information. "Dumbledore didn't tell me you brewed that batch."

"I told him not to." Harry replied. "I didn't want to worry you or anything."

"Harry, I would have been infinitely _less_ worried if he told me _you_ were the one who brewed that batch than I was when I actually drank it last month, because I didn't know who brewed it at all." Remus informed him.

"Well," Harry smirked as he picked up all the bathroom supplies, toys, and nappies, "now you do."

Remus helped him carry his things. "Well then it seems I owe you a debt of gratitude."

"Oh, hush up, Remus!" Harry scoffed, "You're one of my best friends. I wouldn't have it any other way." He tossed the bath toys into a basket and moved it aside, placed the baby shampoo and soap on the shelves, and proceeded to load the drawers of the changing table with the nappies and wipes they bought earlier.

As he shut one drawer and opened another, Harry noticed, out of the corner of his eye, that rather than helping him, Remus was merely leaning against the sink, arms crossed, staring at him wistfully. "What?" He asked, eyebrows furrowed.

Remus looked startled for a moment, and then he shook his head. "I…It's just…" He seemed timid, unsure of whether or not he was about to say the right thing. "I _know_ how you said tha—that…that I don't owe you a debt of gratitude, Harry, but I _do_. I do _so_ much. I mean…" he shrugged, "…people usually…react to me like Severus did a while ago. They may appear nice and friendly, if a bit wary at first, but…but the moment I get _too_ close…they back away so quickly my head spins." Remus murmured sadly, wrapping his arms around him like a cloak against the coldness of the world. "But you didn't." He looked up at Harry as if he had just laid eyes on the most delicate piece of china in the world. "You didn't back away one bit. You…_stayed_ even though our friendship over the last two years has been…less than spectacular."

Harry snorted. "Remus…we were at war. _Everything_ was less than spectacular."

Remus waved him off. "Oh, I know, I know." He shrugged. "But that's not really what I'm talking about, Harry, I mean…war has the tendency to tear friendships apart. And I would've understood completely if you didn't stay with me. I mean…" he chuckled self-deprecatingly, "_I_ wouldn't have stayed with me…"

"Remus, what are you _on_ about?" Harry gazed at him, concerned.

"You stuck with me, Harry!" The werewolf smiled. "You stuck with me and I'm really _grateful_ for it. And…and I'm amazed as well, I mean…the last two years for me have been the most stressful of my life! What with spying on the werewolves, marrying Tonks, having Teddy…" He gave Harry a guilty look, "…I…im—imagine my behavior over the last two years has been…snappish…stand-offish…a bit erratic at times…"

Harry chuckled lightly at him, shaking his head, "Remus, that's nothing."

"On the contrary, Harry, you stuck by me, and that's really _something_—something _big_, at least for _me_." Remus replied.

"My father would've stuck by you. _Sirius_ stuck by you!"

"Sirius didn't stick by me like you did, Harry." Remus shook his head.

Harry paused. "What do you mean?"

"When I left Tonks…" Remus pushed himself up to sit on the counter by the sink. "When I found out she was pregnant, and I got scared and left..." Again, he looked up at Harry guiltily, "I stayed over at Grimmauld Place with Sirius. He was a bit curious as to why I wasn't staying with Tonks, and I…I told him, but…he didn't say much about it." He shrugged. "He just…shrugged and…told me to make myself at home again. And I did! I did…until…"

"I came along." Harry supplied.

"Exactly!" He gave Harry a sad smile. "You came along, and…asked me why I wasn't with Tonks and…nearly bashed me over the head with a frying pan when I told you." Both of them chuckled at that memory.

"I didn't mean to, by the way." Harry said with a smirk, "I just...lost control of my magic for a second and the frying pan went flying across the room."

Remus laughed and waved it off. "No, no, no! That's what I'm talking about—it was a bit of a wakeup call for me."

Harry still shook his head regretfully, "I should've handled things a bit more delicately—"

"NO! No, Harry! You handled things _perfectly_!" Remus retorted.

"I called you a coward—"

"I was _being_ a coward!" He leaned back against the mirror. "I was _being_ a coward and you let me know it! It was because…It was because of _that_ that I started rethinking everything about my life and what I wanted and what I was supposed to do or had to do…Sirius didn't push that on me! Sirius just shrugged it off and let me do what I felt was right at the time. _You_ called me on my mistakes and made me reconsider what the 'right thing' was, and…" He gestured towards the door of the bedroom, "…look at me now, Harry!" He grinned euphorically. "I'm in _heaven_! I'm in _heaven_ and it's because of _you_!" He pointed at the younger man. "You…you didn't let my bad attitude over the last two years stop you, you didn't care that I was older than you, or whatnot! You…You. Were. My. Friend!" He snorted self-deprecatingly, "And what did I do? I knocked you into the wall for being the sensible one!"

"Remus—"

"But you're _still_ _here_! By some bloody miracle, you're still here!" Remus jumped off the table and approached him excitedly. "Despite _everything_ I've done that could've possibly driven you away…you consented to be my son's godfather! You…you spend your own money to buy him baby supplies because Dora and I can't afford it, you…you're going to make me Wolfsbane every month from now on?! You told me you were going to con Dumbledore into giving me a job, and my family a safe place to live well and grow. You…You're trying to change the Ministry law in my favor! You changed Severus' mind so much he allowed me to _hold_ him! Harry! I—I—I…." Remus began to stutter, not knowing how to word his infinite gratitude.

"Remus!" Harry grasped the other man's shoulders firmly and grinned at him. "I. Know."

"No, Harry—"

"I _do_!" The teenager interrupted him, shaking the older man's shoulders slightly. "I might not be as articulate as you are, mate, but I…I feel the same gratitude towards _you_."

"But I haven't done much—"

"Oh, but you _have_, Remus." Harry assured him. "You _have_. I can't put it into words right now, but _trust me_, you _have_. Eh?!" He beamed and gave Remus' shoulders a supportive squeeze.

Remus snorted but nodded, and the two men exchanged a brief, manly hug.

"Now," He released Remus' shoulders and pat him on the back, steering him towards the door in the process, "Enough of this maudlin atmosphere, I say, eh?"

Remus laughed and allowed Harry to guide him out the door, "Yeah. Ha, ha!"

"I could use a Butterbeer, right about now."

"Oh, absolutely!" Remus sighed in complete agreement.

"Boys! Dinner's on the table!" Ginny's voice called from the kitchen.

"Hey, look at that! Right on time!" Harry murmured. The two men shared a look and began to laugh.

By the time they got to the table, Severus was strapped in his new high chair, Tonks was preparing Teddy to nurse, and Ginny was coming around with table mixing something in a baby bowl. "Okay, Sev!"

"Uh?" The baby turned to her.

"_This_ is a special formula I gave to the house-elves to make that I got from _Alkyds and Moore_ earlier today. It's the same consistency as baby food, but the nutritional value and flavor are different." She explained, sitting in the chair next to him. "There's a spell I can put on it that will make it taste like anything you want it to taste like. Therefore, all the house-elves need to do is make this little concoction, but for you, because the flavor can vary, it would be like a different meal every day. Okay?"

Sev grinned. He liked that idea very much!

"Now what would you like your dinner to taste like?"

Sev smiled impishly and pointed across the table. "Ocoweh!"

Everyone followed his finger to the chocolate pudding resting on the other side of the table. Ginny's lips thinned into a straight line, Remus turned away to hide a smile in his sleeve, and Tonks threw her head back and laughed out loud. Her hair flashed from purple to bubblegum pink and she threw a thumbs-up towards the infant. "Good choice, Severus!"

Sev grinned at her, but the smile died on his lips as soon as Ginny turned back and gave him a firm, "No."

"Uh?" He whined and began kicking in his seat. "Ocoweh!"

"No, Sev!" Ginny shook her head decisively. "The baby food doesn't only mirror the taste of the model food, it mirrors its _nutritional value_ as well. I'm not about to feed you chocolate pudding for dinner."

"OCOWEH!" He screamed at Ginny, bouncing violently in his seat and hitting the table with his little fists.

"No!"

"HAWEH!" Sev squealed, trying to kick at Ginny.

"Are you trying to kick me?!"

"**SEVERUS**!" Harry boomed from across the kitchen.

Everyone froze at once.

Sev looked up and immediately cringed at the stern look Harry was sending his way. He quickly readjusted his demeanor, playing the 'innocent baby' card rather than the 'spoiled brat' card. "Wa ocoweh pehbow." He appealed softly, adding a pout for good measure.

"And Ginny already told you 'no'." Harry answered firmly. Sev whined and began to bounce. "Hey, hey, hey!" The little boy froze at Harry's raised finger. "Do you want a time out right now?"

"MO!" Sev shook his head frantically.

"Then that is the _end_ of this issue." He said with a note of finality as he took the seat between Remus and Severus. "Ginny told you the baby food mirrors the flavor _and_ the _nutritional value_ of the food it's supposed to copy. There's no way on Earth I'm allowing you to eat chocolate pudding for dinner like my cousin Dudley. You saw what he looked like in my memories. Do you want to end up like that?"

Sev's eyes widened and he shook his head.

"No. You don't." Harry mirrored his shaking head. "Therefore, _no_, your dinner is not going to taste like chocolate pudding. Make a different choice."

Sev scowled at Harry and opened his mouth to whine, but Harry stopped him with yet another raised finger.

"I would watch what comes out of my mouth, if I were you, because I am one step away from emptying that playpen, sticking it in the corner, and giving you ten minutes of quiet time. Would you like that?"

Sev's shoulders sagged and he leaned back in his chair sadly. "Mo, ehw." He murmured.

"Good choice." Harry said, picking up some mashed potatoes and scooping some onto his plate as he eyed the sulking baby. "Now you can _still_ choose whatever flavor you want your food to taste like—pending Ginny's approval, of course. Although she and I agree, I think, that there's to be at least one food from every food group." He met Ginny's eye and she nodded.

Sev's sulk deepened and he glowered at his baby table.

Harry stared at him for a minute, passing the mashed potatoes over to Remus. "Of course, if _you_ don't want to choose the foods you want to eat like a regular person, we'll be happy to make the choice for you."

Sev sat up at that. "Mo!"

"Then cut the attitude, young man, and make your choice!" Harry lectured sternly, "Everyone here's waiting for you to choose so we can get your food ready and we can all start eating together. Now what's it going to be?"

Sev whined sadly and pointed to the mashed potatoes.

"Thank you. Mashed potatoes, Gin. Anything else?" He asked the infant. "How about a vegetable?" Sev pointed to the corn. "Excellent choice. Fruit?" The apples. "Thank you. How about some French bread as well?" Sev nodded slowly. As Ginny got his dinner ready, Harry addressed the child again. "Now…I'm inclined to take away your dessert privileges this evening because of your behavior just now—"

"Mo!" Sev whined at him, appealing his case with wide, guilty eyes.

"_But_…I'll reconsider if you apologize to Ginny for yelling at her and trying to kick her." Harry finished gently. Sev hung his head guiltily. "I know for a fact that you're not a spoiled brat, Sev." He lectured softly.

"Mo."

"No, you're not." Harry shook his head. "You're not naughty. You're not bad. You're a very good boy, and you're capable of better behavior than this. You _know_ you are."

"Owee." Sev replied to Harry sadly, signaling 'sorry' against his chest.

"Oh, it's not me you should be apologizing to. It's Ginny." Harry lightly took him by the shoulders and turned him towards a stern-looking Ginny.

"Owee, Immy." Sev repeated sadly, his eyes looking suspiciously moist. He signed his apology against his chest and tried to find the courage to look up from his vigil on the table. When he finally found the elusive strength, he looked up to find Ginny still glaring down at him. "Owee!" He sniffed, batting away the obstinate tears that escaped down his face. He appealed to her with his eyes in the same manner he appealed to Harry.

Ginny's heart melted at the first sign of water works. "Oh, Sev…" She sighed, reaching over and wiping away his tears with her thumb.

Her actions just made them fall all the more. "Owee…" The dam burst open and Sev began crying in earnest, signing 'sorry' over and over again against his chest.

"Hey, now…Hush! It's alright…" Ginny exhaled gently, grabbing a handkerchief out of her pocket and wiping away his tears and snot.

Sev continued to weep and rock himself in his high chair. He gazed at Ginny imploringly through blurred eyes and signed three words: 'want', 'kiss', and 'hug'.

"Oh, honey!" Ginny threw the handkerchief on the table and plucked Severus out of his high chair, wrapping him in her arms. "Oh, sweetie, come now…" She began rocking back and forth, rubbing smooth circles into his back as he cried into her chest. "I'm not _that_ mad! I'm not even mad anymore. Everything's alright now." She gave Harry a bewildered look, but he just shrugged back at her. "I'm not mad anymore, Sev." She whispered into his ear. "I forgive you, alright? You can have dessert tonight. Everything's fine, okay?" Ginny gave him a big kiss on his exposed cheek and the crying immediately began to die down into whimpers.

"You like that, don't you? Huh?" She said, her voice muffled against his cheek. When the whimpers died down even more, she looked up and grinned at Harry playfully. Ever so gently, she began wiggling her fingers against Severus' likely tickle spots. The baby's lower body twitched and his sobbing came to an abrupt halt. Ginny felt a smile against her chest. "Ha! I knew it!" She grinned at Harry. Bending down, she started placing soft kisses all over Sev's exposed face as she tickled his ticklish spots. A fit of giggles spontaneously burst out from the little body against Ginny's chest. "Ah! There he is! There he is! There's the Sev I know! There he is!" Kiss. Kiss. Kiss. Kiss. Kiss. Kiss. Kiss. The infant began laughing all the harder.

Pulling back with a smile, Ginny flipped her hair and allowed the infant on her lap to take a breather from his giggling. She held him close as she met Harry's eye. Her boyfriend was staring at her with an indecipherable look upon his face. Yet there was one thing Ginny was sure of: Harry liked what he saw—_a lot_.

Harry's gaze was filled with love and adoration, among a myriad of other emotions Ginny didn't feel like interpreting at the moment. Those two feelings, though, were enough; and they were reflected in her eyes as they exchanged a short but meaningful glance.

"Alright, Sev," She grinned down at the smiling infant on her lap, "Can Harry get a hug and a kiss, too, or is that reserved only for Ginny?" She ran a finger down one of his ticklish spots.

Severus giggled and reached for Harry. "Haweh ooo!"

Harry smirked and pulled Sev out of Ginny's arms and into his own. "Come 'ere, scamp." He wrapped the boy in his arms and gave him a big kiss on the head before placing him back in his high chair and running a gentle hand through his hair. "All's forgiven now, alright?" He grinned at the infant who immediately grinned back. "Now!" He clapped his hands once loudly and eyed the food-filled table.

"Ow!" Sev immediately mirrored his clap with a smile.

Remus, Tonks, and Ginny all hid grins behind their hands.

"Enough of this drama, eh?"

Sev giggled, picking up his spoon and banging it against the table, "Bwama!"

"I'm hungry!"

"Uuuuuuuuuuuh—gwy!" Sev prided himself in trying to pronounce a new word.

"Let's eat!"

"FOO!" The infant held up his arms in a victory gesture.

All the adults at the table laughed at Severus' antics before turning to their dinners.

Severus decided he very much liked the taste of the food he chose and quickly forgot about the fact that he wanted chocolate pudding for dinner. Teddy nursed from Tonks as she ate, while the rest of the table discussed the goings-on in the wizarding world.

"Would you like to come to Godric's Hollow with us this weekend, Gin?" Harry asked as he fed another spoonful to Severus.

"To help you restore your cottage?" Ginny looked interested.

"Yes, of course." Harry nodded, wiping Sev's mouth as the infant scooped up some Wizard Cheerios from his little table. "It's quite a beautiful plot of land, I think. It has lots of space. The cottage itself just needs some work—a bit of rebuilding, restoring, cleaning up and such. The land could do with a bit of gardening and the trees could use a trim. You'll really love it, Gin, I promise."

"It sounds really splendid." Her eyes lit up at the description.

"It is. It's quite beautiful." Remus nodded.

"When was the last time you were there, Remus?" Tonks asked.

"Oh…" The werewolf sighed, shaking his head as he tried to recall a date. "It must have been…the funeral!" His eyes widened as the realization hit him. "I haven't been there since James and Lily's funeral." His eyes glazed over momentarily as memories began taking over. "I remember spending a few summers there as a boy, though." He smiled. "It was your father's family home—the place where he was born. I remember Peter never came over during the summers, so my memories of summers in Godric's Hollow with James and Sirius remain unblemished by that rat bastard." All the adults at the table chuckled at him. "It really is an amazing little property, I'll tell you that. It's rather big as well."

"There're woods out back with lots of flying room." Harry continued.

"There's also a cave a little ways away from the house—by the creek." Remus broke in with a melancholic smile. "It's not very big, but it's _very_ safe. Mr. Potter spelled in some support charms to brace the walls, as well as a Muggle-Repelling Charm and a Creature-Repelling Charm. Your grandfather is actually the one that found it when he was a boy and set up shop in there. James, Sirius, and I took it up in our own boyhood. With a little luck, everything will be just as we left it."

Harry smiled and Ginny grinned beside him. "That sounds brilliant, Moony!" She turned to Tonks.

"I'm excited!" The metamorphamagus whispered and the two girls giggled at each other. Inside joke, apparently.

"It's a small mixed community—muggle and wizard. The town's not very big. There's a village square, a church, post office, pub, a few shops here and there. It has that Old English town sort of atmosphere. Lots of running room. Open up, Sev." Harry fed another spoonful to a now-curious Severus.

"Perfect place to hide from the media." Ginny commented.

"Absolutely." Harry nodded. "And did I mention it's near Ottery St. Catchpole as well?"

"That can be a good or bad thing, depending on my mood." Ginny retorted. Everyone laughed at that.

"So would you like to come with Severus and me this weekend?" Harry asked, turning his attention to Ginny.

His girlfriend met his eyes and gave him a meaningful smile. "Wouldn't miss it for the world."

"Whoo!" Tonks grinned and elbowed Ginny playfully.

Harry smirked and turned to Remus. "I'll invite the pair of you when things have settled down a bit more. Perhaps next weekend or the weekend after, when I try to reassemble that roof, I may need a hand."

Remus nodded. "Absolutely. And remember—Padfoot is always willing to help as well."

"Yeah…" Harry's smile began to fade and he and Sev exchanged a look. "Well…Sirius will have to wait until Sev's ready for that…experience."

The baby stuck out his tongue at Harry and made a disgusted face.

Harry chuckled lightly. Picking up a napkin, he proceeded to wipe Sev's face clean once again. "Come now, he's not _that_ bad…"

"Anymore." Remus muttered behind him.

"Just give it some thought, eh?" He said gently, making sure to meet Sev's eye. "Now…how about some of the best chocolate pudding in the world?"

Sev immediately grinned.

After dinner, the boys had an hour more of playtime—this time on the living room rug—while the girls continued their chit-chat and the guys engaged in an intense game of Muggle chess.

Finally, when the clock struck eight, Harry proposed to call it a draw and announced it was time for Severus' bath. Remus and Tonks decided to call it a night as well and Teddy pitched a crying fit when he realized they were about to go.

Tonks tried everything to calm the fussing baby while Remus gathered their things and placed his wife's coat over her shoulders.

"Come on, sweetheart. We'll be back in a few days. We'll come to visit! Oh, what's the matter, love?" Tonks tried reasoning with the two-month-old, but it was useless. The infant kept wailing while his hair flashed every color of the rainbow.

Sev was leaning against Harry's chest, gripping his robes in his left hand and sucking the thumb of his right. He watched Teddy through half-closed eyes.

"Hey, Teddy bear!" Harry smiled down at his godson while he rocked Sev to and fro. "It's going to be alright, Teddy bear! You'll just say 'goodnight' for tonight and you'll see each other again soon. Right, Sev?" He looked down at the infant in his arms.

Sev took his thumb out of his mouth and waved at the smaller baby. "Goo-my, Peb-by! Goo-my!"

"Goodnight, Teddy! Goodnight!" Harry took his cue from Sev and nodded at Remus.

"Alright. There, you see? Goodnight. Goodnight, now!" Teddy kept crying, but Remus and Tonks just ignored it for the moment and covered him up well with their coats as they entered the floo. They said their final goodbyes to Ginny and Harry, thanking them for everything, before heading home to Andromeda's house.

"Come now, cub, the sink and bath toys are calling your name." Harry whispered in Sev's ear.

The new bath toys Ginny purchased in Diagon Alley delighted Sev to no end. He found himself going on new and bigger water adventures while Harry soaped, shampooed, and rinsed him clean. Before he knew it, he was being toweled off, dressed in his new, comfortable pajamas, and wrapped in a pair of strong arms. The room began rocking back and forth then, and a deep, gentle voice recited some story about a goat named Grumble who was really grubby. He never found out what happened to the Grumble the Grubby Goat, though, because before the story even ended he was off to the land of nod.

* * *

**Next up, one of my favorite chapters to write! Harry confesses all his fears to Ginny, and Severus is introduced to the world as seen through the eyes of the most powerful wizard in history.**

**I know you're out there! Leave your mark! Just hit that little Review button on the bottom of the page and let me know what you think. It'll only take a minute. Just a minute. REVIEWS make my day! :-)**


	7. I Hope You Dance

**WARNING: Mentions of past abuse**

* * *

Ginny closed the parenting book she was reading when she felt the couch cushions dip next to her and an arm snake around her shoulders.

"Finally—some alone time!" Harry smirked.

Ginny giggled, "You are _so_ overdramatic." She ran a finger seductively down his cheek before pulling him in for a kiss. Harry smiled against her lips and leaned over, pulling her into his arms and onto his lap. Ginny giggled loudly, throwing the parenting book over her shoulder and wrapping her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss.

The snogging session lasted the better part of an hour. When the nine-thirty cuckoo bird peeked out of his perch, the two lovers were lying on the couch, wrapped in each other's arms. Ginny lay against his chest, engrossed once again in the earlier-discarded parenting book, while Harry stared into the roaring fire, absentmindedly running his fingers through her soft hair.

"Do you think I can do this?" He asked out of the blue.

Ginny tilted her head up to look at him. "Do what?"

"This whole parenting business." He answered, his eyes focused on the dancing flames across the room.

Ginny stared at him for a long moment, a look of assessment crossing her face before her features solidified into a firm look. Flipping her hair, she settled back down against his chest and returned to her book. "I believe you already know the answer to that question, Harry." She answered with a note of finality.

"Do I?" He looked at her for the first time since their snogging session ended.

"You wouldn't have taken Severus in if you didn't." She retorted.

"Dumbledore didn't give me a choice—"

"Oh, he _gave_ you a choice, Harry." Ginny dropped her book against her chest and looked up into his eyes. "And you chose _Severus_." Tossing her book onto the table, Ginny flipped over on top of his chest so that she could look at him properly without straining her neck. "Now why don't you try telling me what's _really_ bothering you?"

Harry was silent for a long moment, his gaze reverting back to the dancing flames. _Oh, if it were only so simple. _Screwing his eyes shut, he leaned his head back against the arm of the sofa and sighed. "I'm scared, Ginny." He murmured, his green eyes fluttering open to meet her hazel. "Dumbledore said this situation is most likely permanent. But even if it wasn't…If—If he was our son…" He stopped and sighed again, massaging the worried wrinkles on his forehead. "I-I've never…I haven't…" Harry growled, frustrated at his inability to express himself.

Ginny gazed at him with concern.

"I don't know if…if I can do this!" He looked at her pleadingly, as if asking her to solve all his problems.

"Harry…you've been doing a _wonderful_ job these past two days!"

"Groping in the dark?!" He scoffed.

"Tonks was telling me a while ago that you looked like a _natural_." Ginny retorted.

"That's exactly my point!" Harry hissed. "This is _not_ natural for me!" He made to sit up and Ginny obliged him, sitting back on her heels. "And that's what terrifies me! Ginny…" He paused, debating internally about whether or not he actually wanted to share this information. "I…I didn't have a very good childhood growing up…"

"I already know that, Harry." Ginny interrupted softly.

"No! I mean…" He swallowed. "I know you know, but…I—it's…actually worse than you think."

Ginny gazed at him sadly, grabbing his hand in a show of silent support.

Harry sighed and leaned his side against the back cushions. He focused his eyes on a point just above her right shoulder and forced himself to continue. No point in backing out now—he'd already said too much! "The way I was raised…_natural_ is doing everything in my power to suppress my magic; _natural_ is being called 'freak'; _natural_ is not having any friends and having everyone think badly of me because of what my aunt and uncle or my cousin say to them; _natural_ is having to sneak food when they're not looking in order to survive; _natural_ is a list of chores as long as my arm; _natural_ is all work and no play; _natural_ is learning how to control my bodily functions because I don't know when I'll be allowed to eat or use to loo next; _natural_ is making up stories and excuses to answer questions regarding my health and well-being…_Natural_ for me, Ginny, is living from one beating to the next." His voice dropped to a frightened whisper, "That's—what—_terrifies_ me, Ginny!" He quickly glanced in the direction of the bedroom. "It's a well-known fact that victims of child abuse are at a high risk of continuing the cycle—"

"Now you _stop_ right there, Harry James Potter!" Ginny pointed a chastising finger at him. "You are _better_ than that!"

"Am I?! You don't _know_ that!"

"I'd no more believe that you would abuse that child than I'd believe that you'd willingly become a Death Eater!" Ginny retorted.

"But you still don't—"

"Don't presume to tell _me_ what _I_ do and do not know, Harry!" She snapped.

"Ginny—"

"Would you ever raise a hand against that child?" She pointed behind her to the bedroom door. "Or _any_ child, for that matter?"

"I believe in spanking."

"There's a 'but' associated with that." Ginny replied matter-of-factly.

"But it can never be done in anger and must involve a lot of hugs, kisses, and love immediately after." Harry answered almost instantly.

"So that doesn't count; which means you still haven't answered the question. Would you _ever_ raise a hand against a child?"

"I—I—" Harry began to stutter.

"Just answer the question, Harry!" Ginny snapped.

"NO!"

"Okay then." Ginny smiled. "That settles that."

"No, it _doesn't_ settle that!" Harry cried. "It doesn't settle _anything_, Gin!" He began gesturing with his hands in frustration. "Don't you _understand_?! I'm _scared_, Ginny! What if I turn into my uncle? What if I forget myself and strike out at him in a temper. I'm statistically inclined to do that!"

"Since _when_ has the Boy-Who-Lived listened to statistics?!" Ginny hissed. "You've survived death _multiple times_, Harry, when even the _magical_ odds were against you. Why do you choose to believe _this_ set of odds?"

"Because I'm not _afraid_ of death!" Harry screamed. Then it was as if the declaration took something out of him, for he visibly deflated, sagging against the cushions and burying his face in his hand. "Not like I'm afraid of this." His voice cracked as he finished.

Ginny could hear the pain in his voice and her heart went out to him.

"Most people seem to think my worst fear is dying." He murmured, eyeing Ginny from a thousand miles away. "It's not." He shook his head. "My worst fear is _other people_ suffering and dying _because_ of me. If my own children—" He paused abruptly, shutting his eyes and turning away. His Adam's apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed repeatedly in an effort to control his emotions. "I'd never forgive myself, Gin."

"Harry…" Ginny began gently, grabbing his hand and giving it a supportive squeeze. "You have been an _amazing_ father so far—"

"It's been two days."

"Regardless!" Ginny snapped, annoyed at being interrupted. Then her tone shifted back to being gentle. "You've been phenomenal! You've provided him with all his needs, given him things to keep him entertained and happy, you've been feeding him properly…mostly." She smiled slightly. "You discipline him when needed, you provide him with lots of affection immediately afterwards, you do things together, you bond with him." Her eyes narrowed at this. "Don't think for one minute that I missed that whole pudding trick the two of you were playing behind my back yesterday." Harry's eyes widened in surprise. "I'm like my mother, Harry. I have eyes in the back of my head."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because it was between the two of you; it was your own innocent little secret." She leaned against the back of the couch and gazed up at him lovingly. "You two were _bonding_, Harry, and I didn't have the heart to stop it." She ran the back of her hand down the side of his cheek and could feel him lean in to the touch. Their eyes never broke contact. His green gaze bore into her hazel. "I _know_ you, Harry. You probably think you're no better than your uncle, but I _guarantee_ you a good majority of the wizarding world thinks otherwise." She gave his hand a firm squeeze. "You're a _good man_, Harry; and you're making a _good_ father. So far, you've given him everything that you never had as a child…and I'd bet a pretty knut that _he'd_ never had in his first childhood either." She paused. Harry still looked doubtful so she tried a different tactic. "How many times have you had to punish or scold him so far?" She asked.

Harry looked slightly startled at the change of topic. He wracked his brain for an exact number but ended up shrugging instead. "A handful…?"

"A handful." Ginny nodded. "And how many times have you lost control and struck him."

Harry looked slightly alarmed at the question. "_Never_!" He squeaked, as if she had just accused him of a crime he didn't commit.

"So in the handful of times you've had to punish or scold him in the past two days, you've never lost control and you've never struck him."

"No! Absolutely not!" Harry shook his head firmly.

"And how was his behavior during these scoldings or time-outs?" Ginny asked.

"I—Well…not very good?" Harry looked slightly confused now.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Elaborate."

Harry sighed. "Um…yelling, kicking, swearing, spitting, cursing, shrieking, crying, hitting, throwing—"

"Okay, okay, that's enough." Ginny held up a hand. "So…in the last _two days_ alone, you've had to discipline him a _handful_ of times for doing all of those things. During that time you've _never_ lost your temper or struck him. You've merely scolded him or put him in time-out." She repeated. "Now…tell me, Harry—what would your _uncle_ have done if he had to discipline _you_ a handful of times in the space of two days for doing all the things Severus has been doing? Hmm?"

Harry's gaze slipped from her face and landed on the couch cushions. He knew what his uncle would've done—beat him to a pulp. He would've taken his belt to Harry, regardless of how young he was. Uncle Vernon had no concept of control. He would swing until he could swing no more. Harry's age or physical size was never taken into account. To Uncle Vernon, Harry was a freak. He could use his freaky magic to heal himself somehow. Thus, he needn't stop a beating until he himself was good and ready to stop. This usually happened when he became too tired to lift his arm anymore. As the years dragged on and Harry grew, Uncle Vernon grew as well. His increase in size definitely lowered his endurance level, but unfortunately it also increased the strength of his swing.

Ginny must've known what Harry was thinking, for she sat back on her heels and gave him a knowing look. "Exactly. You've done _none_ of that, Harry!" She paused. "Your uncle would've beaten you to a pulp, wouldn't he, for doing what Severus has been doing?" Harry shut his eyes and turned away. "But _you_ have _not once_ lost control." Ginny tipped his chin up and forced his cheerless eyes to meet hers. "Who's the better man, Harry?" She asked, a soft smile gracing her features. "Who's the better man?"

Screwing his eyes shut, Harry pulled his face away and sighed. Ginny had a point. A very _big_ point. And yet…"That's not going to stop me from worrying, Gin." Harry murmured, meeting her calm gaze with his anxious eyes. "That's not going to stop me from being scared."

"That's a _healthy_ sort of fear, Harry." Ginny assured him with a smile. "It's a _good_ thing you have it. It's like being afraid of heights." She said. "If you're not afraid of heights, you're more liable to jump off a cliff." Her eyes glistened playfully. "If you _are_ afraid of heights, though…you won't." She leaned in and gave him a slow, sensual kiss, imparting all the comfort she could muster through that one simple action. She pulled back almost as soon as she leaned in, resting her forehead against his own and staring into his beautiful green eyes. "I trust you, Harry." She whispered softly. "_Sev_ trusts you" Groping around beneath her, she took both his hands in hers and gave them a supportive squeeze. "You won't."

They stared into each others' eyes for the longest time until a baby's piercing cry shocked them out of their daze and thrust them back into reality. Both Harry and Ginny pulled back sharply and blinked, as if waking from a trance.

"Sev!" Harry croaked, glancing at the clock. "Aw. He can't be hungry again. He just ate!"

Ginny pushed herself up and motioned Harry towards the bedroom. "Go! Go on! You pick him up and I'll go make him a bottle." With that, she headed towards the kitchen. "You know…" Harry heard her call over her shoulder. "…I bet this would all just be _so_ much easier if I was nursing."

Harry smirked as he pushed himself off the couch and headed towards the bedroom. "Would you like to?"

"Ha!" Ginny snorted. "Harry, I don't think my opinion is the _only_ one you should be taking into account when considering _that_ particular option."

"I know. I know." He called over his own shoulder. "Hey, maybe we could ask Tonks to do it."

He could hear Ginny laughing in the kitchen. "It would make Remus jealous."

"Not to mention Teddy!" Harry entered his bedroom and spelled the light on with a wave on a hand. Severus was lying on his back, just as Harry had left him, arms and legs flailing about and tears running down his face. As soon as the light came on, though, the cries began to die down. "I'm coming. I'm coming, cub." Harry muttered, padding over to the crib.

As soon as he peered over the edge of the crib, and Sev could see him completely, the crying abruptly stopped. The baby now looked at him curiously. "Wotcher, Sev." Harry smirked, reaching down to life the infant into his arms. On his way up, a feather hanging low on the dreamcatcher managed to catch his eye. "What's going on, cub?" Harry asked, tucking him securely under one arm. The baby ignored him, choosing to bat a hand against the curious feather instead.

"Hey, hey, hey! Easy there, Sev." Harry chided gently, taking the small hand into his own and slowly pulling it back to the baby's side. He then took a step back so that the dreamcatcher lay out of Sev's reach. "That's a dreamcatcher—a _real_ one." He explained. "It's quite rare and rather old, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't destroy it so."

Sev gave him a look that was half confusion and half scowl.

"Don't give me that." Harry frowned lightly. "I bought that dream catcher when I was fifteen." He explained. "I've been using it on and off for the past two to three years. It really works! It's helped me master controlled occlumency, it's kept Voldemort out of my mind, it's a very complex piece of white magic and I placed it over your bed yesterday while you slept." He glanced up at the object, then back down at his charge. "The old witch I bought it from told me that, when I felt the need to pass it on, I should add my own protections to it as well before I laid it over my child's head." He waved a hand and the dreamcatcher floated over to them, close enough for a proper inspection. He took the piece of leather with the lightning bolt charm between his fingers and showed it to Sev. "See? My protection…among so many others." He dropped the charm and ran his fingers through the other soft leather cords with various charms attached to them. "I do believe there are some animal protections on here as well. These are phoenix feathers, I think." He fiddled lightly with a pair of the red feathers attached to one of the cords.

Sev gripped Harry's robes tightly and laid his head against his chest, sticking his thumb in his mouth and allowing Harry's rumbling voice to lull him.

"Anyway…" Harry sighed and waved the dreamcatcher back to its place above the crib. "Dreamcatchers are for everyone, Sev. I don't think a person truly outgrows one. I'd still be using it myself if I didn't think you had the greater need for it." He glanced down at the baby who, in turn, stared back up at him, wide-eyed and sucking on his thumb. He could tell Sev was tired, but was sure something had woken him up. Running a quick, wandless diagnostic, Harry made certain Sev wasn't sick or in any kind of pain. The dreamcatcher was ensconced securely over his head when Harry walked in, so it couldn't have been a nightmare. That left him with two possibilities—Sev either needed a change or a feeding. The soft rumble of an empty stomach confirmed one of those possibilities. When Harry tapped Sev's nappy, the second possibility also received confirmation.

"Okay. Here what I've got—you're hungry and you need a new nappy. Is that it?" Sev nodded. "Okay. Anything more?" A shake of the head. "That's all then?" Another nod. "Alright then…let's take care of that, shall we?" Harry said as he marched towards the bathroom. "Ginny's in the kitchen making you a bottle."

He laid the baby down on a perpetually-warm towel on the changing table and proceeded to talk to him in an effort to quell Sev's lingering discomfort at having his nappy changed. "Just so you know…one of the spells I imbued into the dreamcatcher is the spell I invented to counter the Killing Curse. So, if by some extraordinary fluke, someone with malintent got past the million and a half wards I put around the school, our quarters, our doorway, and your crib, the dreamcatcher should protect you from anything from a stinging hex to a killing curse. Alright?" He threw the dirty nappy into the hungry trashcan in the corner and Sev watched it gobble it up with a smile.

"Alright then. Shall we?" He picked the baby up and made his way over to the rocking chair by the window. Harry pushed open the white curtains with a wave of a hand to reveal Hogwarts' majestic nighttime landscape.

A new moon lingered in the skies, but light trickled over from its hidden face nonetheless, spilling over the hills in the distance and flowing up the peaceful river, to bathe the forest landscape in a dull bluish-white light. A slight mist had fallen on the Forbidden Forest, settling lightly along the forest floor. The leaves on the trees and the long blades of grass along the moors of Hogwarts swayed to a gentle wind that blew in from some unknown direction. The whole scene filled Harry with an unbelievable sense of peace and tranquility. He opened the window itself with another wave of a hand and a warm, sweet-smelling summer wind blew through his hair and made Sev's baby hair stick up in all the odd places.

Harry smoothed the baby's hair down with a smile and settled on the rocking chair, baby Severus on his lap. The elegant sounds of music of the night drifted in with the breeze and graced Harry's ears with its sweet song. "Do you hear that, Sev?" The baby looked up at him curiously. "Do you feel that?"

Severus' eyebrows furrowed at him and he shook his head.

"That music." Harry answered. "The white magic that this place is teeming with?!" He elaborated excitedly.

Severus, for his part, thought Potter was beginning to suffer from sleep deprivation. Hearing strange music and "feeling" things were never indicative of a happy, healthy mind, in Severus' opinion. A slight tinge of guilt prickled in his gut. It wasn't _his_ fault he had to wake up three times last night! He hadn't had the nightmares he was expecting, but rather some oddly pleasant dreams. Sev recalled the memory with a smile. He hadn't had actual dreams since his falling out with Lily in fifth year oh so long ago. The absence of nightmares made for an extraordinarily pleasant break, he thought. Severus now attributed that to Potter's dreamcatcher that floated over his bed. Although…he hadn't had a nightmare during his trip to Diagon Alley today either; and the dreamcatcher was far away from them at the time, too. Perhaps the absence of nightmares was attributed to more than just the presence of the dreamcatcher. Hmm…curious. Either way, though, Sev hadn't woken up from nightmares yesterday. He had woken up solely because he was either hungry or needed a new nappy, or both. Now, he and Potter had already established the fact that Sev had absolutely no control of his bodily functions anymore. Thus, Sev was not responsible for waking up three times last night, and furthermore not responsible for Potter's sleep deprivation and faulty mind. There! That explanation suited him just fine! He felt rather pleased with himself.

"You don't hear it, do you?" Potter sounded a bit disappointed and Sev felt a slight tinge in his chest this time. "Or feel it?" The teen turned from him and looked back out into the horizon. What was he supposed to hear?! Sev kicked his legs a bit to draw Potter's attention back to him. What was he supposed to feel?! Potter simply tightened his hold on him, never turning his concentration away from the window. _No, no, no! That wasn't supposed to happen! Look back at me again. __Please__ look back at me again?!_ He fussed around some more, but the results were the same. _Look at me! Please! Harry, look at me…! _Sev felt tears prickling in his eyes.

"AH!" He whined. _That_ had the desired effect. Harry gazed down at him curiously.

_What was I supposed to hear? What was I supposed to feel?! _He tried to convey his confusion through his eyes.

Potter gave him a gentle half-smile. "Ah, Sev…" He sighed, pulling the baby upright and supporting him against his chest. "You've got a good head on your shoulders, lad." He whispered in Sev's ear. "But you've got to learn how to _feel_ your way through things as well." He ran his fingers through the soft baby hair, moving with the gentleness of the summer breeze. Sev leaned in to the touch. "Not everything is about the mind, my boy. Now close your eyes…and I'll show you."

Sev hugged the large hand supporting his chest, closed his eyes, and leaned against the teenager.

"Now listen." Potter ordered softly. "Listen to the music drifting in through the window." He paused. "Do you hear it?"

Now that his eyes were closed and his vision obscured, sounds began to bombard Severus from all directions. He squirmed slightly.

"Shhh, now…Focus on one thing at a time and soon enough it'll become a harmony." Harry breathed in his ear. "Listen to the sound that the wind makes as it moves through the leaves and the trees and the grass…"

_Swish, swish…_He could feel it glide through the strands of his hair…_Swish, swish…_He could discern the rustle of leaves in the distance…_Swish, swish…_The trees creaked as they moved with the wind…_Swish, swish…_The long blades of grass barely made a whisper as the breeze danced across the moors…_Swish, swish…_

"I believe Fawkes is out flying tonight. You can hear him a bit if you perk up."

The sweet notes of a phoenix song drifted in through his ears and straight to his heart. Wave upon wave of calm energy coursed through his body, relaxing his muscles and easing his tension. A smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

"You can hear the centaurs and the unicorns and the hippogriffs about…"

_Thump, thump. Thump, thump. Thump, thump. Hiyah!…_He could hear a herd of them, running about in the deep forest…_Thump, thump. Thump, thump. Thump, thump. Hiyah!..._Their hoof beats were muffled against the forest floor…_Thump, thump. Thump, thump. Thump, thump. Swish...Hiyah! Swish, swish…_The phoenix song flowed through him like a peaceful river…_Thump, thump. Swish, swish. Hiya! _

"Hagrid's out tonight. You can hear his off-tune humming just at the edge of the forest…"

_Hmmmmm, MmmmmMmmmMmm, MmmmMmmMm, MmMmmMmmmm…Hmmmmm, MmmmmMmmmMmm, MmmmMmmMm, MmmMmmmMmmmm!...How're ya doin', Buckbeak, ol' pal?!..._Hagrid's humming, as off-tune as it may have been, calmed him just as well as Fawkes' song…_Thump, thump. Hiyah…Swish, swish…_

"Can you hear the waterfall, just beyond the Quidditch pitch?"

_Roar! Roar!_...The water thundered down the rocks…_Roar! Roar!_...He could feel its power from here…_Roar! Roar!_

"And the river, let's not forget that…"

_Bubble, bubble...Bubble, bubble…Bubble, bubble…Hoot, hoot!_

"The owls in the owlery and the birds in the trees…"

_Hoot, hoot!_...The birds followed the river…_Bubble, bubble. Hoot, hoot! Splash!..._They hunted by the river…_Bubble, bubble. Roar! Roar! Hoot, hoot! Hiyah!_

"And let's not forget…"

But Sev wasn't listening anymore. He was too entranced by the sounds all around him to pay any attention to Harry's words.

_Hmmmm MmmmmMmmmMmm_…Fawkes' song drifted straight to his heart…_Swish, swish. Thump, Thump. Swish, swish. Hiyah!...MmmmMmmMm…Bubble, bubble. Swish, swish. Roar! Roar! Hoot!...MmMmmMmmm…Thump, thump. Swish, swish. Bubble, bubble. Swish, swish. Roar, roar! Swish, swish. Hoot! Hiyah! Swish…_

Oh, sweet wind…

Summer's wind...

Gentle wind…

It blew through Sev's hair and caressed his cheeks and embraced his soul…

_Swish, swish…Thump, thump…Bubble, Roar, BOOM! _

A new sound joined in on the symphony.

_Boom, boom! Boom, boom! Boom, boom! Boom, boom!_

It wasn't coming from outside. _Boom, boom!_ It was coming from right under his ear.

_Boom, boom! Boom, boom! Boom, boom! Boom, boom! _

Sev smiled. He knew that sound. _Boom, boom!_ It was the sound that meant peace…_Boom, boom_…and calm…_Boom, boom_…and safety…_Boom, boom_…and shelter…_Boom, boom_…It was Harry's heartbeat. _Boom, boom!_

Somewhere in the background, a guitar began to play a soft, slow, relaxing tune.

"Give me your hand, Sev." Harry whispered in his ear. "Let me help you feel it…the white magic that's flowing through this place…open your hand…"

Sev opened his tiny hand and Harry held it in his big one. He could feel Harry smooth out the curved fingers. "Open yourself to the magic, cub…Feel it…"

Sev allowed the symphony of sounds flowing in through the window—the music of the night—to move through him and let it flood his soul…

Then…gradually…he began to feel a tingling sensation running through his fingers. Sev gasped. "Shh…shh…easy now. That's it! That's the white magic you're feeling. Just relax…" Sev took a deep breath and allowed the music to relax him. "That's my boy. Relax…That's it, cub." He could hear a smile in Harry's voice. "Do you feel it now?"

It was a strange sensation—different from the wind, yet very similar. It was like allowing the breeze to run through his fingers, but it had a thicker consistency. "It's magic, Sev." Harry breathed in his ear. "This is what you control every time you cast a spell. This is where that power comes from."

The magic flowed through his fingers like water in a river. Yet it was different from water as well. The magic moved between them, and then circled round back and flowed over the tips, and then up his arm, and then down his arm again. "It's _alive_, Sev. It's an entity in and of itself, and it dances to the music you hear all around you."

It was an amazing sensation. Sev pictured a kind of white light gliding up and down his arm, wrapping itself around his fingers and wrists before floating out again and rejoining the world.

"If you focus hard enough, cub, you'll be able to _see_ it as well." Harry whispered excitedly. "Now open your eyes, Sev. Open your eyes and try to see what I see."

Sev did so slowly, grateful that Harry had dimmed the lights earlier. Now the only sources of illumination came from the firelight streaming in through the open door, and the moonlight spilling through the flimsy white curtains. Another gust of sweet wind blew through Sev's hair, catching his attention. A majestic sight greeted him. It was the same view as before, Sev realized, but _now_…it _felt_ different. For some strange reason, the landscape before him _glowed_! Sev inclined his head in bewilderment. The glow was not physical. At least…it was _hardly_ physical.

The trees in the distance glowed faintly in the moonlight…to Sev, they _felt_ like they blazed with light!

The hills out yonder spilt dim moonlight over their summits…to Sev, they _felt_ like they oozed a bright, white light!

The grass in the moors reflected moonlight faintly as they danced with the breeze…to Sev, each blade of grass _felt_ like a white ballerina, moving with the wind to the music of the night.

It was the most _unusual_ feeling Severus had ever experienced in his life! His mind was seeing one thing, yet his gut was feeling another. He _saw_ a regular nighttime landscape before him, but _felt_ like he was in the middle of a majestic white kingdom!

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Harry's voice whispered in his ear.

"Ohhhh…d" Sev muttered. "Oh-d…Oh-d…Odd."

He could feel Harry chuckled beneath him. "Yes, I know. It's _very_ odd, I agree." He ran another hand through Sev's soft hair. "It takes a little getting used to."

Sev furrowed his eyebrows and craned his neck to look up at Harry. "Ooo?" He asked, pointing at the teen's chest. "Ooo?"

Harry nodded slowly, "Me." He answered, turning back to study the horizon. "I've been able to sense magic like this since I was…oh, about five years old." He explained after a moment of thought. "Of course, it wasn't until I was eleven that I learned what it actually was; not until I was thirteen that I learned how to master it completely…and not until last month that I let anyone know my secret."

Sev's brain reeled at this new information. _Potter's been able to do wandless, wordless magic for years?! __Years__?! How was it that nobody noticed?! Not even Granger and Weasley realized it! Not one professor was aware of it. Dumbledore didn't know this. __I__ didn't ever see this! _Then Severus remembered something: Potter slipped the chocolate pudding to him yesterday behind Ginny's back; Potter was supposed to be in Slytherin; Potter was _sneaky_! _Potter probably didn't show his talent in class because he wanted everyone to underestimate him. It worked to his advantage, after all. From what I was told, the Dark Lord didn't expect what he had coming. He underestimated Potter and it lead to his downfall. In fact…that might have even been Potter's plan all along! _Hmm…maybe he shouldn't be so shocked after all. One thing was for sure—Potter was _definitely_ full of surprises nowadays.

"Take a look at your dreamcatcher, Sev." Potter murmured, nudging him gently. "Feel it pulsing with white magic, do you?"

Potter turned the rocking chair slightly so that Sev could see his crib. True enough, the dreamcatcher radiated white magic like the sun radiated light! It was by far the brightest object Sev had laid his eyes on tonight. The sight of the dreamcatcher imbued Sev with the same feelings that Potter's heartbeat invoked in him—safety, calm, and shelter.

"A record player, Harry?"

Ginny's abrupt entrance startled Severus greatly and he jumped in Harry's lap. Just as suddenly, the infant felt himself blink and the world as he perceived it just moments before quickly reverted back to being plain. The white magic no longer tingled his palm or fingertips, the music from the window disintegrated into sounds, and feelings he received from the world around him quickly slipped through his grasp like sand through an hourglass before disappearing altogether. This distressed Severus greatly and he made his displeasure known.

"Hey, hey, hey! Calm down, cub." Harry murmured soothingly, readjusting the infant's position on his lap so that he was neatly tucked into his right arm. The teen also tried adjusting the speed of his rocking so that it was more in tune with the guitar from the record player. Sev continued to fuss and whine nonetheless.

"Sorry I took a while." Ginny said, testing the temperature of the milk on her wrist before offering him the bottle. "I was thinking about that whole nursing thing and I remembered reading something in the parenting book about mothers who recently adopted newborns. Babies Sev's age _need_ mother's milk because it helps develop their immune systems and everything. So, I took a formula out of the book that allowed me to add to the milk so that, in essence, I would be able to _brew_ my own breast milk. It came with a spell and everything and took a bit of time, but…here we go."

Harry accepted the bottle hesitantly. "So…this is your own…breast milk?"

"In essence, yes." Ginny smirked at Harry's bewildered look. "Don't worry. I tried it before I even bottled it. It tastes perfectly fine." Harry gaped at her and Sev had stopped fussing completely to grace her with an identical miniature expression. It took all of Ginny's willpower to suppress her amusement. Harry and Sev wore twin looks of astonishment on their faces. It was the most adorable sight!

Ginny settled for smiling sweetly at them before flipping her hair and turning to admire the magnificent view of the nighttime landscape. She breathed in deeply as the sweet summer wind blew through her fiery hair and filled her with feelings of calm and contentment. "It's absolutely beautiful here at night, don't you think?"

Harry cleared his throat and shook his head, shaking himself out of his daze. "Yeah…absolutely." He tried to adjust Sev's position once again, but found it difficult while holding the bottle. "Gin, would you…help me for a moment?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Here…" Harry waved a bottle-filled hand and the rocking chair lengthened to a rocking bench. "Would you help me adjust him, please?"

Ginny took a seat on Harry's right and reached for the bottle. "Here, why don't you let me hold that while you adjust him appropriately?" Harry handed her the bottle and positioned Sev on the crook of his arm so that his head wasn't so low.

"So how about it, cub? Do you still want to try the milk, or are you not hungry anymore?" Harry asked the baby.

"I promise, Sev—it doesn't taste any different from the milk you've been drinking these past few days. I tried it myself; it tastes the same. The only difference is this one is better for your health." Ginny broke in. Sev craned his neck to stare at her as she spoke.

"Willing to try it, Sev?"

Severus eyed Harry for a long moment, before turning and eyeing Ginny for the same amount of time. Then, finally, he turned to the bottle and gave it a long, wary look. Sev felt his stomach growl and grimaced internally. _Oh, I might as well! It's not like I have another choice, now do I?_ He looked at Harry and signed 'yes'.

"Are you sure?"

"Uh-huh." He sighed.

"That's a good lad." Harry praised, giving him a gentle smile. Sev felt a strange tingling sensation in his chest.

Too tired to hold the bottle himself, Sev allowed Harry to feed it to him. A little voice in the back of his mind crooned about how nice it felt to be catered to by a Potter and how this was some form of sweet payback or something or another. He was too tired to pay it any attention. The instant the milk hit his tongue, Sev was startled at how sweet it actually was. Ginny lied! This milk didn't taste exactly like the formula; it tasted _better_ than the formula! Severus felt like he was drinking liquid ambrosia, the nectar of the gods! Oh…_divine_ couldn't even _begin_ to describe how absolutely exquisite this milk was.

Sev watched as Ginny snaked an arm around Harry's back and leaned on his shoulder, looking down at him lovingly. "So…how does it taste?" In response, Sev began drinking all the more faster. Both teens chuckled at him. "I'll take that as a sign of your approval." Ginny smiled. Turning to Harry, she ran her fingers through his hair until he turned to meet her eyes. The two shared a short, sweet kiss.

The record player in the background clicked loudly as the previous song ended and a new one began.

Sev felt Ginny's fingers run through his hair with the same tenderness as the summer wind, and he leaned into her touch. She smiled down at him adoringly. "You know this song, Sev?" She asked, recognizing the opening notes of one of her favorite tunes. "It's about a mother, singing to her child. Oh, how does it go again? Oh, yes…"

Sev felt Harry push their rocking bench gently, in conjunction with the summer breeze, as Ginny's sweet voice echoed in his ear,

"_I hope you never lose your sense of wonder  
You get your fill to eat but always keep that hunger  
May you never take one single breath for granted  
God forbid love ever leave you empty-handed."_

Sev's eyes began to drift shut…

"_I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean  
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens  
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance  
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance,_

_I hope you dance…  
I hope you dance…"_

The warm wind flew in through the window and wrapped the three of them in a loving embrace…

"_I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance  
Never settle for the path of least resistance  
Living might mean taking chances, but they're worth taking  
Loving might be a mistake, but it's worth making_

_Don't let some hell-bent heart leave you bitter  
When you come close to selling out, reconsider  
Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance  
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance,_

_I hope you dance…"_

Now Harry's voice sang in conjunction with hers.

"_Time is a wheel in constant motion…"_

"_I hope you dance…" "Always rolling us along…"  
"I hope you dance…" "Tell me who wants to look back on their years and wonder…"  
"I hope you dance…" "Where those years have gone…"_

Sev's eyes were almost completely closed now, yet he still continued to suck on his sweet nectar and listen to the pair of angelic voices singing to him.

"_I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean  
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens  
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance  
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance…"_

"_Dance…I hope you dance…" _

"_I hope you dance…" "Time is a wheel in constant motion…"  
"I hope you dance…" "Always rolling us along…"  
"I hope you dance…" "Tell me who wants to look back on their years and wonder…"  
"I hope you dance…" "Where those years have gone…"_

"_Tell me who wants to look back on their years and wonder…where those years have gone…"_

The last thing Sev remembered, as he slipped into unconsciousness, was seeing a lone figure move along a stretch of beach, dancing beside the ocean…

* * *

**NOTE: "I Hope You Dance" by Lee Ann Womack came out in 2000, but I ignored that for purposes of my story.**

**Next, we find out something about the mysterious man who invented the de-aging potion, and Sev learns an essential life skill--how to crawl.**

**As usual, let me know what you think. This was one of my favorite chapters to write because it included everything that I hold dear to my heart--everything that defines the beauty of nature, of life in general. I'm curious as to whether or not I conveyed that well enough. Please REVIEW and let me know! :-) **


	8. Learning to Crawl

The next morning, Sev and Harry sat at the kitchen table, eating their breakfasts. Harry sat cross-legged on his chair, reading the Daily Prophet, which sat on one side of their breakfast of Wizard Cheerios with milk. Harry himself had the milk inside his bowl of cereal. Sev sat on his lap, supported by Harry's hand on his chest. The table had been lowered to suit him better, thus he was able to read his sign language book, which sat on the other side of their breakfast. Sev wanted his bowl of cereal dry, preferring to practice his dexterity and hand-eye coordination with breakfast. A bottle of Ginny's milk lay within easy reach. Sev would no longer accept anything less, and Harry had been forced to put all the baby formula they bought yesterday on deep reserve. The teen had then vowed to find a recipe that would allow them to make use of the brand new baby formula when Ginny brewed her breast milk concoction.

Ignoring all the hullabaloo about him that seemed to litter the front page of the Daily Prophet, a tiny article in the corner caught his attention.

_**Disgraced Potioneer Aidan Elson Transforms Himself into Baby**_

"Hey, Sev, check this out." Harry said, folding the newspaper over with one hand. The baby glanced over and quickly scanned the headline.

"_Aidan Elson, age 56, who some of you may recall as the Gringotts Gas Man, has mucked up yet again! This time, according to a source, the allegedly mentally unstable potioneer had invented a concoction that allows a person to regress back to a particularly young age. He then proceeded to patent his potion and publish his findings in __Potions Today__, banking on the profit from sales of batches he brewed in his home laboratory. Now, that all sounds perfectly normal. However, the drama began when representatives from the Ministry of Magic approached Mr. Elson earlier this month on charges of forgery and defrauding the Wizarding Intellectual Property Office. According to a source inside WIPO, Elson had paid the office extra money to rush his appeal through the system. Our source, who wishes to remain anonymous, claims Elson had all the necessary documents prepared and presented them with everything the moment they asked, 'He had everything we needed; so we bumped up his application and my supervisor allowed me to process his request the same day.'_"

Harry flipped the paper around to another page and continued reading, "_However, it appears Elson __didn't__ have all the documents they needed. One of the crucial papers necessary for patent of a potion was a forgery. 'Before a potion can be patented, it needs to be submitted to the Wizarding Potions Regulatory Agency for testing and approval. We need to see if the proposed potion does what it's meant to do, is safe for human consumption, as well as a number of other things regarding warnings and labels and clarity and whatnot,' comments Wallace Garrick, head of the WPRA. 'If a potion and its recipe do __not__ come through our office, it is therefore __illegal__ to patent, publish, and/or sell.' _

_The plot thickens further. Ministry officials repeatedly sent owls to Mr. Elson's home and office in an effort to contact him about the forgery and to set up a proper meeting between him and the WPRA. All owls returned with no reply. When Ministry officials visited his home, they found it to be abandoned and completely cleaned out. Further investigation into the matter allowed the Ministry to track Mr. Elson to the home of his two friends, Aurors Leroy and Irene Noble, where it was discovered that Mr. Aidan Elson had consumed his own de-aging potion and was now six months old. Healers at St. Mungo's reported that he had recently been oblivated—by his request—but, aside from that, he appeared to be a happy, healthy baby boy. _

_Under the influence of Veritaserum, Aurors Leroy and Irene Noble testified that Elson had been searching for a way to 'end his life without really ending his life' for months now. He allegedly created this potion as a means of bringing about that result. 'He knew he was going to get a lot of grief from the WPRA about this because he's had plenty a row with the folks in that department before about other potions he'd invented.' Irene Noble told the Daily Prophet, 'So he probably went along and forged the papers from them and paid WIPO extra for patenting his potion.' Apparently, Elson had arranged for the proceeds from the sale of the potion to go to his new family—the Nobles—to help with his new life. After the magical patent went through, Elson allegedly consumed the potion that very night in celebration. _

'_A magical patent is like a magical contract—it's binding. Nothing short of the death of the patent-holder can break it. Since Mr. Elson is not quite dead, the patent still holds.' The head of WIPO commented. The Ministry tried to acquire Elson's research for the WPRA to review, but the Nobles insist that Elson himself destroyed all of his own paperwork. Evidence via pensieve memories later proved their story. The only document left with regards to the potion is the original copy of the recipe that was published in __Potions Today__. 'Our hands are tied.' Garrick remarked in a press release, 'We can't revoke the magical patent—that's impossible. Our perpetrator is now permanently six months old. The only thing we __can__ do is run the potion recipe through the proper channels and hope for the best. If everything checks out, the forgery in the WIPO file will be replaced with a genuine WPRA certificate and everything would be right again. This whole situation is such a mess!' The deliberation is expected to take several months. Stick with the Daily Prophet for exclusive updates on the situation. _

_Aidan Elson was well-known for the various calamities he had caused with his potions…_"

Yet Sev wasn't listening anymore. Truth be told, he had only paid Harry half an ear the entire time he was reading anyway. Well…a quarter of an ear, really…_maybe_.

He was finding his bowl of Wizard Cheerios _a lot_ more interesting than Aidan Elson at the moment.

First you have to reach in…then get one into the palm of your hand…then close your hand…got it! Next, you bring it to your mouth…then the trick is getting it _inside_ without dropping it on the floor.

Sev settled for sticking the cereal to his fingers, and then sticking everything in his mouth just in case. His genius strategy worked like a charm! As Harry reached the middle of the article, Sev's bowl of cereal sat empty before him. Sev took a long swig of Ginny's milk before looking around. He didn't particularly want another bowl of cereal, even though he was still a bit hungry. He started bouncing in Harry's lap, but the teen was still too distracted to notice. He simply adjusted Sev on his lap as he continued to read the article.

Still rather bored and restless, Sev took another look around the kitchen and a flash of movement caught his eye. Harry had been in the middle of reading about Aidan Elson's prior potions calamities when he felt the need to stick another spoonful of cereal in his mouth, prompting him to switch the hand supporting Severus. The teen's moving fingers caught and held the baby's eye. Harry wore a silver band on his right ring finger—a promise ring, from what he gathered, since Ginny wore its match—and it gleamed in the morning sunshine. Entranced, Sev watched the shiny object move about for a moment before giving in to his impulses and making a grab for it. When his tiny fist successfully wrapped itself around the pretty ring, a wave of excitement flowed through him. Unfortunately, the excitement was quickly pursued by the same intense desire he felt the other night to stick whatever he was holding into his mouth.

Sev glanced up. Harry was once again engrossed in his article. It seems he didn't even blink when Sev grabbed his hand. Excellent! So Harry probably wouldn't mind if Sev just did this.

Harry faltered mid-sentence when he felt something bite down on his pointer finger—hard. He looked down to find Severus gnawing on his finger like a puppy chewing on a bone.

"I hope you're not intending to have that for breakfast." Harry commented dryly. Internally, he grimaced. He could feel Sev's drool leaking down his hand and onto the infant's chin.

Sev didn't seem to hear him; he was too focused on nibbling on his finger. With a sigh, Harry summoned the parenting book from the counter using his eyes, willing it to flip to a particular section as it flew over. At the same time, he bade a bib and a spit rag over from the bedroom.

Severus, for his part, was feeling loads better than he felt before he started chewing on Harry's fingers. The unpleasant feeling that he woke up with in his gums was beginning to subside considerably. The Wizard Cheerios had done nothing but irritate his mouth, although they were a bit fun to practice his dexterity with. Sev made sure he didn't bite down on Harry's fingers _too_ hard, just hard enough to make the unpleasant feeling go away. He watched idly as a book, a bib, and a set of rags floated over to the table without Harry raising so much as a finger—literally. A pair of voices argued at the back of his mind about whether he was impressed by the degree of magical control, or dismayed at Potter's shameless display of talent. He ignored them both, content with chewing on the finger in his mouth.

He watched curiously as Harry read something in the floating parenting book, muttering under his breath. The infant wondered what the teen was reading about when suddenly, the finger in his mouth lurched and Severus clamped down hard on instinct.

"Ow! Easy, cub! Don't bite it off, please." Harry hissed, halting his finger and allowing Sev to release it on his own. After a long moment, the infant obliged him. "Thank you. Now…if you'll just allow me to try something; I'm pretty sure I know what's going on." The infant gazed up at him curiously. "Here…let me show you."

Harry took his chewed hand and wiped it clean of baby drool before dipping it in a glass of ice water that had appeared out of nowhere. With his other hand, he spelled the bib around Severus' neck and gently wiped the drool off the infant's chin. "Open up, please, Severus, and sign me if this feels any better."

Sev, who had been watching him inquisitively, opened his mouth at Harry's bidding and waited patiently for something to happen. After a moment, he felt a nice, cold fingertip begin to massage his lower gums. The unpleasant sensation retreated instantly! Sev couldn't suppress his squeal of delight. He signed 'yes' immediately, bouncing excitedly in Harry's lap.

"Oh, yes…" Harry chuckled wryly, feeling a tell-tale lump just beneath his fingertip, "Your teething days have officially begun, my son. Officially begun…"

_How absolutely __wonderful__!_ Harry sighed.

After cleaning up breakfast, he retrieved one of the teething toys Ginny bought yesterday from the ice box and gave it to Sev. It was shaped like a rather large snitch, except for the fact that it was flat—so as it could fit in a baby's mouth—and filled with water. A handful of snitch cartoons flitted around on its see-through surface. Out of impulse, Harry caught one between his fingers and his eyes widened in pleasant surprise when a rather enjoyable tingling sensation ran up his fingers and into his hand. When he pinched a non-snitch section of the teething toy, he felt no such sensation. _Brilliant!_ He thought. _It's a game!_

"Hey, Sev," The baby glanced up at him curiously, poised to stuff the toy in his mouth. "If you manage to catch one of those snitches in between your gums, you'll get a rather pleasant surprise." He smirked. "Good luck!" With that, he busied himself with putting on his cloak and making sure Sev had everything he would need in his diaper bag, including the baby sling and a miniature version of Harry's cloak. Ginny had a wicked sense of humor—that was for sure. Thankfully, Sev was too busy trying to bite down on the mini snitches to notice their cloaks' uncanny resemblance. Finally, Harry picked the teething baby up, placed him facing outward in his carrier, and left their quarters for the day.

Their first stop had been the Entrance Hall, where Dumbledore posted everyone's reconstruction assignments for the day. Harry had been a bit dismayed when he found his name wasn't on the enchanted sheet. Dumbledore probably thought he needed a bit more of adjusting time with Severus.

"Haweh?" Sev cried, taking the nice, cold toy out of his mouth for a moment.

"Yeah?"

"Mo ooo?" He looked up at his caretaker curiously.

"Nope, it doesn't look like my name is anywhere on here."

Sev made a small, disappointed sound and thought for a second. Then he brightened up suddenly and pointed to the paper. "Ma-goo-goo."

"You want to go and help Professor McGonagall?"

"Uh-huh!"

Harry shrugged. "That sounds like a good idea." Severus nodded and stuck the teething snitch back in his mouth, squealing in delight at having caught one in between his gums.

The teenager had just been about to head off in her direction when they had run into the Headmaster himself. After a pleasant greeting to the both of them, Dumbledore then proceeded to ask him if he thought about accepting the Defense Against the Dark Arts teaching position. Harry replied that he would be rather willing to accept it if the Headmaster agreed to have Remus teach for the two days he had to be off at Auror's training. He argued that the compromise would work to everyone's advantage because then he would have someone to help Ginny care for Sev while he was away, the students would have a chance get used to a teacher who was going to replace him after he graduated from Auror training, and Dumbledore would no longer have to look for a new Defense teacher after Harry became a full-time Auror. Dumbledore, for his part, looked simply delighted, as if everything had gone according to plan. Both Harry and Sev rolled their eyes behind his back.

"Now if you'll excuse me, gentlemen. I have a few things to think up, arrangements to make, and two new professors to add to the payroll!" Dumbledore beamed, scurrying back the way he came.

"Wait, Professor! What's my rebuilding assignment for the day?" Harry called back.

"Oh! Oh, yes. I apologize. I had thought you and Severus needed a bit more time to settle in." Dumbledore retraced his steps and looked back at the enchanted parchment on the wall. "Well…a majority of us were able to finish up the dungeons, Great Hall, and the first and second floors." He muttered, stroking his long beard, "Professor Slughorn is putting some finishing touches on the dungeons and the ground floor, Professors McGonagall and Pomfrey completed the first and second floors this morning and are helping Professors Flitwick and Sinistra with the third, fifth, and sixth floors later today. There's not much damage to those three, you see." He was silent for a moment. "I know what you can do!" He took his wand and flicked it at the parchment. "You can be in charge of the fourth floor. There are quarters directly across the hall from yours. That can become the Lupin family's quarters. You may design it and fix it up however you like, if you want."

"That'd be great." Harry nodded.

"Good." The Headmaster smiled. "I'm afraid the rest of the fourth floor suffered some extensive damage, but don't worry—the rest of the staff will go in and out throughout the next week and half to assist you with its repairs." He turned back to the parchment and pointed at something else. "You can also be in charge of the seventh floor. I'm afraid that too suffered some extensive damage. I have the feeling, though, you know more about its extent than I do." He waved his wand and a map of the dungeons appeared. "Severus' quarters have not yet been cleaned out. If you could…" He glanced at the scowling baby in Harry's arms and cleared his throat, "…handle that situation. I'm afraid we had to collapse the hallway that previously led to the entrance to his quarters because the ground above it had become rather unstable. However, his quarters have an alternative entrance through his office which is accessible through the Slytherin common room. I trust you know where that is and how to get in?"

Harry inclined his head and Sev looked up at him in surprise.

"Excellent!" Dumbledore beamed. "Once you get finished with all that, I'm sure Professors Hagrid and Sprout wouldn't mind help fixing up the rest of the grounds." He nodded amicably at them and began heading towards his office once again. "Plus, I hear there's talk of a memorial being set up somewhere on the grounds. Do consider being part of the planning committee if you're interested. Have a good day!" He waved at them before disappearing around the corner.

Harry watched him go and sighed. Although the man could be incredibly infuriating at times, Harry realized he didn't really hate Dumbledore. He didn't trust him anymore—that was for certain. Yet he didn't hate him.

He turned back to his charge. "So what do you think, Sev? Shall we tackle Remus' quarters, the rest of the fourth floor, the seventh floor, or…your quarters first?"

Both teenager and infant became rather quiet.

Two days ago, Severus would've replied to that question instantly. He would've wanted to go to his quarters and he would've tried every trick in the book to _stay_ there.

_Now_, however…

Now Severus wasn't so sure he even wanted to go _back_ there.

Closing his eyes, Sev saw images of his quarters flash in his mind. They were dark, damp, cold, and quiet. They also smelled funny, by Severus' recollection. Everything was green in his quarters…or black. There weren't that many lamps in there either. Whatever lamps he did have were green. The shadows liked lingering in the corners of the room and floating about the walls like black ghosts. The walls were a dungeon gray and they boxed him in like a prisoner. Snakes and skulls were everywhere, engraved on everything. Their mouths lay agape, ready to devour him at any given moment. They watched him constantly with their sightless eyes and empty eye sockets.

"Ah!" Sev whined, throwing down his teething toy and making a 'turn over' sign with his hands. He then frantically drew a circle in the air, trying to convey his message as clearly and as quickly as he could. For a moment, Potter didn't move, and Sev feared the teen might not know what he was asking for. His fears were laid to rest, though, when he felt his caretaker lift him out of the carrier.

As soon as Severus' feet cleared the carrier, Harry willed it off him and watched as it dropped onto the floor. He then carefully tucked the baby into his arms, facing his chest. The instant Sev was close enough to him, he grabbed Harry's robes in a vice-like grip and buried his face in them, attaching himself to Harry's side like a baby monkey.

"Hey, hey!" Harry murmured soothingly into Sev's ear, rubbing the infant's back and rocking him back and forth. "What's going on here, eh? What's scared you?" Harry was slowly beginning to recognize patterns in Sev's behavior, attributing them to specific emotional responses. This particular clingy response corresponded to Sev having been spooked by something or someone. Harry realized last night, as he was thinking about it in bed, that Sev drew comfort from listening to his heartbeat. Whenever the infant felt scared or angry or any kind of negative emotion, he seemed to solve his own problems by sticking his ear to Harry's chest and listening to his heart beating or his voice rumbling.

"Do you not want to go back and visit your old quarters, Sev?" The baby shook his head into his robes. "You wanted to go back there just the day before last." Harry reasoned.

Sev's whine grated Harry's ears this time as the infant tightened his grip on his robes and began sucking his thumb. Harry sighed. "Sev…you have to work with me here, cub." Harry bid the baby carrier to pick itself up off the floor, shrink, and then place itself inside Sev's diaper bag as Harry adjusted the baby in his arms. "Why, exactly, do you _not_ want to go back there now when you _did_ want to go back just two days ago?"

Harry felt Sev sigh against his chest before the infant pushed up. Meeting Harry's eye, Sev signed him several words: 'no', 'light', 'cold', and 'quiet'.

"Dark, cold, and quiet?" Sev nodded. "I thought that's what you liked?" Harry asked, genuinely curious as to Severus' sudden change of preference. In response, Sev merely placed his ear back on Harry's chest and tried to pull Harry's robes over himself.

Understanding suddenly lit Harry's eyes. "Ah, I see…" He smiled and headed out to the Entrance Hall steps, calling Sev's teething snitch back to him as he went. "Now we know how the other half lives. Is that it?" The infant nodded into his robes. "And we don't want to give that up now…do we?" Sev shook his head. Harry sighed and sat down on the steps, cradling Severus in his lap and basking in the morning sunshine. "Sev, we're _only_ going there to pack your things away. I would've thought you wouldn't want them packed away. I would've thought you were holding out for an antidote."

Severus didn't respond to that. He didn't _want_ to respond to that. Well…truth be told, he didn't _know_ how to respond to that. Half of him really _was_ holding out for an antidote to the aging potion. The thing was, though, that percentage had actually _shrunk_ in the past two days he'd been living with Harry. The first day he'd been de-aged, he lived in the infirmary, with Poppy, Minerva, and Albus as his caretakers. They mostly left him by himself in his crib and spoke down to him in that high-pitched baby voice that grated on his nerves. That first day had Severus hoping, dreaming, and wishing—with every fiber of his being—for either an antidote or a Death Eater to come in and kill him. There was no way he wanted to stay like this forever. It was going to drive him insane! He'd have rather died.

His opinion changed dramatically when Harry and Ginny entered the picture. The two teens understood him in more ways than one. Harry knew exactly what he needed when he needed it, and he provided it to the best of his abilities. Ginny strove to make him as comfortable as possible, to make him feel as normal as possible. He drew comfort from both of them. Last night, as he lay wrapped in Harry's embrace, with Ginny's hand running through his hair, Severus felt _loved_ for the first time in his life. He realized that now. _Never_ in his first childhood had he experienced that feeling. Never in his _life_ had he known what that felt like! Perhaps that's why it had taken him a while to come to that realization. Harry and Ginny also oozed safety, affection, fun, home, and _light_. They oozed _**light**_! For someone who'd been entrenched in the darkness for so long, being embraced by the light came as a welcome relief. Severus felt like a drowning man who'd been mercifully given a breath of fresh air; and he wanted _more_—more, more, more, more, and more! Severus _never_ wanted to go back to drowning again!

So was he _really_ holding out for an antidote? Perhaps, on sheer principle. Yet Severus was beginning to realize the opportunity he had given himself. He had wanted to kill himself in the beginning. He'd thought he condemned himself to a fate worse than death after the mix-up. But maybe…he _hadn't_. Maybe he'd gifted himself with a fate _better_ than death instead. He'd given himself a second chance; an opportunity to start over. He'd accidentally presented himself with a clean slate—a new life!

The thought boggled the mind!

Harry sighed at Sev's non-response and began to reason with him. "How about this—we do your old quarters _first_ because it'll be the hardest and the one we _both_ don't really want to do, it seems. That way, we can get it over with and forget about it for the meantime. _But_…we'll wait until Ginny gets here to do it. That way, we can all go together, and you can stay with her while I make quick work of packing your things. How's that sound to you?" Sev nodded reluctantly, sticking his thumb in his mouth

Harry smiled, stood up, and began making his way to the Clock Tower Courtyard and the covered bridge that would lead to the grounds. "Come on then. We'll walk about for a bit; enjoy this morning sunshine. If Ginny's still not here in an hour or two, we'll cover the fourth floor until she gets here. Eh?" Sev didn't reply, merely burrowing into Harry's robes.

The teenager stopped for a moment on the Clock Tower steps to place Severus' coat on him. Thankfully, the infant was once again too busy chewing on his now-clean teething toy to notice the Gryffindor-colored cloak Harry was placing around his shoulders. Harry wrapped the baby sling around his own shoulders and sat Sev within its folds, allowing him quite a bit of room to move around. He then set out for his morning walk at a rather leisurely pace.

"You want to sit up on my shoulders, Sev?" Harry asked out of impulse once they had crossed the covered bridge. Severus immediately adopted an interested look. "You'd be almost the height you used to be…maybe a bit taller." The baby grinned up at him. "Shall I take that as a 'yes'?" Sev merely reached his arms out, opening and closing his hands in plea. "And _up_ we go!" Sev gasped and grabbed onto Harry's hair instinctively once the teen placed him on his shoulders. "I've got you. I've got you. Relax. See? I'm holding you."

The two made their way over to the moor beside the Quidditch pitch, where Harry could lie down on the grass and bask in the morning sun, while Sev could safely practice his crawling. Severus didn't like the idea of getting off Harry's shoulders very much. He liked sitting up here. He could see _everything_ just where he was. However, when Harry suggested practicing his crawling, an evil thought crossed Sev's mind and he smiled at the prospect. _I wonder how big of an idiot I can make him look like. _Suddenly, the thought of getting off Harry's shoulders didn't seem so bad anymore; not when Sev planned on making a complete fool out of Harry.

"Watch out for the holes around here, Sev. They're hidden beneath the grass so they can come at you completely out of nowhere. And sometimes, they're filled with—"

_SPLAT!_

Severus grabbed onto Harry's hair as the teenager suddenly lurched forward roughly. Harry managed to get his balance, though, before the both of them toppled to the ground. "Oh, for the love of…" Harry pulled his trainer out of the pothole he just stepped into to find his shoe and lower trousers caked with mud.

Sev saw it and giggled. "Ehwww!" Holding onto Harry's hair with one hand, Sev used the other to stick the teething snitch back in his mouth and his grin widened as he caught one in between his gums. "Ehwmmm, Hwahwa." He giggled some more.

"Great. I'm glad you're finding this highly amusing, Severus." Harry scowled. The infant just laughed harder.

Harry found a nice, flat spot to settle down and laid a blanket on the long grass, setting Sev on his stomach before lying down on his back next to him. The mid-morning sun shone in his face and blinded him a bit, so Harry shut his eyes and just breathed in the lingering scent of the night. The cool summer breeze danced around him, making the soft emerald grass tickle his face.

No sooner had he began to relax and bask in the white magic around him, when something soft, squishy, and wet hit him square in the chest. Harry's eyes flew open and he looked down to find the drool from Sev's teething toy soaking his shirt. A glance at the baby revealed he had pushed himself up into a sitting position and was leaning on his arms, grinning back at him.

"What's going on, Sev?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow and casually brushing the teething toy off his shirt. "I thought you were going to practice crawling."

Sev grinned at him, a mysterious glint in his eye. "Ooo," He pointed at Harry, "Cwaaaaaaaaw…" Using his fingers, he spelled out C-R-A-W-L.

"Me?!" Harry looked confused. "I'm not the one who needs to learn how to crawl. It's _you_, cub."

Sev shook his head, signing 'come here' with his fingers. "Cwaaaaaaaaw." He patted the spot right next to him on the blanket and signed the words 'no' and 'understand'.

Harry looked utterly baffled. "You don't understand? What don't you understand, Sev?"

Sev frowned. "Cwaaaaaw!" He cried in what he knew to be his whiniest voice.

Harry's expression immediately changed from confusion to sternness. "I don't appreciate your tone, Severus." He raised an eyebrow at the baby.

Sev's irritation died down almost immediately. This was supposed to be a 'fun' joke, not a 'get in trouble' joke. "Cwaw, pea?" He asked in a politer tone, giving the teen his most pitiful face.

Harry sighed. "Alright. Okay, let's see." He pushed himself up and scooted over next to Sev, imitating his tripod sitting position. The blanket was a bit short, so the left half of Harry's body rested on the grass. "Okay, push yourself up on your hands and knees first, cub. Hands and knees." He demonstrated, and then waited patiently until Sev mirrored him. "Excellent. Now…right hand, left knee—lift, push forward, and…rest." He demonstrated and then smiled at the curious infant. "There, see? Not that hard. Likewise, the same with the opposite sides: left hand, right knee—lift, push forward, and—"

_SPLAT!_

"Argh!"

Sev erupted into a fit of giggles.

Harry pushed himself up using his clean hand and carefully lifted his left hand out of the pothole it just fell into. The mud made a disgusting gurgling sound as he pulled it out of its depths. Resting himself on his back on the blanket, Harry used his right hand to feel around his face and found the left half of his face was also caked in sludge. He sent an evil glare at the baby laughing hysterically beside him. "Oh, ha, ha! I'm highly amused." He sneered, pushing himself up and taking his wand out of his pocket. "I _knew_ there was something suspicious about that whole clueless display." He muttered under his breath. Casting _Aguamenti_, and swearing through gritted teeth, Harry rinsed himself off before resuming his previous reclining position on the blanket.

He waited patiently the whole five minutes it took Sev to calm down before addressing the infant, "Since you so obviously meant for me to look a fool, and you so obviously succeeded, you can—obviously—relearn how to crawl all by your lonesome." He crossed his arms over his chest and closed his eyes, sighing as he relaxed completely into the blanket beneath him. "Oh, and by the way," he started, cracking an eye open to see if he had baby Severus' attention. "If you ever want _this_ back," he waved the teething snitch so that Sev could see it clearly, "you're going to have to come _crawling_ back to get it." He smirked.

Severus hit the blanket with his little fists and scowled at him.

_That is completely unfair!_ _I play a harmless joke and he takes my teething toy away! I thought Gryffindors were supposed to live by fairness and justice and all that. _He paused. _Or were those the Hufflepuffs? _Sev shook his head and wondered at how he got off topic again. Regardless, he wanted his teething snitch back and he wanted it back now! He leaned forward until he lay flopped on his belly and reached for it. "Mime!"

Harry simply laid the toy on his stomach, crossed his arms over his chest, and shook his head. "Nope. Not until you get it."

Sev pouted and looked at his teething snitch longingly. Harry looked _so_ far away all of a sudden. He reached out again, as far as he could go. "Mmm—mmm—mmmime?" He opened and closed his little hand, stretching all his extremities to their limits. He didn't even come _close_ to reaching Harry, much worse his teether.

Harry wisely didn't comment this time, choosing to fold his hands behind his head and stare at the sky rather than the infant. He didn't want Severus to feel more uncomfortable by scrutinizing him as he relearned this essential skill.

"Uh! Uh!" With his fingers still stretched out, Sev began kicking his feet and felt a jolt of exhilaration when he felt his body slide forward. "Mmmmipf. Mmmipf." He kicked again, managed to nab a piece of the blanket, and push forward.

_Success! _He celebrated in his head. _Perhaps I could slither over there. I __am__ a snake after all. I just need to kick…again…_Sev kicked his feet again, wiggled his stomach, and swiped his arms in front of his like he was performing a breaststroke. He felt his body inch forward and he giggled in delight.

Unfortunately, as Sev wiggled closer, Harry wiggled farther away. "Nope." The teen shook his head, "You have to _crawl_ over here, cub, not slither over." Sev scowled at him and squirmed closer anyway. Harry merely squirmed farther away. "_Crawl_, cub. You want your teether? You have to crawl. That's my deal."

"Mime!" Sev cried sadly, reaching in vain for his snitch. His gums were beginning to irritate him again and he wanted to chew on his snitch! Whines of frustration began to escape him as he wiggled forward but Harry wiggled away. "Miiiiimmmmme!" Tears began leaking down and Sev sent Harry his most pitiful stare, signing 'no' and 'can' for Harry's benefit.

Harry sighed. "Oh, don't tell me that, cub!" he chided gently, propping himself up on one elbow. "Don't tell me you can't do it. Lots of people have been able to do it before you. You just want your teether _now_—that's why crawling over here seems like a hopeless venture, because it'd take forever. Come now!" He reached over and brushed a few stray tears away with his thumb. "None of that now. I thought you weren't a hatchling, eh?"

_Hatchling__?! I'm most certainly __not__! What a disgusting name!_ He frowned at his caretaker.

"Then why are you slithering over here like a snake, huh?" The frown quickly vanished from his face as Sev looked down to study his position. "Uh-huh. Exactly." Harry removed the teether from his stomach and placed it on the blanket next to him. He then shifted his position to lie on his side, head propped up on an elbow, looking directly at the infant Snape. "Alright. Let's go at it—chin up, cub. You want your teether, you're going to have to work for it, just like everything else in life. No cheating. Now, come—on your knees. Push yourself up on your knees. That's my cub. Here we go!"

It took Sev much effort, but he was finally able to push himself up onto his hands and knees.

"Attaboy! That's it! Now…move your hand first if that's easiest. Right hand first. Come now! Lift and…move forward. There! You're doing it! Excellent!" Sev smiled at Harry praise. Moving his right hand wasn't so bad. He managed to keep his balance the entire time. It was wicked! "Now…move one of your knees forward too, cub; just one of them. Just slide your knee forward, you don't have to lift it—just slide." Sev decided he wanted to move his left knee. He had to admit—sliding it was easier than lifting it. He managed to maintain his balance the entire time, as opposed to feeling like he was about to tip over if he lifted it. "There we go! That's it! You just moved forward by crawling a bit. That's how it's done, cub! Now...your other hand and knee, eh?"

_Left hand forward, right knee slide…right hand forward, left knee slide…_ "There we go! You're doing it, Sev. You're doing it!"…_Left hand forward, right knee slide…right hand forward, left knee slide…_ "You're moving, Sev! You're moving like a pro!"…_Left hand forward, right knee slide, right hand forward, left knee slide…_"You're teething snitch is right here, cub. Just one more set to go!"…_Left hand forward, right knee slide, right hand forward, left knee slide!_

When Sev's little fist closed around his teething snitch, a jolt of exhilaration ran up his arm. He smiled up at Harry. "There now, you see?" The teen beamed, gathering Sev up into his arms and tucking him into his side. "You can do anything, so long as you put your mind to it, eh?" He felt Sev burrow closer and he wrapped an arm protectively around him. "Hard work and perseverance—they always win in the end. Cheaters and all those blokes that play dirty…they don't feel like this."

Sev bit into his teether and snuggled into Harry's side for warmth. He had learned to crawl! He had _actually_ learned how to crawl—all by himself! Severus had never felt so proud of himself in his entire life! Harry was right—cheaters really _didn't_ feel like this. He had cheated and played dirty nearly all of his last life. _Never_ had he been able to attain this particular feeling of pride in his accomplishments, not even when he had gotten everything he wanted. He was beginning to think that old muggle saying was right—it really _didn't_ matter if you won or lost, it was how you played the game.

Sev stared up at the crisp, blue sky and allowed the morning sunshine to warm his face. Butterflies and bees flitted about, the wind waltzed around him like an invisible dancer, and a phantom tingling tickled his fingertips. Sev closed his eyes, breathed in the sweet aroma of the Scottish breeze, and tried to stretch out his senses like he did last night. He could hear a faint echo of the night music in the distance, but it was muted and floating away from him quickly. The tingling sensation of white magic wrapped around his little fingers only once before fleeing into the distance again. Regardless, Sev smiled softly to himself. He had felt it! He had reached out _by himself_ and felt it—just like Harry did! Another wave of pride coursed through him.

"My, my, my, what have we got here?" They heard a familiar female voice drawl as a shadow descended over where they lay. Both Sev and Harry squinted up at the distinguishable silhouette above them. "Well…what are two strapping young men, such as yourselves, doing lying in the moor…by the river…under this gorgeous sky?" Ginny graced them both with a playful smile.

"Absolutely nothin', love." Harry smirked.

"Uh-huh." Ginny rolled her eyes and flopped down next to Harry so that Sev now lay between them. Harry moved his arm from around Sev to around Ginny as his girlfriend snuggled into the infant's side. "It's a bit chilly, isn't it, Sev? May I borrow some of your body warmth?" Ginny grinned, nuzzling Sev's ear and running her fingers across his tummy.

Severus laughed despite himself. Ginny's hair tickled his nose and ears as her fingers tickled his side. His childish giggles filled the air for a whole five minutes. "Ibby, ibby, immy…ha, ha, ha, ha…immy…"

"Hey! Let's make Harry jealous, eh, love? Give me a morning kiss?" Ginny grinned at him, winked, gave Harry a sidelong glance, and then puckered her lips.

Sev peeked at Harry—who had an eyebrow raised at him over narrowed eyes—and smiled impishly. After another set of uncontrollable giggles, Sev puckered his own lips and stretched up to give Ginny a baby kiss right on the lips.

"Oh, there we go!" Ginny snickered and winked at him again. "Wow, Harry, he's a better kisser than you!"

Harry looked indignant and Sev sniggered and blew raspberries at him, causing Ginny to dissolve into a fit of laughter. Sev noted offhandedly how even Ginny's laughter sounded like music from heaven.

"Take a look over there, Sev," Ginny started, pointing to somewhere in the sky, "at that cloud up there—the one in the middle. Do you see it?" He did. "I think it looks very much like an exact replica of Hogwarts, don't you think, love?"

Sev scrunched up his face in contemplation. Well…it didn't look like an _exact_ replica, but it was close. If he turned his head a different way, though, Sev noted how it looked very much like a train. "Pweeeeehm." He said, signing 'train'.

"Harry?"

"That means 'train', Gin."

"Oh! Really?" Ginny twisted her head to an absurd angle, spilling her fiery hair all over Severus' face. The infant giggled and batted at the offending strands. "Oh, there it is! It's a bit twisted, but if you lean over to the side you can see the Hogwarts Express. Yes, there we go! Nice catch, Sev!" The baby grinned at her praise and chewed on his teething snitch.

"You want to know what I spy up there?" Harry asked, smiling down at the two people he had his arm wrapped around.

"And what do you spy, Harry?" Ginny mirrored his smirk, twisting around to meet his eyes over Sev's baby head. She could feel Harry running his fingers through her hair as she stroked Sev's belly soothingly with her thumb.

"I see my guardian angel." He murmured, his voice no higher than a whisper. "And she's smiling down on us right now."

Sev squinted as the sun illuminated one particular cloud, making it stand out from all the other clouds in the sky. It was shaped like an angel, he realized. This time, the resemblance was unmistakable. Perhaps it was a figment his imagination, perhaps not, but Sev could swear where the head of the angel should have been, he saw Lily Evans' face. She was smiling down at him, her green eyes glowing with the light of the sun. She had eyes only for him and she looked happy.

Severus couldn't help himself. He smiled back.

* * *

**Ooooooo! Lily Evans...! Now what could **_**she**_** be doing in this story, I wonder. ;-)**

Next up, the trio head down to the dungeons to pack up Snape's old quarters, Sev's re-introduced to the dark side of magic from an entirely different perspective, Ginny and Sev bond, and Harry helps Sev through an essential part of the healing process.

**Thank you all for your wonderful reviews so far! They make my day! Feel free to keep sharing your thoughts and ideas. They might influence future chapters! :-)**


	9. From Black to White in Shades of Grey

Sev burrowed deeper into his baby sling as they made their way into the dark, damp, and freezing cold dungeons. He sucked on his thumb and held his ear to Ginny's chest, listening to a heartbeat so much like Harry's.

"Where exactly _is_ the Slytherin Common Room, Harry?" Ginny asked, holding Sev close as she felt his shivering.

"It's behind a blank stretch of wall." Harry answered distractedly.

"We're _surrounded_ by blank stretches of wall."

"Yes, but it's rather distinctive." He stopped next to a torch and studied its stand closely for a second before heading down the corridor and making a right.

"And how _exactly_ do you know where the Slytherin Common Room is?" Sev perked up at Ginny's question. That was something _he_ wanted to know as well. He peeked out of his carrier and studied Harry's back as the teen led them through the underground maze.

"During my second year…" Harry glanced back at Ginny, "Your first year…During that whole Chamber of Secrets incident—"

"Tom Riddle's diary." Ginny recalled, "The first horcrux you destroyed."

_Horcrux? What's a horcrux? _Sev wondered idly.

Harry nodded and continued walking, "Yeah."

"Do you honestly believe I could _forget_ that, Harry?" Ginny raised an eyebrow.

"No…I suppose not." Harry stopped to examine another torch stand before continuing on down a different corridor. "Anyway, Lockhart had just started his whole Dueling Club and Malfoy thought it'd be grand to shoot a snake at me."

Sev shank back a bit in his sling. He recalled _telling_ Malfoy to shoot a snake at Potter. A tingle of guilt prickled in his stomach.

"That's when everyone found out you were a parselmouth."

Harry smirked back at her, "Yeah. His great plan backfired on him spectacularly."

_Actually, it backfired on __me__ spectacularly._ Sev recalled. He had been looking forward to seeing Potter panic over the snake coming at him. He had been prepared to get rid of it, making himself look like a hero in front of his Slytherins. He even had an insult on the tip of his tongue that would've made Potter and all the non-Slytherins blush! Instead, he was taken aback when the exact opposite happened. Potter had approached the snake as if going to greet a friend, and then started speaking in parseltongue! Not only had the little unintentional display shocked everyone in the room—himself included—but it also made all the Slytherins green with envy and more than a little afraid of Potter—himself included, he was ashamed to say. Hearing the Dark Lord's tongue from the mouth of the Golden Boy was enough to give him a new set of nightmares.

"Anyway, the entire school began to think _I_ was the Heir of Slytherin on account I was a parseltongue, so I set myself to prove them wrong by trying to find out just who the Heir of Slytherin _really_ was."

"Me."

"Gin…" Harry grimaced at the reminder.

"Sorry, sorry, go on." Ginny shook her head, waving at him to continue.

"Well…Malfoy was strutting around the castle, hexing muggle-borns left and right and shouting 'blood-traitor', 'half-breed', and 'mudblood' at practically everyone who wasn't Slytherin—"

"A disgusting, foul, vial little ferret, that one." Ginny's lip curled.

Harry laughed. "Yeah, that he is." He nodded. "Anyway, Ron and I figured he had something to do with the whole Chamber of Secrets thing."

"You thought he was the Heir of Slytherin."

"Or at least knew who it was, yeah." Harry stopped to study yet another torch stand before continuing on. "So Hermione came up with the idea of making Polyjuice Potion. She used one of Lockhart's autographs to get permission to find the recipe in the Restricted Section, I ordered out ingredients from Diagon Alley under a pseudonym, and she spent an entire month brewing it in the second-floor girls' lavatory." He stopped, studied yet another torch stand, and continued on down the next corridor. "So I became Goyle, Ron became Crabbe, Malfoy found us and brought us down to the Slytherin Common Room, and then went on to insult your family and my mother and wish Hermione dead."

"But he didn't know who it was." Ginny guessed.

Harry shook his head. "No, he didn't. The only people who could get into the Chamber of Secrets at that point were you and me; and the both of us were associated with the soul of Tom Riddle in some way or another."

To be associated with the soul of the Dark Lord! Severus frowned and shuddered. He couldn't even bear _thinking_ about such a thing, much worse being subjected to it. To even be _touched_ by a piece of the soul of the darkest wizard of all time. The thought chilled him to the core. If that ever happened to Severus, he reckoned he'd never feel clean again!

Harry stopped yet again to examine another torch stand and Ginny snapped, "Harry! _Why_, pray tell, do you keep stopping to admire the torches?!"

"Ah!" Sev cried in agreement, sitting up fully in his sling to look at Harry.

"I said Slytherin's Common Room is hidden behind a rather distinctive stretch of wall." Harry explained, turning to look directly at the both of them. "The thing that makes it distinctive?" He pointed up at the torch stand attached to the wall, "The snakes point directly to it." Ginny and Sev took a step closer to the stand. Sure enough, there was small snake carved into the base of the stand, where wood met wall. It was a tiny little serpent, barely detectable from a distance, and its head pointed directly down the corridor.

_Bloody hell! _Sev gasped internally, eyes widening with surprise. _I'd never noticed that before! Since __when__ had __those__ been there?!_

"I noticed them as Malfoy led us down this way five years ago." Harry continued, turning and strolling back down the hallway, "I'm not sure many people know they're there. Slytherins are most likely the one ones who come down here; and they're _shown_ the way down here as first years. It's probably been years since someone's genuinely used them to locate the Slytherin Common Room." He began walking under the torches, pointing to the carved snakes. "See? This snake points forward… forward… forward… left… forward… forward… forward… right… right… and…here we are!" He stopped before a bare stone wall that Severus recognized as the entrance to the Slytherin common room! Harry walked over to one of the grey stones in the middle of the wall and dusted off a bit of dirt with his thumb. Glancing back at them, he beckoned them over with a crooked finger.

When Ginny stepped close enough, Severus found yet another aspect of the dungeons he had yet to discover—a small snake was carved into the very center of the center stone. Its head pointed directly back at them, its eyes bore into theirs. "This is the little guy the Slytherins talk to when they say the password for the common room."

"It's miniscule, Harry." Ginny pointed out, "Barely noticeable if you're not standing with your nose to the wall. I highly doubt most Slytherins know they're talking to the snake when they recite the password. They probably think they're merely talking to a stone wall."

_That's what __I__ thought, but obviously I was mistaken._ Severus thought, leaning back against Ginny's chest. _How was it that __I__ walked these halls for twenty-seven years and I never noticed these things, but Potter walks through __once__ and catches every single one of them?! _

Harry shrugged. "Just pointing it out."

"So what's the password, Mr. Observant?" Ginny asked with a raised eyebrow.

Harry looked clueless. "Um…let's ask the snake." He turned to the serpent's carving and made a ghostly hissing sound that bounced off the dungeon walls.

Sev swallowed and shivered at the noise, shrinking back against Ginny's chest and gripping the sling tightly in his fists. He felt Ginny wrap an arm protectively around him and run a comforting hand through his hair. "It's just another language, Sev, nothing more. Like French…or being able to talk to dolphins."

"I thought dolphins could understand English." Harry commented offhandedly. "To freedom, to victory, to Harry Potter." The wall slid aside and Ginny burst into laughter next to him.

"I imagine the password was changed rather recently. I can't imagine any Slytherin actually reciting that as a password a month ago."

"You gotta love Slughorn. He has _such_ a sense of humor." Harry replied, shaking his head.

"Harry, I don't think Slughorn was trying to be funny." Ginny smirked, stepping though the doorway. "I just think that's how he is…Merlin's beard! This place is gorgeous!" Ginny exclaimed as she took a good look around the Slytherin Common Room. "You can almost see the merpeople's castle from here!" Her eyes widened at the windows. "Of course, the skulls overdo the motif terribly, but that's nothing you can't change. The furniture could do with a repainting, at least the tables do. There's too much black in here. The couches, those can all stay black. The chairs…I think the chairs and the tables could do with a burgundy finish. We could move these couches over there. All the chandeliers and candelabras need a good polishing…"

As Ginny drawled on and on about how she wanted to redo the Slytherin Common Room, Sev buried himself back into his sling. The moment they entered the room, Sev felt as if he was being assaulted by a strange, dark energy. His body began shivering, his heart clenched, his stomach knotted up, and a strange voice began echoing in his ears, screaming at him from a distance. It didn't sound human. Severus stuck his thumb in his mouth and began sucking on it with a vengeance. His left ear attached itself onto Ginny's chest, listening for her comforting heartbeat, while his other hand covered his right ear, trying to block out all other sounds.

"Sev? Are you alright, love?" He heard Ginny ask. Her arms wrapped themselves around him protectively.

Severus whined and shook his head, screwing his eyes shut and willing the dark feelings to go away. He felt on the verge of tears. "Mmmmmmm! Mmmmmm!" He felt the temperature in the room drop yet again. The voice screamed bloody murder in his ear. Out of impulse, he began to buck wildly in his sling, batting Ginny's breasts and whining nonsense words. "Mmmmmmaaaaaaa! Babababa! MA! Baboooooo! **BA**!" Deciding to run on pure instinct, he abandoned his thumb and his ear, instead settling for grabbing onto Ginny's breasts and mashing his face into them.

"Severus! Honey---" Ginny struggled to calm the panicky infant. "Baby, I'm not—" Then a thought occurred to her. She actually _had_ tried something last night, but she wasn't entirely sure if it had worked. _Well…no time like the present to test that, isn't there?_ Ginny shrugged. "Here goes nothing. Harry! Help me for a bit, would you?"

Harry was by her side almost immediately. "Is he alright?"

"I think it's this room." Ginny answered distractedly. "Here…just support him for a second, would you?" Harry did so.

"You want me to take him?"

"No! He wants to feed—"

"I have a bottle." The teenager looked towards the pocket that housed the shrunken diaper bag.

"I have something better." Ginny began unbuttoning the top half of her shirt and lifting her bra.

"Ginny!" Harry's eyes widened and his gaze quickly shot towards the ceiling.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Oh, don't be such a prude!"

"I'm not!" Harry squeaked. "What are you doing?!"

"Remember those ingredients I borrowed from your stores last night? I brewed a potion with them when I got home and drank it before I went to sleep." When she was ready, Ginny once again supported Sev with her own arms and began directing a nipple towards his mouth. "It was to help me lactate. Harry, for Merlin's sake, stop staring at the ceiling! Do my boobs offend you?!"

"What?!" Harry's eyes widened as they met hers once again. "No!" He squeaked, "No, of course not! I happen to like your boobs—breasts! I mean…I don't like them…I mean, I _do_, but…Oh, for the love of…I just thought…I—I didn't…" Harry inhaled sharply and turned his attention towards Severus. "Never mind." He muttered, his face and ears turning bright red from embarrassment.

Ginny couldn't help herself, she giggled at his discomfort. "You're funny, Harry." With that, she too turned her attention back to Severus. The baby had now stopped kicking and fussing, instead holding his mouth open and moving his head around to find the nipple. "Come on. I need to position his head correctly. His nose has to be free so he can breathe."

Harry cleared his throat. "O—Okay." He replied hoarsely. He took a wary glance at Ginny's face, but she was too focused on getting Severus to latch on.

"Come on, sweetheart. A little higher…" Ginny murmured soothingly. Harry gently took hold of Sev's head and guided it towards the nipple Ginny was holding out. "Come on, baby…come on…" Ginny felt her heart racing. Would this work? Would this not? Would Sev want to nurse? Would he not? What if she had completely misinterpreted his cues just now? How embarrassing would this be to the both of them?

Finally, after what seemed like forever, Sev latched onto her nipple properly and began sucking for all he was worth. Soon enough, she could feel milk begin to flow from her breast. "Oh, baby…" Ginny breathed a huge sigh of relief and felt tears spring to her eyes. She wrapped her arms around Severus, holding him as only a mother could, and began swaying him gently. Her eyes met Harry's. "I…_wanted_ to do this, Harry." She breathed, giving him a watery smile. "I wanted to do this…_so_ badly. I can't explain it." She looked down into Severus' trusting eyes and the first of her tears trailed down her face. "Hi, sweetie." She bit her lip and gave him a nervous smile. Sev cooed and smiled back at her around her nipple before taking another long drink. Ginny chuckled and sniffled at the same time. She turned back to her boyfriend. "I had to." She murmured, swallowing in an effort to control her emotions. "I don't know why. I just…_did_."

Harry met her hazel eyes and saw something in them he hadn't seen before. There was a yearning, a need in them that hadn't been there earlier. Severus awoke something in her that put that yearning there. An instinct shone behind her hazel eyes and Harry had a very good idea of what that instinct was. "I think I do." He whispered, giving her a gentle smile. Reaching up, he brushed a few of her stray tears away with his thumbs. Ginny smiled up at him and the two exchanged a short, sweet kiss.

Pulling away, Ginny whispered a, "Thank you," before taking a seat on one of the leather sofas. She began to hum quietly to the nursing Severus as her fingers ran soothingly through his soft baby hair.

In that moment, as he leaned onto one of the pillars and continued to watch her, Harry found himself falling in love with her all over again. Ginny was an _amazing_ woman. Severus was not born to her, in fact he wasn't even a real baby, yet she still treated him as if she had carried him to term and pushed him into the world; she still treated him as if he were her very own. She was _nursing_ him, for Merlin's sake! She was nursing her own former professor and headmaster! And she had _wanted_ to do it! It was as if the past few years had not happened. She saw past the baby exterior to Severus Snape the man, but she also saw past Severus Snape the man to see Sev the infant. It was confusing and more than a little disconcerting, but she had found the strength to sort through it, and she had even been _willing_ to do what she was doing right now.

Harry couldn't love her more than he loved her right now.

"What do you suppose it was?" Ginny's question broke through his thoughts and Harry refocused himself to find her staring up at him.

"I'm sorry?"

"Something about the room spooked Sev when we first came in." Ginny elaborated. "That's why he started fussing and everything just now. This is a comfort feed." She adjusted Sev so that he was secure in his sling and firmly latched onto her breast before standing up and walking to the middle of the room. Sev's eyes were closed so she wasn't too worried about him having another panic attack, but she still kept her arms safely around him just in case.

"It's most likely the dark magic surrounding this place." Harry answered offhandedly as he stepped down the stairs and headed to the far side of the common room.

Ginny spun around to face him. "Dark Magic?!" She hissed in alarm.

"Not _that_ kind of Dark Magic, love." Harry replied placatingly. "Kind of a…dark energy, if you will." He motioned towards the infant. "This version of Severus Snape seems to be more sensitive to the aura of the magic present in a place."

"Oh." Ginny nodded in realization. "Okay. _That_ kind of dark magic." She breathed a sigh of relief. "Why didn't _I_ sense the dark magic when we first walked in?"

"You probably did." Harry replied, searching behind the tapestries for the entrance that led to the hallway containing Snape's old office. "But you've had almost a year to learn how to deal with being able to sense magic. Sev…" Harry glanced at the nursing baby. "I don't think he's even aware he sensed magic when we first walked in. He probably thought he was being bombarded by an evil force. Hence, the panic attack." He met Ginny's eyes. "To you, though, it'd feel like what you're used to when you typically sense dark magic."

"We've all been surrounded by dark magic for most of this year."

"Exactly! So to you, this feeling is almost normal. To Sev…who's just awakened to the world of magical senses…it's terrifying."

"Like being smothered by evil." Ginny murmured, recalling what it felt like the first time she sensed dark magic over a year ago. She looked down at the child in her arms. Severus still nursed hungrily, but his eyes were wide open now, and looking up at her with an expression so trusting Ginny felt an uncontrollable urge to move heaven and earth to make him feel safe. "Harry?"

"Uh-huh!" Harry cried triumphantly, flinging aside one of the tapestries to reveal a plain stone wall. "Found it!" He brushed some dust aside on one of the center stones, just like he did at the entrance to the common room, before addressing Ginny. "Yeah, love?"

"What if we change the magical aura of this room?" She suggested, giving Harry a pleading look. "Show Sev how to take the darkness and turn it into light."

Harry glanced back at her, surprised and intrigued at the same time. "Ehm…Yeah, sure! Absolutely! You wanted to redesign the Slytherin Common Room anyway, didn't you?" Ginny nodded and smiled. "First, we have to take care of Snape's old quarters, though. I'll make quick work of it. I promise." With that, Harry turned back to the wall and began speaking to it in parseltongue.

Ginny glanced down at Severus worriedly. At Harry's words, he began shivering once again and his sucking intensified. "Harry, why don't Sev and I just stay out here, eh?"

Harry looked uncertain. "I don't know. I need him to distinguish what he wants to bring to our quarters, what he wants to store, what he—"

Sev began fussing once again at Harry's response. He unlatched from Ginny's breast and began whining in distress.

"Hey, hey now, cub…" Harry approached the duo and began trying to soothe Sev in conjunction with Ginny. "I thought we went over this…" Sev's cries merely intensified and he looked on the verge of tears.

Ginny's arms tightened around the infant as she glared at her boyfriend. "Can't you just use your judgment, Harry? He obviously feels extremely uncomfortable around anything with a dark aura, so just do something with the dark objects and decide what you want to do with the rest. He doesn't want to go back in there, Harry!" She hissed, "He doesn't even want to be _here_!"

"Alright, alright, I'll do it alone." Harry conceded. He placed a hand on Sev's forehead and willed some calming energy into the child. A flash of white light passed from his hand to the infant's forehead and Sev immediately began to relax. "Attaboy! That's my cub." The baby began to make cooing sounds and soon opened his mouth and started batting at Ginny's breasts once more.

"Here you go, angel." Ginny made sure he was latched on and feeding properly once more before turning back to her boyfriend. "Just…do what you have to do, Harry. We'll stay out here and…" she looked around the Slytherin Common Room, an impish gleam in her eyes, "…redecorate." She smirked.

Harry rolled his eyes and sighed. "Alright." After passing one last calming wave to Sev, Harry turned, accessed the secret doorway, and disappeared from sight.

Ginny took a seat on one of the black easy chairs and waited patiently for Sev to stop nursing, talking to him all the while. She stared into the baby's trusting, chocolate eyes as she explained his newfound ability to sense magical auras. "I suspect Harry hasn't explained this to you yet." She started. Sev gave her a curious look as he drank. "The exercise he was showing you last night—the one in which you 'felt' the white magic that surrounds the castle at night…" Sev blinked and nodded, as if encouraging her to go on. "Well…it seems to have awakened a sort of…sixth sense in you, if that makes sense." The infant smiled at her and it was then that Ginny recognized the pun. She chuckled and ran a comforting hand through his hair. "Over a year ago, when Harry and I first got together, he showed me how to do that as well. We were in the middle of my parents' field of wheat…it was twilight…" Ginny's eyes glazed over as she recalled the happy memory, "…and he held my hand..."

"_Close your eyes, Gin…" Harry whispered in her ear as she leaned back onto his strong chest, "Listen to the music…and feel the magic with me…"_

"I've been sensing it ever since." She looked down and met Severus' eyes, "And now you are too." A droplet of milk leaked down from the side of his mouth and Ginny wiped it away with her thumb. "But white magic, unfortunately, is not the only kind we can sense now." The baby's eyebrows furrowed. "Yes…we can sense dark magic, too." Sev unlatched suddenly and gazed up at her with wide eyes.

"What is it, love?"

"Ah!" Sev pointed all around the room and then started tapping his free ear with his hand. "AH!"

"Oh, yes…" Ginny smirked. "The screaming, right?"

"Ah!" Sev signed 'yes'.

"Yes, I remember finding that incredibly terrifying as well." Ginny related, "It was like being haunted by a rather angry Peeves." Sev smiled and tried to sit up. "So is that it? You done?" Ginny asked, supporting his back. Sev nodded and signed 'full'. "Remember to try to pronounce it as well, Sev."

"Foo."

"Thank you." Ginny made sure the sling was secure before getting up. "Anyway, all you need to do from now on is make some sort of indication that the dark magic is bothering you and Harry and I will try to help you as best we can. Alright, love?"

Sev nodded enthusiastically. He tapped his forehead and looked at Ginny questioningly. "Wa Haweh ooo?"

"What did he do?" Ginny translated. Sev nodded. "He just sent you some calming energy to help you relax and put a ward or two around you to help block out the darkness."

"Mmm." Sev shrugged and leaned back onto Ginny's chest once more.

The teenager fixed up her clothes and then took out her wand. "Now…how about _I_ show _you_ how to make _yourself_ feel better by turning the darkness…" she waved her wand and all the candles and lamps in the room instantly lit up, chasing away the eerie shadows, "…into light?" She bounced Severus on her hip lightly, drawing a shy smile from the infant. "How does that sound to you, eh?" Sev began chewing on his pointer finger and, with a bashful smile, nodded against her chest.

"Excellent!" She moved towards one of the windows that looked out into the Black Lake. "First and foremost—do you need help burping, or can you do well on your own?"

As if in response to her question, Sev heard his body release a rather big burp.

"Okay! That answers that." Ginny chuckled, pulling up next to the window. "Oh…I think I can see the merpeople's castle from here. Can you?"

Sev smiled as he pushed himself up against her chest and looked out the underwater window. "Uh-uh!" He shook his head.

"Are you sure?" Ginny asked playfully.

"Uh-huh!" Sev's mirthful eyes mirrored hers.

"You've looked for it before, haven't you?"

"Mm-hmm!"

"Yeah, I should've known." Ginny chuckled. She then held a hand up against the glass, indicating Sev should do the same. "Come on, love. I want you to feel something with me." Ginny stepped closer to the glass until Sev was able to reach up and rest a tiny hand next to hers. "Okay…" Ginny leaned in and nuzzled his ear, whispering softly. Sev smiled for it tickled a little. "Do you feel that, baby? That tingling on the tips of your fingers? Reach out, honey…just like Harry showed you last night…"

Sev leaned his head against Ginny's chest and tried to stretch his senses like before. The steady heartbeat relaxed him, and he found his eyes drifting shut and the rest of his senses expanding out in a circle around him. Ever so slowly, he became aware of something playing across his fingertips. It seemed like it was coming through the green glass, from the lake just beyond. A tingling sensation, it felt like; not unlike the wind that rolled through his fingers last night.

"It's white magic." Ginny murmured into his soft baby hair. "It's hard to detect, I know. Surrounded by all this darkness, it seems virtually impossible to be able to sense any white magic anywhere. But know this, love: there can be no dark without the light, and all the darkness in the universe cannot extinguish the light of a single candle." Sev pushed up, removing his hand and his attention from the glass to meet Ginny's eyes. "Even if there were no windows in this room, and we were surrounded by dark magic…there would still be light. You know where?" Sev inclined his head curiously. Ginny pointed to his little chest. "In here." Sev looked down at her finger. She then pointed to his forehead. "And in here." Sev looked up. After a moment, he grasped her finger in his little fist, brought it into his mouth, and began chewing on it.

"You remember what it felt like, don't you?" Ginny continued, regardless of the finger chewing. "You remember what it felt like to be surrounded by white magic? To sense it _everywhere_, feel it in _everything_? Do you remember how absolutely amazing it felt to be immersed in it? How free and alive you were when Harry showed you how to sense it last night?"

Sev stopped chewing Ginny's finger and settled for sucking on it instead. He _did_ remember what it felt like. He _did_ remember how amazing it was and how free and alive he felt, and how he positively _loved_ being immersed in it. He remembered the sensation of white magic as it danced around him. He remembered taking his first real breath after drowning for so long. Severus gave Ginny the most serious look his baby face could muster and nodded.

"Then there's your candle." Ginny murmured with a smile. "It's inside _you_!" She rubbed her nose against his baby nose, generating a fit of childish giggles from the infant. "All the darkness in this room would not be able to extinguish this candle." Ginny pulled her finger out of his mouth and tapped him gently on the lips with it. She leaned her forehead against his and her hazel eyes met his chocolate browns. "And I want you to promise me something, love." She whispered. "I want you to promise me that you'll never _let_ it." She moved her hand down and laid it on his baby chest. "That you'll keep this candle burning…'til the end of your days." She began backing up, "And promise me…that you'll always try…to use your candle…" She stopped next to a dirty candelabra, "…to turn the darkness…" and reached a finger out, "…into light…" She touched the candleholder and, from her finger, a wave seemed to spread across the surface of the candelabra. Within seconds, what used to be a dirty, crusty candleholder was gleaming in its own candlelight and radiating a presence that _felt_ white.

Sev's eyes widened in disbelief. "Darkness fears the light. It is its vanquisher by default, _unless_ the light _allows_ _itself_ to be put out." Ginny commented before turning back to meet the infant's gaze. "Promise me you'll never let that happen, Sev. Ever."

Severus pulled back and looked down at Ginny's whole face—her flaming red her, her bright brown eyes—and, for a moment, he saw Lily.

"_Promise me, Sev—whatever happens, you'll stay with me." Lily said, her bright green eyes gazing at him pleadingly. "I mean, I know you're in Slytherin and everything, and they're recruiting Death Eaters in your house like mad, but __promise me__, Sev! Promise me that you'll stay with me; that you'll stay in the light." She grabbed both his hands and pulled him closer to her. They stood practically nose to nose now. Sev's breath caught in his throat. "Promise me you won't buy into that load of rubbish they're feeding you in the dungeons. Promise me!" Her emerald eyes bore deep into his soul. "You __told__ me it didn't matter. __Promise__ me it never will. Stay with me in the light, Sev." Her grip on his hands intensified. "Promise you'll stay with me." _

"_I promise."_

"Meh pomeh." Sev murmured, slipping his focus back into the present once more. _And this time, I'm going to __keep__ it…even if it kills me._ He swore to himself.

Ginny beamed at him. "Thank you, love." She brought him close and gave him a big kiss on the cheek. Severus giggled. "So! What do you say _we_…" she picked up her wand and showed it to Severus, meeting his gaze with an impish gleam in her eye, "…redecorate this room a little bit, eh?" She winked at the grinning infant and took off towards the entranceway, where she planned to start her overhaul.

Over the next hour and a half, Ginny—with Sev on her hip—sprinted from one end of the common room to the other, touching her wand to various pieces of furniture and decorations, redesigning them as she saw fit. Sev merely watched from his perch, eyes wide with fascination. Every time Ginny touched her wand to an object, not only did its color change, not only did it clean itself, but the energy radiating from it transformed from one that was stifling to one that was liberating. Ginny was quite _literally_ turning the darkness into light! All the dark magic in the room was being converted to white magic right before his eyes!

By the time they were through, all the easy chairs were dark burgundy and arranged around the fireplace, all the couches remained black but gleamed with fresh polish, the desks shone with a new dark cherry finish, the niches that used to house skulls now housed depictions of mythological figures, creatures, and stories, the tapestries and carpets looked bright and new, the candleholders and chandeliers sparkled in their own candlelight, not a single grain of dust nor spot of grime lay in sight, and the newly constructed enchanted skylights bathed the room in the glorious light of day.

Ginny took a deep breath and spun around, admiring her work. "Well…what do you think, Sev? This place feels a lot better now, doesn't it?" She smirked at the infant. Sev smiled around the finger he was chewing and nodded.

"Ah!" The infant freed his hands and signed 'more' and 'light'.

"Oh, absolutely! Lots and lots and lots of more light!" She grinned, giving him another big kiss on the cheek. Sev giggled.

"Whoa! What happened _here_?!" Harry cried incredulously as he emerged from the hidden hallway that led to Snape's old quarters.

"Isn't it fabulous?!" Ginny grinned. "Severus and I redecorated. We thought the place could use a …_lighter_ touch." She winked at Sev, who laughed at her in return.

"Haweh!" Severus leaned over his sling and reached out for Harry in a universal request to be held.

"Yeah, just hold on a second, Sev. Please?" The baby leaned back against Ginny's chest as Harry took out three shrunken boxes from his pocket. "Alright. Your quarters are entirely packed up. There's nothing left in there except dust and cobwebs." He held up a box in his left hand. "This stuff is full of fundamentalist pure-blood propaganda which I think is completely inappropriate for _anyone_ to own unless they're running a wizarding historical museum."

Sev blushed furiously and ducked back into his sling. "Harry!" Ginny hissed, glaring at her boyfriend.

Harry took a deep breath and softened his voice. "Sev…" He started gently, approaching Ginny with care. "I didn't mean for it to sound like that, cub. Come on…" He peeked in and found Severus looking up at him sadly. Ever so slowly, the infant signed the words 'no', 'like', 'no', and 'more'.

"He doesn't believe in that stuff anymore, Harry!"

"I know! I know, Gin. I just…" Harry turned away and sighed. After a moment, he turned back and met their eyes. "I'm sorry. I didn't…have the best time in the world in there. Maybe…I think it was a good thing you guys didn't come along. It was quite…dark." Sev began fussing beneath them and they found him burying his face into the side of the sling.

"He was nice and happy before you came along and started yelling at him, Harry!" Ginny whispered heatedly.

"I didn't yell at him!" Harry retorted.

"You did too!"

"No, I—" Harry stopped abruptly, pulled away, and ran a weary hand down his face. "Sev," he addressed the infant softly, "look at me, cub. I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to come out like that. All I wanted to say was that the stuff in this box has an incredibly dark aura and I think it's best if we just went ahead and got rid of it all, alright? I mean…it's not you anymore. What's the point in keeping it, eh?" He turned back to Ginny and whispered, "Most of this stuff is from the seventies, from when he used to be in school and Riddle was recruiting in his house. I found something _Lucius Malfoy_ gave him among his things." He turned back to the infant. "What do you say, cub?"

Sev signed 'no' and 'more' over and over again.

"So it's alright if we burn it now?"

The infant signed 'yes' without looking at him.

"Would you like to watch?" Harry murmured in his ear. The baby could hear a slight smile in his voice. "Or even better…would you like to do it?"

Severus' eyes flew open at the implication. Ever so slowly, he shifted in sling to look up at the pair of them. Both Harry's and Ginny's eyes shone with mirth. "You just spend the last hour and a half watching Ginny turn the darkness into light. Why don't you work a little magic yourself, eh?"

Sev's eyes widened. "Meh?"

Harry smirked. "Yeah, you!"

Severus didn't know what to say. He didn't know how to do what Ginny did—how to magically transform something from radiating darkness to radiating light. In his mind, that used to be impossible! An object was either inherently dark or inherently light and it was made that way and couldn't change. Well…a light object could become a dark object, but never the other way around. Hot always moved to cold and never vice versa. Of course…that conviction now rivaled fiercely against his new experiences that dictated a dark object can _indeed_ be made light again. Ginny just proved that to him. However…the task in and of itself sounded incredibly hard. Severus didn't know if he could do it.

Harry correctly interpreted his hesitant look. "Come on, cub. It's not too hard. You and I were doing it in your mind just…yesterday, wasn't it?" He turned to Ginny for confirmation.

_Doing something in my mind is entirely different from doing something in the real world, Potter!_ Sev rolled his eyes internally.

"Are you sure your mind is entirely separate from the real world?" Harry asked with a raised eyebrow.

Sev paused abruptly, turning to Harry with wide eyes. _Did he just __hear__ me?!_

If he did, the teenager gave no indication. "Come on, cub. I'll help you light this pile of rubbish up." He gave the offensive box a small shake. "Let's watch it burn with sweet satisfaction, shall we?"

Harry pocketed the two other boxes before moving to lift Severus out of his baby sling. The infant gripped his robes tightly as Harry made his way to the ornate, newly redesigned fireplace. "Hey! I like the new design, you two! It's better than the old one." He jiggled Sev playfully. "Skulls are _so_ overrated, don't you think? Hey, it's Remus!" Sev looked at him curiously and Harry pointed to one of the newly-carved figures directly over the hearth. "Remus and his brother Romulus—the founders of Rome. They were raised by a she-wolf, you know." Sev sniggered around the finger he was now chewing. "The man was aptly named."

Harry crouched down next to the empty hearth and placed the box—which radiated with dark energy, Sev now realized—at the center of a pile of dried wood. He then adjusted his position until he sat cross-legged on the floor with Sev in his lap. Harry scooted back until they were a safe distance from the hearth.

"Alright…" Sev tipped his head back to look up at the teenager behind him. "Okay, cub, this is going to go just like yesterday, only _this time_ it'll be out in the real world and not only in your mind." Harry tapped the back of Sev's head gently. "Look back the hearth, Sev. We're going to do a little meditation exercise. Are you paying attention?"

Sev turned back and glared at the little black box in the fireplace, signing 'yes'.

"Alright, child…" Harry's voice had taken on a more calming note, one that Severus remembered from the trip into his mind yesterday. Despite his unwillingness to do so, Sev found himself relaxing at the sound. "Close your eyes and hold out your hand…" Sev's eyes drifted shut and he melted back into Harry's strong chest. His hand held itself out of its own accord. He barely noticed. "You know what to say. Come…" Sev felt Harry cup his large hand under his tiny one. "…say it with me."

"This is my past." _This is my past._  
"This is not my fault." _This is not my fault. _  
"I am no longer this person." _I am no longer this person._  
"I have atoned for these sins." _I have atoned for these sins. _  
"Now it's time to move on." _Now it's time to move on. _

Sev repeated it over and over in his head like a mantra, each time saying it with more conviction. Finally, after what seemed like forever, he felt his fingertips begin to tingle with the familiar sensation of white magic. "Alright, I'm going to give you a little boost now, okay?" Harry warned right before Sev felt the tingle intensify around his fingers, palm, and wrists. Soon enough, Sev felt like he was holding a cool fireball in the palm of his hand. His nerves buzzed at the feeling of light.

"Okay, now visualize the box in the hearth in front of you." An exact image of the box flashed in Sev's mind. The dark aura floated around it like a sinister halo. "Now hold out your hand…" Sev felt Harry direct his hand so that his palm pointed towards the evil box. "And…" Sev's heart raced with anticipation. "Release!"

Severus felt the cool fireball jump from his hand towards the dark box with such a ferocity he flew back into Harry's chest from the backlash.

"Whoa!" Harry exclaimed, clearly amused. A sharp crack resounded from somewhere close, startling Severus' eyes open. "You alright, cub?" Harry straightened him up once again and laid a hand on his chest for support. "Check it out, Sev." He gestured towards the fireplace. Severus shifted to find the box of his former possessions burning amidst the flaming wood. He could feel its black aura slowly begin to turn white.

Sev looked up at Harry curiously. "Meh?" He asked, pointing to his little chest.

"That was all you." Harry nodded. "Except for the boost, of course. That was me." He ran a hand through the infant's soft hair and turned back towards the hearth. Moments later, Sev did so as well. "I'll teach you how to do that more and more as you get bigger." He murmured in the baby's ear. "Soon enough, you'll be as good as Ginny! Secret—she's better than me." Sev smirked internally.

Baby Snape then gave his full attention to the burning box in the fireplace. He knew what Harry put in there—his posters, pictures, books, newspaper clippings, buttons, pamphlets, papers, and everything he possessed that advocated a pure-blood first society. He had collected them long ago, when he was a young and stupid teenager obsessed with power, prestige, and pretending to be something he was not. He had wanted to get rid of them all after Lily's death, but Dumbledore had convinced him otherwise, telling him he would need them when the Dark Lord rose to power again. Severus had been reluctant to believe that was going to be the case, but had done what the old man asked anyway. Sure enough, he had to hang them all up again when the Dark Lord appointed him Headmaster and made it necessary for all the Death Eaters in the school to hold weekly meetings in his quarters. He had _hated_ it with a passion!

Now all that stuff was finally burning to a crisp before him. Severus couldn't feel more liberated than he did now. Finally, after all these years, those hateful reminders of his youthful indiscretions could be banished into oblivion. He was _never_ going to make the same mistakes again.

"This box is full of stuff in the gray area." He heard Harry say behind him. Sev only paid him half a mind. His focus was still mostly on his burning past. "About ninety-five percent of it is just books and objects that have something to do with the Dark Arts. They're pieces of information and I'm rather reluctant to get rid of it. So I'm putting this in my Gringotts vault for safe keeping. We can sort through it when you get bigger." There was some shifting behind him and the sound of another small box being jingled. "This is mostly potions and ingredients from your stores. I'll put them in my private lab in our quarters. Make use of them and all."

Harry knew this was a big moment for Severus, so he kept himself quiet for a few minutes, allowing the infant to feel the satisfaction of watching his dark past burn in a blaze of light. After a lengthy moment of silence, Harry leaned in to murmur in the infant's ear. "There's one more thing I saved for our quarters, Severus. I have a feeling you're going to want to keep it…rather close to you." From his pocket he drew a simple picture frame that held a magical photo of Lily.

Severus completely turned his attention away from the fire and towards the picture frame Harry held out for him. He fingered the glass around her smiling face reverently, as if it was a picture of God he was touching. Severus swallowed the lump in his throat. Glancing up towards Harry, he loosely crossed his arms over his chest and the teenager nodded in understanding. Harry moved his supporting hand and placed the picture frame in its stead, allowing Severus to tighten his hold and hug the much-loved photo close to his heart.

A wave of white magic passed from the picture frame and into Severus' soul. He felt it wrap around his body, calming his beating heart, loosening the knots in his stomach, and filling him with a sense of peace and contentment. Then…a vague yet familiar sweet scent soon began to tickle his nostrils; a musical, almost angelic voice started echoing in his ear.

Lily.

"_You're free now, Sev." _

Lily's laugh sounded like music to his ears. Sev could see her in his mind's eye—nine years old and beaming at him like an angel from heaven. The afternoon sun set her red hair ablaze and fit a halo atop her head. She stood in front of a field of rye.

"_You're free now, Sev. So come on! Run with me!" She turned in slow motion, flashing him a playful look before she disappeared behind the stalks of rye. "Chase me, Sev! Run with me!" _

_And he did. _

_Severus dove into the field and raced after her fiery hair, Lily's magical voice reverberating around him as if it was the voice of the wind itself. _

"_Sing a song of sixpence,  
A pocket full of rye;  
Four and twenty blackbirds  
Baked in a pie.  
When the pie was opened,  
The birds began to sing.  
Now, wasn't that a dainty dish  
To set before the king?" _

_The redhead then stopped and turned, a grin still affixed upon her face. Sev gazed deeply into the pair of green eyes now watching him through the stalks of rye between them. _

"_You're free…"_

As Sev watched the black box burn before him, and felt its dark aura being overtaken by the light, he began to truly believe it.

* * *

**Next, the trio have lunch with the faculty, McGonagall, Dumbledore, and Slughorn share their news regarding Elson's condition, Sev's behavior is put in perspective, and the infant has a bit of fun watching Harry repair the fourth floor corridor.**

**Thank you all _SO_ much for your kind REVIEWS! They're fantastic and encouraging. Please keep them up! I'm interested to know what you all think. :-)**


	10. A Fortunate Accident

"Ah! Harry, my boy! It's been a while since I've seen you at our table to share a meal with us." Slughorn commented with a smile from his place next to Dumbledore. "I was beginning to think you were going to hide out in your quarters forever." He chuckled.

"No, no, sir. I don't think I could do that indefinitely. I'd go stir crazy." Harry replied with a smile, leading Ginny by the hand to the staff table where the summer residents regularly had lunch together. "Besides…it's been busy few days."

"As I imagine! As I imagine." The jolly old Slytherin replied. Like a gentleman, Harry pulled out a seat for his girlfriend and waited for her to sit down. That's when Slughorn spotted Ginny. "Oh, and Miss Weasley! How good to see you again!" He offered her his hand and she shook it with a polite smile.

"Professor Slughorn." Ginny nodded.

"It still _is_ Miss Weasley, right?" He asked, giving the pair of them a probing look. A smirk played at the corner of his lips.

Ginny chuckled nervously and nodded. "For at least another year. Yes, sir."

"Sir, I hope you don't mind me bringing Ginny to lunch." Harry started as he sat down, looking directly at Dumbledore.

The headmaster held up a hand. "My dear boy, why would I mind?" He turned to Ginny with a gentle smile. "You're welcome here at any time, Miss Weasley. Or at least…until we can fill the house tables up again."

Ginny smiled and nodded. "Thank you, sir."

"So I assume you have no plans to marry until you finish school then?" Slughorn continued.

The teenage girl nodded. "Yes. It's a…personal decision."

"One I respect completely." Harry added.

"That's very noble of the two of you." McGonagall commented from Dumbledore's other side. The teens smiled and nodded at her.

"Thanks, Nana." Harry murmured, using his new nickname for her. McGonagall straightened ever so slightly—the only sign of her delight in Harry's term of endearment.

"And this must be Severus!" Slughorn resumed, leaning into Trelawney's personal space in an effort to glimpse inside the sling across Ginny's chest.

"You want to sit up, Sev?" Ginny supported the infant's back as Sev peeked over the side and eyeballed everyone at the table neutrally.

Slughorn then began to address the infant, "Oh, Severus, I am terribly sorry to hear of what happened a few days ago. It was quite an unfortunate accident, that."

_Unfortunate__ accident?! Are you saying you'd rather have me dead, Slughorn?_ Sev exchanged glances with both Harry and Ginny before scowling at the Potions Master.

"Professor, with all due respect, sir, don't you mean it was a rather _fortunate_ accident?" Ginny spoke up, "I mean, he _was_ trying to kill himself. If he hadn't drunk the wrong potion by accident, he'd be dead."

"Oh!" Slughorn chuckled nervously. "Yes, yes, that's what I meant, dear girl. I just worded it wrong. I'm very happy you're alive, Severus." He told the baby. "It's just rather unfortunate you're not your proper age anymore." He smiled nervously at both Harry and Ginny. "However…I have even more unfortunate news for you, I'm afraid. Oh!" Slughorn paused to serve himself some of the food that had recently appeared. "You see…I have a copy of the potions recipe that Mr. Elson used and it appears he specifically designed this potion to not have an antidote. More than four-fifths of the active ingredients don't have a counteragent."

"That was probably his intention." Dumbledore interjected, passing the mashed potatoes to Flitwick, "After all, he _did_ forge those papers from the Ministry."

"If he was re-aged, and his memory restored, it would mean some time in Azkaban for him." McGonagall added, "In fact, that implies he had been planning this whole thing all along."

"And everything went according to plan." Dumbledore nodded. He eyed the two teenagers and the baby. "I trust the three of you read the paper this morning?" Both Harry and Ginny nodded as the girl adjusted Severus in his sling. The baby was now practically standing in his carrier as he looked around the table curiously. "Would you three like me to ask the kitchen for baby food? I can transfigure a high chair or small baby bowls and utensils—"

"Ah!" Sev cried, shaking his head. "Mo, mo, mo, mo, mo." He made sure to watch his tone of voice this time, as Harry didn't like it when he was rude. He turned to Ginny, "Immy! Mik, pea." He signed 'milk', 'hungry', 'milk', and 'please'.

Ginny smiled, proud at Sev's improved use of baby sign language. "You want a bottle?"

Sev froze. He looked around at the table's staring occupants and blushed furiously. The infant dove back down into his sling and shook his head where nobody else could see. He signed 'milk' again and then pointed to Ginny's breasts. The tips of the baby's ears flared red and he buried himself in the folds of the fabric.

Ginny smiled and rolled her eyes, wrapping her arms around Sev and giving him a big kiss on the cheek through the fabric of the sling. "Sev…it's alright! There's nothing to be embarrassed about." Straightening up, she turned to Harry. "Harry, can you give me the instructions for the sling?"

Understanding dawned in Harry's eyes and he dug through the diaper bag for the sling instructions. "You need any help?" He asked, handing it to her.

Ginny shook her head. "No, thank you. Just give me the shawl, just in case."

Harry handed her the piece of clothing. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah." She stood up and Harry, being a gentleman, stood up as well. Ginny looked around the table. "Will you excuse me for a minute?"

"Of course!" Dumbledore nodded. "Oh, and Miss Weasley, if you need to use the lavatory, you can use the staff room over there." He gestured to the door on the right.

"Thank you, Headmaster." And she disappeared behind the staff room door.

"Well…" Madame Pomfrey spoke up from the other side of Ginny's chair. "What was that all about, Mr. Potter?" She asked curiously.

"Ginny seems to have a good rapport with Severus." Dumbledore commented with a smile.

Harry grinned at the memory of the two of them earlier in the dungeons as he sat down. "Yes, they, uh…have their own special…understanding of each other, I guess." He nodded, a spark in his eyes.

Dumbledore studied the new sparkle and secretly smiled at what he saw there. "Yes...they quite do." He agreed.

"By the way, Mr. Potter, what are you feeding Severus?" Madame Pomfrey asked before taking a bit of roast beef.

That was a more comfortable question for Harry and he gave her a ready answer. "We give him some solid foods for at least one meal a day, usually dinner. Ginny found this formula in one of the parenting books from Diagon Alley that allows us to customize this rather disgusting-looking gruel so that it could taste rather…well, tasty. She gave the recipe to the house-elves in the kitchen and they send it to us in our rooms. Ehm…the rest of the time, he just drinks milk." He picked up one of the new dishes on the table and scooped some onto Ginny's plate. "We feed him when he asks for it. Ginny and I sort of agree that keeping a schedule at this age is not really a good idea."

"Well, I think you should add some nutritional potions to that list, or at least add some to his milk." The matron suggested sharply. "Formula isn't actually as good as the baby companies make it to be. They _say_ it's full of nutrients and vitamins, but that's all a load of rubbish! Children Severus' physical age need _mother's milk_. It's the only thing custom-made for their bodies."

"If I may," Slughorn interjected, "Did you know there is actually a potion that can help you _brew_ mother's milk. Or rather…it would allow Miss Weasley to brew it."

Harry nodded. "Yes, sir. Ginny knows all about it. She's read up on…mothering books and books for adoptive mothers and, well…" He shrugged, "She's _brewed _it, actually. That is actually what's in these formula bottles right now." He turned to Pomfrey, "With all due respect, Madame, I don't really want to give Sev too many potions because he's getting all the nutrition he needs."

"How do you _know_ that the mother's milk brew has all the nutrients and vitamins Severus needs?" Madame Pomfrey asked, skeptical about a potion she's never heard of. "Have you tested it? Has it been tested, Horace?" She asked the potions master sharply before turning her attention back to Harry just as quickly. "Mr. Potter, I must insist upon the nutritional potion; just to be absolutely sure you're giving the boy everything he needs."

"Madame Pomfrey, I assure you I am absolutely _certain_ Severus is receiving proper nutrition. Ginny—"

"Unless Severus is being breastfed, Mr. Potter—"

"Severus _is_ being breastfed, Madame Pomfrey." Ginny interjected from across the room. All eyes turned to her in surprise, and Harry jumped to his feet to help her with her seat. He noticed Sev's sling was now neatly tucked under her left arm, and the excess from the sling was wrapped around her left shoulder and arm, shielding the infant—and everything else—from view.

Madame Pomfrey's eyes—as well as every else's—widened in astonishment. The healer gasped as understanding dawned. "Oh! Oh…well…" A look of confusion crossed her face. "How?"

"Actually, there _is_ a potion that would help a woman lactate as well." Slughorn broke in, his voice still oozed with amazement. "It's rather difficult to make."

"I brewed it and took it last night." Ginny replied matter-of-factly, turning her attention to her food and away from the awkward subject.

"Oh, my goodness! Ginny, dear, you didn't _have_ to do that." McGonagall broke in.

"I know I didn't have to, Professor. I _wanted_ to. And, with all due respect, please don't ask me why because, frankly, I don't know." She turned back to her plate and scooped up some mashed potatoes. "I just did."

"You know, that says a lot about you, Ginny." Dumbledore put in, his blue eyes twinkling at her with pride. "A lot."

Ginny blushed. "So…how's the rebuilding going so far? I'd love to help out in any way, as best I can. Professor Flitwick, would you mind showing me a few spells?"

"Absolutely, Miss Weasley!' The small man replied, thrilled at the prospect of teaching a student who had actually _asked_ him to teach them something.

Thus, the conversation around the table drifted around more comfortable subjects rather than awkward topics. The staff congratulated Harry on his new position as Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, and Ginny beamed at him when Dumbledore explained the situation and the split teaching position with Remus.

"You're a good man, Harry." She whispered, giving him a quick, discreet kiss.

The Headmaster told them he had gone and visited the Lupins soon after Harry's deal, offering Remus a home for his family and a three-year part-time, subsequent full-time contract as the Defense Professor. He laughed as he related how Tonks seemed more excited about the proposition than Remus himself. Once the werewolf verbally agreed to the offer, she was all over him.

"She jumped from his arms, to the couch, to behind the couch; she ran around the house, she started dancing around with the baby, her hair flashed all the colors of the rainbow…"

Everyone at the table laughed at his tale. They all knew Tonks from personal experience and that sounded _exactly_ like her.

"Poor Remus was rather flustered. He was _happy_, no doubt there. I think he was just about as happy as Nymphadora was, but no one expresses their happiness quite like Nymphadora." The Headmaster chuckled. "I told them they can move in as soon as you get their quarters finished, Harry." He nodded at the teenager.

"We'll get their quarters finished by the end of today, sir." Ginny answered for him, grinning excitedly at her boyfriend.

"_Yes_, I think you'd better." Dumbledore chuckled. "Dora started packing immediately after she stopped running around the house. I suspect she's about halfway done by now." Harry and Ginny exchanged an amused glance. "Oh, and I _do_ believe her mother is going to move in with them as well. Dora's a bit worried about her on the count they just lost Ted."

Ginny nodded. "Right. Yeah. We'll be sure to add another room for her."

Dumbledore then began asking everyone for suggestions on how he could keep the parents at bay. Word was bound to get out about how Remus was a werewolf and a few howlers and death threats regarding his status as a professor were practically guaranteed. After about ten to fifteen minutes of brainstorming, though, the Headmaster was virtually certain he would be able to pull it off.

Ginny only asked Harry to help her with Severus once, as she shifted his sling to a different position to be able to burp him properly. By the time dessert and tea appeared at the table, all movement and noise from the sling ceased. Harry peeked over the side and smiled at what he saw.

"Is everything alright, Mr. Potter? Miss Weasley?" Madame Pomfrey asked in concern.

Ginny beamed at her. "Everything's fine, Madame Pomfrey." She let the excess fabric from the carrier drop, exposing the precious cargo inside the sling's pocket. "He's sleeping." She whispered. The five-month-old was sound asleep inside the sling. The thumb of the right hand hung from his mouth, while his left hand gripped his teething snitch tightly.

"Aw…isn't that precious?" Madame Pomfrey couldn't help but grin at the sight. "Would you like me to take a picture?"

"Um…sure! Harry?" Her boyfriend handed their camera to the matron and she snapped a few photographs of the sleeping babe and the handsome couple. "Now remember, Mr. Potter, you and Severus have an appointment with me in the morning." She reminded Harry sharply as she handed back the camera.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Miss Weasley, if you don't mind, I'd like to see you tomorrow as well regarding your…ahem."

Ginny was already nodding. "Yes, absolutely. I'd actually appreciate it. Would you like a sample of the brewed milk we made last night so you can test it yourself?"

Madame Pomfrey accepted a bottle and then promptly took her leave; but not before she took one last look at the adorable sleeping baby. "He really looks like an angel when he's asleep."

Harry snorted. "That he does. Mm-hmm! Appearances are quite deceiving…"

A few of the other teachers took their leaves soon after Pomfrey, but like her they couldn't resist stopping next to Ginny and complimenting the two of them as they admired the slumbering bundle.

Soon enough, only Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Slughorn were left at the table with Harry, Ginny, and Sev.

"Harry, my boy," Dumbledore started in a low voice, so as to not wake the baby, "I've been meaning to ask…How does Severus act around the pair of you? Or how does he act in general?"

Harry took a drink of tea and exchanged a glance with Ginny. "Well, Professor…" He thought for a moment, wondering how he was going to answer this. "Sev is…" He struggled to find a way to describe it so Ginny helped him out.

"One thing's for sure—you can't talk to him like you would talk to an infant."

Harry nodded, gesturing towards his girlfriend. "Yes, absolutely. If you speak to him in that sort of high-pitched tone of voice, and treat him condescendingly…he's not going to be very nice to you."

"So you talk to him like an adult?" McGonagall interjected.

"Well…not _really_, Professor." Ginny shook her head.

"I think it really depends on _who_ is talking to him." Harry added.

"Yeah. Definitely." Ginny nodded. "When we went to Diagon Alley yesterday, Remus, Teddy, and Tonks were there with us. I noticed Severus…wouldn't allow Remus and Tonks to talk to him in any way other than how they would speak to a thirty-eight year-old. If they didn't, he would become quite rude."

"And I would get on his case." Harry added offhandedly.

"Teddy, though," Ginny continued. "Teddy is Harry's godson, Remus' son, and he's about two months old right now." She added for Slughorn's and McGonagall's benefit. "Severus and Teddy got along splendidly yesterday."

"Sev met a new friend." Harry nodded.

"Exactly!"

"You know, if he grows up again, they're going to do it together, and they'll be in the same year at Hogwarts."

"Wouldn't that be wonderful?" Ginny smiled at her boyfriend before switching back to topic just as quickly. "Anyway, around Teddy, Severus is a normal five-month-old child. The high-pitched noises, the colors, the sounds—everything makes him laugh."

"Around Ginny and I, Severus pretty much accepts just about any way we talk to him." Harry continued, "Sometimes, when he's in the mood, we talk to him like an infant. When he's in a temper…" Ginny raised an eyebrow at him. "Well, it depends. If he's in a temper and being rude or…childish, for want of a better word…I speak to him like a five-month-old who has done something wrong and needs correcting. If he's in a temper and he looks like he wants me to speak to him in a mature way, I'll kindly oblige."

"In general, Harry and I tend to speak to him like an intelligent five-year-old, and it's worked the best." Ginny threw in and Harry agreed.

"I think what Professor Dumbledore's trying to ask, though, is how he _acts_ around the pair of you." McGonagall broke in, "I mean, Professor Dumbledore, Madame Pomfrey, and I saw a few days ago that he can act very much like a wee lad when he's upset. What about the other times?"

"His behavior in general." Dumbledore clarified.

Harry and Ginny exchanged a look. "Well it…flutters from one end of the spectrum to the other. One minute, you could swear that you were talking to the old Severus Snape, that he was just wearing a glamour or something like that. The next minute, he could be spitting in your eye and be in dire need of a reprimand."

"So in other words," Ginny interrupted, "Sometimes it's a five-month-old, sometimes it's an intelligent five-year-old with limited communication skills, sometimes it's a moody teenager, and sometimes it's the old Professor Snape."

"So it goes back and forth." Slughorn summarized with a nod.

"I'm curious…have either of you noticed a bit of a change, yet?" Dumbledore asked.

Harry and Ginny traded concerned glances. "A change, Headmaster?"

"In addition to doing some intense research on the potion, its recipe, its ingredients, everything, Poppy, Minerva, Horace, and I have been doing a bit of digging into this Aidan Elson." The Headmaster entwined his fingers together and hunched over the table conspiratorially. "Apparently, he was slated to come to Hogwarts, but his parents opted out in favor of teaching him at home."

"That's why nobody knows him." Harry surmised.

"Precisely." Dumbledore nodded. "It was rather unfortunate as well."

"Why?"

"Because I believe his parents were abusive." The old man replied with a frown. "How they abused him, I'm not entirely sure."

"Could be all four kinds." Harry interjected matter-of-factly, "His parents opted out of sending him to Hogwarts, so they probably didn't want anyone finding out about it. It's most likely some form of physical abuse or neglect. There's also evidence of emotional abuse—just look at how the Prophet writes about this guy. If his parents aren't guilty, Rita Skeeter sure is. As for sexual abuse, well…that's the hardest to spot."

Dumbledore gave Harry a sad and concerned look. "Yes…" He murmured, almost to himself. "Yes, it is." Turning away, he took a deep breath before continuing. "Apparently, Elson's two friends Leroy and Irene knew him from childhood. They lived next door and down the street from him, respectively. They were the only friends he ever made."

"Mr. Elson created and patented the Elixir to Induce Euphoria when he was just sixteen years old." McGonagall continued. "It became an instant success and the proceeds he received from that potion guaranteed him financial independence. He was also able to conduct his own research without requiring some form of financial aid for years." She paused. "Unfortunately, that success was later followed by a nasty lawsuit. Some rich, pure-blooded, stuck-up old fool had consumed a large quantity of the potion and proceeded to humiliate himself in front of his peers."

"So he sued Elson?!" Harry eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "For something he'd done to himself?!"

"Shows you how spiteful some people are." Dumbledore commented.

"Indeed." McGonagall agreed. "Needless to say, Elson was the losing party. He hired the wrong lawyers, said the wrong things, made the wrong decisions. Within a year, the plaintiff owned half his fortune as well as the rights to the Euphoria Elixir."

"That is completely wrong!" Ginny complained indignantly.

McGonagall nodded and continued sadly, "Needless to say, things just went downhill from there. He managed to patent some minor potions that made him a few knuts and sickles, but nothing brought in the galleon like the Euphoria Elixir. His money started draining away, a few mishaps with some clients—notably Gringotts—brought him infamy. He became addicted to several substances. He lost respect with the Ministry, with the wizarding world in general, and with himself it seems."

"So he planned an escape and pulled it off." Harry filled in.

"Better than he expected, actually." Slughorn interjected. Harry and Ginny turned to him, interested. "Albus, Minerva, and I paid a visit to the Nobles yesterday and we all had a nice chat. It was rather interesting, really. This boy was a virtual _genius_ at potions. I would've wanted to get to know him had he come to—"

"Horace!" Dumbledore interrupted, "Please _do_ try to stay on topic."

"Oh! Oh, right! So sorry…" Slughorn cleared his throat, "The Nobles were kind enough to tell us his life story and give us all this information _plus_ some bits and pieces of their own experience with the miniaturized potioneer." He grinned at them. "Before he was oblivated, the Nobles had experiences very similar to yours. Little Aidan was an infant one minute, a middle-aged-man-in-a-child's-body the next, and then he would be an infant again. Now here's what they noticed—Aidan's behavior as an infant by no means matched his behavior as an adult."

Understanding dawned in Harry and Ginny's eyes. "Ooooh! Is _that_ what you mean by changes?" Harry asked them with a smile. He and Ginny exchanged an amused glance.

"Yes, that's exactly what I meant." Dumbledore nodded, his gaze moving back and forth between the teens. "You sound relieved." He pointed out, raising an eyebrow in silent question.

"When you said 'changes', Headmaster, I think both our minds jumped to the worst case scenario." Ginny chuckled nervously.

"Oh, I am terribly sorry!" Dumbledore smiled contritely.

Harry then proceeded to tell them about his theory regarding the separation of Severus' memories and his behavior.

"I'm sorry, Harry, but what, exactly, is a neural pathway?" Slughorn asked, confused. It appeared Dumbledore and McGonagall were not far from it as well.

"It's a muggle medical term." The teen answered. "It's used to describe these passages that form in the brain between these tiny balls called neurons, which receive information…from your…ehm…brain's…brain—" Harry took note of how the professors' looks of confusion became more prominent. "Gin, how did _you_ get it so quickly?"

"_I've_ read muggle medical texts before." She answered, taking a sip of tea. "When you explained it to me, all I needed was clarification, that's all. I already pretty much knew what a neural pathway was." She took pity on Harry upon hearing his dejected sigh, and turned to the professors.

"Neural pathways are just what they sound like—neural refers to your brain, and a pathway is a pathway." She spilled a cup of tea onto a shallow plate and put it in the middle of the group. "When you're born, this is what your brain looks like—absolutely no pathways whatsoever. Well…we'll pretend that's the case for simplification." She took her wand and started poking the tea, leaving dots of dry spots in her wake. Now it looked like someone had just trekked through some mud, leaving tiny footprints across the plate. "When a person experiences an event (for example, a birthday party), emotions of some kind are guaranteed to be associated with said event (IE, happiness, excitement, joy, etc.). The association between life experience and emotion is what first forms this neural…trail." She glanced at Harry and shrugged. "Everything associated with the event (IE, music, food, bright lights, the host house, etc.) becomes associated with the emotions (once again, joy, happiness, etc). As the years go on, and the same thing happens—birthday, happiness, birthday, happiness, birthday, happiness—then this trail…" She took her wand and connected the dots, leaving a nice, clean, dry pathway through the tea, "…becomes a pathway." She glanced at the professors and was delighted to see understanding dawn. "Everything associated with the event (music, food, bright lights) becomes associated with the emotion (joy, happiness). In this example, food and happiness are connected, which could mean the child may develop a taste for comfort foods. Over time, as these trails become pathways, they become habit, they become behavior. Thus…neural pathways related to behavior!" She pocketed her wand and picked up a pastry. "Harry?"

"When Sev was de-aged, he was reset. The same thing goes for Aidan when _he_ was de-aged." Harry continued. "Physically, they are both five to six months old."

"These neural pathways have not formed yet." Dumbledore surmised.

"Exactly." Harry nodded. "Their memories make no difference in their behavior. They haven't been conditioned to act the way they used to yet."

"But wouldn't having the memories affect his behavior?" McGonagall asked.

"One would think so." Harry nodded. "But look at it this way, Nana—you take a picture of a full slate, and then you stick that picture onto the top of a blank slate." He said, trying to use examples to illustrate his point. "You're going to see that _copy_ of the full slate in front of you, but there's a blank slate underneath; and what's written on that blank slate is what truly matters in the long run."

"So what you're saying is that…essentially, someone took Severus Snape's memories and injected them into this boy?" Slughorn asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying." Harry nodded.

"It makes sense." Dumbledore murmured, stroking his beard in thought. "A lot of it."

"It's like Severus is seeing things from somebody else's life, that's what I'm almost certain he feels like. Whether or not he realizes that remains to be seen. Now I'm not saying the memories won't affect his behavior _somewhat_. I'm sure they will." Harry put in.

"They already have." Ginny interjected.

"Yes, that's true." Harry nodded. "And we've had to deal with those things as they came. But I get the feeling that, had this been the older Severus Snape, it would've been ten times ten times ten times ten times harder to come to terms with his memories than it was for this cub." He gestured towards the still-slumbering bundle.

"He's right, you know." McGonagall chuckled.

"He's finding closure, Headmaster." Harry continued. "I'm absolutely sure of it. In fact, I've been there every step of the way."

"Closure? With his past, you mean?" Slughorn asked.

"Yes." Harry nodded. "He's taking all his skeletons out of the closet, laying his demons to rest." He laid his arm across Ginny's shoulders and stared wistfully at the sleeping child. "He's very much like a phoenix, Headmaster, that's dying and still on fire. He'll need to burn up completely…" Harry reached down and lightly fingered the child's soft hair, "…before he can be born again."

"Leave his old life behind." Dumbledore murmured,

"Exactly." Harry replied, just above a whisper. His focus remained on the sleeping Severus.

Slughorn broke the tender moment. "Yes, well…it looks like the Nobles just skipped that whole part altogether and just oblivated the little scamp."

"It's a shame, that." Harry replied, looking at Slughorn. "He would've enjoyed his life immensely if he remembered he was living it the second time around. He could've also been able to avoid making the same mistakes he made the first time."

"The Nobles also said something else, Harry." McGonagall added. "They said as time wore on, even though Aidan had his memories, he began to act more and more like the child than the adult."

"They said the changes came rapidly after the first few days." Dumbledore threw in.

"And I believe them." Harry replied. "Because it's happening to him." He gestured towards Sev. "I mean, can you honestly tell me you see Severus Snape asking to be breastfed by anyone?" Everyone chuckled softly at the weak joke. "Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not fooled. Even though his behavior is changing, there are still his memories to deal with. We'll go one step at a time, but it's going to take lots of time and patience." He paused. "I don't want him to be oblivated like the other guy. To me, that's running." Harry set his jaw and made up his mind. "I want him to come to terms with his past and let it go; to accept that this is a second chance—a fate even _better_ than the death he wished for himself. I want him to call this house a home." Harry sighed and began studying the sleeping babe once again. "I want him to have what he deserves. I want him to be _happy_."

Dumbledore studied Harry for a long moment, watching the teen's eyes glaze over as he stared at the baby Severus. "His happiness brings yours along with it."

Harry opened his mouth the say something, but closed it again, glancing at Ginny. His girlfriend grinned at him and pat him on the cheek playfully. "Not only his, Professor." She told the Headmaster. "I assure you, not only his."

Dumbledore chuckled, his eyes twinkling as he studied the pair of them. "We only ask that you keep us in the loop about what's going on with Severus."

Harry nodded. "Absolutely."

"Yes…" Slughorn interjected, "In the meantime, we'll try to investigate the situation further. Although…we've, uh…gone pretty far already, I think."

"The trail's going cold, I'm afraid." McGonagall said.

"Yes, it looks like Severus _might_ just have to grow up again the old, fashioned way." Dumbledore added.

"I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing, Professor." Ginny replied, gazing down at the angelic face of the sleeping babe.

_

* * *

_

"Okay…you ready?" Harry asked, adjusting one last strap on the baby carrier. Severus—now awake—was sitting face forward in his carrier, leaning against Harry's chest. He was once again chewing on his teething snitch as he studied the destruction before him.

Harry and Severus stood at one end of the fourth floor corridor that led to the library. It was one of the most heavily-damaged areas of the school. The hallway had clearly seen much activity during the battle. Burn marks covered the walls. The short columns that normally lined the sides of the hallway were shattered and the debris scattered across its middle. The bowl torches that usually sat atop the columns were split and spread throughout the ground, their ashes blackening the stone. The small chandelier that used to hang upon the rafters was now broken and spread all over the place. The lion statue that used to sit at the opposite end of the hall was chipped in several areas and missed a large portion of its head. And beyond this hallway were several others, all in the same state.

"We're going to do about half the fourth floor." Harry said. "Ginny and Professor Flitwick are at the other end of the castle, on the same floor, and they'll be repairing it from their end." He checked his pocket watch. "We're to meet them in the middle, and I figure…if we stop for a minute to do the staircase over there…we should meet them in about ten to twenty minutes." He stuffed the watch back in his pocket. "Right?"

_Ten to twenty minutes? Ten to twenty __minutes__?! Are you __mad__, Potter?! No one can repair this amount of destruction in ten to twenty minutes! More like ten to twenty __hours__. Look at the state of this place! _Severus didn't believe _anyone_ could repair this mess in twenty minutes, not even Dumbledore. _Who does he think he is? Merlin? You have to repair one thing at a time, and that in itself takes a while. There's at least forty pillars in every hallway, and then we'll say two chandeliers each, plus the statues, and the windows, and the dirt, and the staircase he said we're going to do…_ Sev did a quick calculation in his head. _Yup…ten to twenty hours seems about right. _

"Uh-uh!" He scowled over his shoulder and sign spelled 'L-O-N-G' and 'T-I-M-E'.

"What do you mean it'd take a long time?" Harry asked incredulously. "I think ten to twenty minutes is a generous amount of time for all this."

Sev shot him a confused look over his shoulder. _What in Merlin's name is he on about?! There's no spell that can right all this destruction in twenty minutes!_ Severus wracked his brain for construction and repair spells. He definitely knew quite a few beyond _Reparo_, but none had the capability to do what Potter was thinking about doing.

"Oh, ye of little faith, Severus." Harry commented with a smile, his eyes twinkling with mirth. Severus furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "Clearly, you haven't seen this kind of repair job done before, so you're in for quite a treat." He took out his wand and held it in front of the infant. "Allow me to remind you of how truly _amazing_ magic…can be!"

Harry's wand tip flared and Severus' eyes widened in surprise. Just as quickly, it settled into a dull glow.

"Let's take a walk, shall we?" Harry waved his wand in horizontal arc, and—much to Severus' astonishment—all the debris in sight flew into the air and began reassembling themselves before their eyes.

_What is Merlin's name…?_

Sev's eyes couldn't get any wider than they were right now. Pieces of rock, soot, ash, glass, metal, and wood revolved around him and Harry like planets around a sun before shooting out and reattaching themselves to whatever object they broke off from. Columns were pulling themselves together right before his eyes! Bowls were reassembling; ash swept itself up and piled into the separate torch bowls. Fires flared to life within the fully-mended torches. The chandelier repaired itself in midair, recalled all its mislaid candlesticks, spun around twice, and re-chained itself onto the rafters. Its lights then flared to life, illuminating the dark corners of the hall.

Harry began a leisurely stroll down the corridor, heedless of the rubble swirling around them. He held his wand loosely at his side, enjoying the sight with a tiny smile upon his face. Severus, on the other hand, couldn't get enough of the action before him! He hung over the edge of his carrier, grinning as widely as he could. His head swiveled sharply back and forth, while his eyes lit up in awe and delight.

He squealed in amazement as stone fragments, metal shards, and clumps of ash picked themselves up, sped around his head, and then seamlessly pulled together into a column and torch, until the finished product tipped itself back against the wall and a fire flared to life. Sev's arms and legs bobbed up and down from excitement, as he turned to the other side of the hall to watch the same thing happen yet again.

Shards of glass revolved around him at a safe distance before flying up and refitting themselves to the shattered window like final pieces to a gleaming puzzle.

Splinters of wood found their homes again in the rafters up high, while said wood beams groaned and snapped as they repositioned themselves back to their former glory.

Scorch marks on the walls retreated into themselves until they disappeared completely.

A quick peek into the stairway halfway down the hall had Sev shrieking with delight as he caught several crystal chandeliers spinning around and pulling together before flying up high and reattaching themselves to the ceiling. Picture frames reassembled seamlessly, the canvas within their borders resealing until the whole thing looked brand new. They even flew back onto the wall, perfectly straight and aligned.

Hogwarts crests dashed up and mended themselves before Sev's eyes, promptly dancing for him as only crests could, and causing the infant to dissolve into a fit of giggles. They then reattached themselves onto the wall.

Pieces of rock and dust gravitated towards the statue of the lion at the end of the corridor. By the time they reached it, the lion was good and whole again. It looked at them, smiled and winked, before giving them a mighty roar of approval. Air blew through both boys' hair as the creature roared, and Sev laughed at how it filled with him feelings of appreciation.

Thus it was as Harry and Sev continued down the hallways of the fourth floor. Objects repaired themselves left and right, some of them even stopping in front of him to entertain him for a bit before they settled down.

By the time they ran into Ginny and Flitwick at the halfway point, Severus was filled with a new admiration for the wonder that was magic.

"So how did it go at your end?" Ginny asked with a smile.

Severus squealed in delight and giggled, signing 'again' over and over with his fingers. "Ageh! Ageh! AGEH!"

Harry chuckled behind him, his deep voice rumbling by Sev's ear. "Maybe later, Sev. We're going to make Teddy's quarters right now."

"Peb-by?"

_Teddy's going to live here? That means Lupin's is going to live here! That means I'll get to play with Teddy every day!_ Severus' eyebrows furrowed in confusion. _That's a good thing, isn't it?_ _Wait! Why is Lupin going to live here?_

After Ginny thanked Flitwick for teacher her some spellwork, the trio headed back down the newly repaired hallways towards their quarters. During the trek, Harry took the time to inform Sev about the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teaching arrangements as well as his impending Auror's training.

_He's going to leave?! He's going to leave me here for two days a week?! Who's going to take care of me? _The thought distressed Severus and he began to whine.

"Ooo awoo! Ooo awoo wha meh?!" He began pointing at Harry and them himself frantically.

"Hey, Sev, relax! This isn't going to happen until term starts in September." Harry began rubbing his stomach soothingly. "I'm sure we can—"

"Wha meh?! Wha meh?! WHA MEH?!?!?!" The infant screeched

"Hey, you! Have you forgotten _I'll_ still be here, huh?" Ginny broke in, stepping in front of them and walking backwards so that she could face Sev.

_Oh, yeah._ Sev realized. _Ginny will still be here! _

"Gin—" Harry started, but stopped when his girlfriend threw him an evil glare.

"Immy?" Sev asked anxiously.

"I'll take care of you, sweetheart, when Harry's not here, okay? Remus, Tonks, and everyone else will just have to wait in line." At that, Sev let out a huge sigh of relief, sagging against Harry's chest and smiling. Ginny turned her gaze towards her boyfriend and raised an eyebrow in challenge. "Try to stop me, Harry."

The other teen grimaced and sighed. "We're going to have to work this out with McGonagall and Dumbledore."

"Hey! They asked you to take care of Sev already knowing your availability. The _least_ they can do is accommodate you." Ginny replied.

"What about your schoolwork?"

"I told you—we'll work something out. Or, I can do it after Sev's asleep. What am I going to do between eight-thirty and eleven? In fact, I'll probably get more studying done in your quarters than I will in the common room. Dean's coming back this year. He can be about as big a ruckus as Seamus was, you know?"

"Dean Thomas? Your ex?" Harry's eyebrows furrowed.

"Of course he's my ex. But he's also your old roommate, so calm down, Harry!" Ginny chided.

"I wasn't getting worked up." Harry replied defensively.

"And my name's not Ginny." She turned to Sev, determined to change the subject. "Hey, Sev! You want to help me design Teddy's quarters? I dropped by my house and brought over design magazines and books and everything. What do you think?"

"Peb-by!" Sev signed 'yes'.

"Excellent!"

* * *

**I wrote this around the point the HBP movie came out. Can you tell? :-P**

**Next up, Sev learns an important lesson from Harry and Ginny; and Sev and the other professors share a joke on Harry at dinner.**

**A shout-out to all my REVIEWers! You guys are wonderful and very encouraging. As usual, please keep them up. I'm always interested in knowing what you all think. :-)**


	11. I Promise

Ginny sat cross-legged on the newly-redone couch in Remus' quarters. Sev sat in her lap and surrounding them were open books and magazines with design ideas on them. Behind them, Harry stood in the middle of the now-spacious room, a construction spell book in his hand, changing the quarters according to their direction.

"Do you think granite would be good for their kitchens, love? By the way, give me your hand, please? Your nails are getting a bit long."

"A ba!" Sev pointed to a picture of a beautiful kitchen with granite counters and a nice cherry finish for the cabinets.

"Oh, that is gorgeous!" Ginny exclaimed as she grasped Sev's tiny hand lightly. "Harry! Here—do their kitchen like this and then save the picture for Godric's Hollow. Do you want your kitchen to look like that?"

Harry grasped the magazine and graced her with an indulgent look. "Love, as long as the kitchen has an ice box, stove, and pantry, I'll be absolutely happy. In fact, that's what's in my kitchen right now, so I _am_ absolutely happy."

"But what does your kitchen _look_ like?"

Harry shrugged. "I don't know. Plain?" Ginny raised an eyebrow at him. "It has a table." The other eyebrow went up this time. "Look, Gin, if you want to redo my kitchen to look like this, you are absolutely welcome." He took the magazine and headed towards the half-done kitchen area of Remus' quarters. "In fact, compared to my home, the Burrow looks like a luxury hotel right now."

Ginny took Sev's little hand and fingered his long nails gently. "That's because you have no sense of interior design, Harry." She took out her wand and softly tapped one of his nails three times, murmuring softly, "One, two, three…_Curtus_!" Sev bit his lip to contain his smile and cooed quietly as the nail shrunk to a safe size, delighting in the feel of Ginny's smooth hand against his tiny one.

"Ginny, I'm a guy. I'm perfectly happy with the bare necessities."

Ginny snorted. "Malfoy's a guy too. I'm pretty sure _he's_ not perfectly happy with the bare necessities."

Harry slammed the magazine down onto the kitchen table and began working on the counters. "And that's what makes the difference between a real man and a sorry excuse for one." He checked the picture one more time before continuing his work. "I can't believe you compared me to that ferret! Malfoy's all talk and no trousers, he is. Keeps babbling this rubbish about pure-bloods first and all that and when he's ordered to walk the walk, he gets so scared the talk even stops! Well it served him right, that!" He scoffed. "Where was his rebellious streak? Where was the point where he started questioning his beliefs and all the rubbish his father injected into his head? He just swallowed it all up, he did! He's a carbon copy of his father."

"Harry, without people like them, there would be no people like us." She checked each of Sev's nails to make sure they were no longer sharp before reaching for his other hand.

"Well why can't people like them just exist in memory?"

"There's no time like the present to start diluting the prejudice, isn't there?" Ginny replied, giving him a sidelong glance over her shoulder before turning back to cutting Sev's nails. "We can change the laws, Harry."

"Changing laws isn't going to make their kind go away."

"Would you listen to yourself?!" Ginny retorted, annoyed at where this conversation was heading. "If you just switch some of your words to pure-bloods first, you'll start sounding exactly like them. Stop it!"

Silence reigned from the kitchen.

Sev shifted a bit on Ginny's lap in order to look over her shoulder, curious as to how Harry reacted to that bit of harsh truth. The teenager was leaning against the new granite counter, his back tense and his face scrunched up. His eyes were screwed shut, though, and he looked to be performing a deep breathing exercise.

"They're entitled to their opinion, Harry." Ginny continued. "When they cross the line into acting on it—that's when they start being in the wrong. The Malfoys are all talk and no trousers—you said so yourself. They're in no danger of crossing that line…_yet_." She paused. "_You_, Harry, on the other hand, are heading straight there. So _stop it_!" She scoffed and turned back to trimming Sev's nails. "_Be_ the change you want to see in the world. _Tolerance_ is what we need—nothing more, nothing less. To want anything else is extremist and _unnecessary_. You're a bare necessities kind of guy. How 'bout it?" With that note of finality, and with a gentleness that betrayed her stern tone, she tucked Sev's hand back against his tummy and kissed him on the head in silent praise of his good behavior.

"Hey, love," Ginny tapped Sev softly on the arm, murmuring in his ear. "How about we look through some gardens, eh? Harry told me he has lots of room for gardens at his house in Godric's Hollow. Can you help me pick out some nice designs? I have a bit of a green thumb." Severus tipped his head back to see Ginny smiling down at him, her brown eyes alight with excitement. He gave her a curious look.

Sev didn't get it. Weren't they just arguing a second ago? Why was she suddenly all happy again?

"Ooo ah Haweh…agoow."

Ginny's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Yes…?" She paused, and then amended, "Well…we didn't quite argue. More like, we had a heated discussion. I gave him a bit of a reality check. Why, sweetie?" She asked worriedly. "Is this bothering you?"

Severus shook his head firmly. "Mo. Mo…" He pointed up at Ginny. "Ooo appeh mow?" He signed 'happy' and then 'what', giving her a confused look.

Understanding dawned in Ginny's eyes. "Oh!" She tipped her head back in relief and smiled at the ceiling. "Sev…" She readjusted the infant on her lap so that they could look at each other better, and wrapped her arms around him. "Just because Harry and I argue doesn't mean we hate each other. We just have a difference of opinion and we're trying to resolve it." She thought for a second. "Did you know that having occasional arguments is actually healthy for a relationship? The world is not all sunshine and rainbows." She gave him a gentle smile. "I may _sound_ angry during the argument, but I'm not _angry_ angry. Not really."

"You better believe that, cub." Harry added, leaning over the back of the couch and peering at Sev over Ginny's shoulder. He, too, was smiling. "When Ginny's _really_ angry, you'll know it."

"I tend to stop speaking and refrain from looking at my source of anger." Ginny filled in.

"She also tends to send bat-bogies in their direction if she's especially irritated." Harry snorted.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "At _some_ people, not everyone. The point is," she turned back to Sev, "Harry and I bicker like that _all_ the time. It doesn't really mean anything. They're moments of irritation and nothing more. Think of it as a sort of warning from one of us to the other."

"'Hey, you're annoying me! Rethink yourself right now!'" Harry added in a funny voice, drawing quotation marks in the air. He and Ginny exchanged an amused look as he came around the side of the couch and took a seat next to his girlfriend. "I'm sorry, by the way." He told Ginny, leaning against the back of the couch and giving her a mock pitiful look.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "I'm glad you see that now." She scoffed.

"Gin…" Harry sighed. "I just spent the last few years thinking in terms of 'Voldemort is enemy because of his beliefs, must destroy Voldemort'." He said in a robotic sort of voice. "The last year alone, during the Horcrux hunt, that's all I've been able to think about."

"That's _all_?!" Ginny asked with a raised eyebrow.

"You know what I mean!" Harry rolled his eyes. "It's not exactly _easy_ to turn those thoughts off."

"Well you _have_ to, Harry." Ginny replied gently. "It may be hard, but you do."

Harry grimaced, sighed, and nodded, pausing for a moment before turning to Sev. The infant was studying him with an air of guarded interest. "Have you had a bad experience like this before, Sev?" He asked, propping his feet up onto the low coffee table and laying an arm across Ginny's shoulders. "With two people arguing, I mean?"

Severus swallowed and sighed as he eyed Harry warily. Ever so slowly, he signed 'mum' and 'dad'.

Ginny and Harry exchanged a concerned glance. "What about their arguments bothered you, Sev?" Ginny asked gently.

Severus bit his lip and began signing. "D-aaaah-d"—'Dad'—"Mmmmmaaaah-d"—'Mad'—"Muuuuuh-m"—'Mum'—"cweeeeewd"—'Scared'.

Ginny's arms tightened around him as she gazed down at him sadly. "I'm really sorry you had to live through that, Sev." She said, genuine sorrow filling her voice. "But I can guarantee you that's never going to happen between Harry and I."

"Ever. Ever. Ever." Harry added.

"It'll be a cold day in hell before I'm ever afraid of him." She tipped her head towards her boyfriend. "Voldemort-vanquisher or not, I'm still going to shoot _bat-bogies_ at him if I think he's getting out of line." Ginny poked Sev's tummy, causing the infant to giggle.

"Plus, what your father was doing to your mother was domestic abuse." Harry added seriously. "The emotional kind of domestic abuse." He paused. "Did he ever hit her?" Sev shook his head. "Just yelled?" A nod. Harry then paused even longer, his eyes darkening slightly. "Did he ever hit _you_?" Sev shook his head even more firmly than before. "Just yelled?" Another firm nod. Harry sighed and grimaced. "Sometimes the words hurt worse than blows, don't they?" The infant peered at him contemplatively. After a long moment, he shrugged.

_I don't really know. _He answered internally. _My father never really hit me like your uncle did you._ For a moment, Severus thought about how he would've reacted had his father actually raised a hand to him. _I probably would've exploded in his face._ He answered honestly _Would've given in to the instinct and just murdered the bastard. Sentenced myself to life in Azkaban at thirteen._ Then he remembered Harry, and how the teenager had lived with the words and the beatings and the neglect all his life. _And he still hasn't killed his aunt and uncle. Probably never will…_Sev grimaced. _What kind of person am I?_

"Violence begets violence." Harry murmured, as if he'd read Sev's thoughts. "The cycle only stops when one chooses to stop it."

The teenager laid a hand against Sev's cheek and looked him straight in the eye. "Now listen to me, Sev, and listen well." He began firmly. "I will never, _ever_ abuse either of you in any way, shape, or form." He declared strongly. "I have lived through too much of that in my life to have it in my home at all. I will not have _anyone_ in my life living through what I lived through as a child. I swear this to you right now. The both of you!" He amended, meeting Ginny's eyes as well as Sev's. "I would turn my wand on myself before I'd ever hurt either of you. Do you understand me?"

"I already know that, Harry." Ginny replied confidently, love and admiration gleaming in her eyes.

Sev, for his part, gave Harry a small smile. "Pomeh?"

"Promise." Harry replied resolutely. Then a thought occurred to him. "Now…just for clarification, that _doesn't_ mean I'm beyond a simple spanking." He remarked with a raised eyebrow. "A smack on the bum here and there, if it's warranted. I _will_ promise you this—I will give you a warning to change your behavior before it becomes warranted. _But_ if a spanking is indeed deserved, I _promise_ you it will be _pre_ceded and _pro_ceeded by a lengthy, emotional, and mushy, mushy discussion…_plus_ plenty of this—"

Harry moved faster than Sev could imagine, picking the infant up, cradling him in the crook of one arm, and then proceeding to tickle him mercilessly. Severus squealed and then burst into a fit of giggles. It felt like Harry was tickling him _everywhere_! He kicked and squirmed, tipping his head back to look at Ginny through the tears of laughter forming in his eyes. "Immmmmmy! HeheheheheheheheP! HEP! Hahahahahahah! IMMY!" But she was no help. Ginny merely laughed at the pair of them, snapping pictures when Harry started blowing raspberries on his tummy. "Mo. MO! Hahahahahahaha! Haweh…Haha…OP! Op, PEA!"

After what seemed like forever, Harry finally relented, relaxing against the couch once again. He waited patiently for Sev to catch his breath, reaching up his free hand to try to smooth the infant's wild hair. "So…" he started, looking at the baby intensely, "…do we have an understanding?"

Sev gazed up at him trustingly. "Ooo pomeh?"

"I promise." Harry swore. The infant smiled and signed 'yes'. "Excellent." The teen leaned over to give him a kiss on the forehead before turning to Ginny. "And to you I promise as well."

"I _know_, Harry." Ginny smiled, reaching over to give her boyfriend a quick kiss.

"Excellent!" Harry looked from one to the other. "Now how about we finish this place so Remus, Tonks, and Teddy can move in, eh?"

"What are you telling that to us for? You're not even done with the kitchen!" Ginny smirked as Harry's eyes widened in surprise.

"Oh yeah!"

"Come on, love. Help me pick out that garden." She reached over and placed Severus back on her lap, calling one of the flying magazines over to her. "Oh, and Harry?"

"Yeah?"

"We've decided to make it lofted—just like our quarters. So _do_ hurry up, will you? You've got _a lot_ of work to do…" She whistled as she turned the page of her magazine.

Harry groaned.

Sev giggled.

_

* * *

_

"By the way, sir, we've finished with Remus' quarters." Harry commented during dinner.

"Excellent! I'll let them know after supper." Dumbledore beamed.

"We made it lofted, just like Harry's quarters." Ginny explained excitedly. "We even added a secret office and a…uh…"

"Panic room?" Dumbledore supplied.

Ginny's eyes widened. "Yes, sir."

"We're starting to make them standard for all the professors' rooms." McGonagall explained. "We're going to do something about all the dormitories as well; we just don't know what yet."

"Oh…that's interesting!" Ginny nodded.

Severus ignored their entire exchange, preferring to bounce upon Harry's lap and practice his grasping skills with Harry's food.

_Okay…what have we got here? _Sev studied the teenager's plate. Or, at least, he studied what he _could_ see on the teenager's plate, as the plate itself sat at his eye-level. _Those look like mashed potatoes—good and the easiest to get down. That one appears to be meat—tough to chew __with__ teeth, choking hazard without them. Then we have corn—can I digest corn? Peas—gross but easy to chew. Carrots—I wouldn't touch those with a meter stick. _

Sev contemplated his menu for a minute or two before reaching out and grabbing a handful of the mashed potatoes, splashing the mush all over the plate in the process. He glanced up at Harry tentatively, but the teenager was turned away, engaged in an intense conversation with an eating Hagrid. Ginny, on the other hand, was looking right at him. Sev froze. After a pregnant pause, however, Ginny winked and slowly grinned at him. Sev recognized mischief behind her hazel eyes. She then flipped her hair and pointedly turned her head in the other direction, breathing not a word to Harry. Sev grinned and promptly began licking his fingers clean.

When he was finished with the mashed potatoes that had stuck themselves to his hand, Sev glanced up at Harry once again. This time, his attention was directed towards Professor Flitwick, as they debated about the pros and cons of using certain charms in specific situations. _Excellent!_ Sev smiled and reached for the peas this time. Little green balls promptly rolled all over the place. Still, Harry didn't notice.

Reach in…get it with the palm…close the fingers…got it! Bring it to mouth…stick everything in…excellent!

Sev repeated the process several times until he decided to have more mashed potatoes. In his excitement for more potatoes, he knocked most of the carrots off the plate and pushed half the steak onto the table by accident. _Whoops!_ Rather than doing anything about it, though, he merely grasped more potatoes and quickly brought his hand to his mouth, smearing most his face with the white mush as he did so.

Halfway through Sev licking his hand clean, Harry finally remembered he was having dinner and turned back to his plate. "_What_ in Merlin's name…?!"

The entire table suddenly burst into laughter at Harry's shocked expression.

"We were wondering how long it would take you to notice, dear boy." Dumbledore told him between chuckles.

"Lil' guy's been up ta tha' fer the last twenty minutes or so." Hagrid elaborated in the same manner.

"Gin?" Harry turned to his girlfriend questioningly.

"Hey, I'm not the one who's supposed to be feeding him right now." She grinned unrepentantly. "He probably got bored with your incessant babbling, so he decided to feed himself."

Harry looked down at the infant incredulously and Sev graced him with that toothless grin of his around the two fingers in his mouth. The teenager couldn't help it; he smiled at the adorable sight. "Are you quite done making a mess of my dinner?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

Severus popped the fingers out of his mouth and laughed. "Uh-huh!" He turned to Ginny, signing 'milk' and 'please'. "Immy…mik, pea."

The table promptly burst into another round of laughter.

"He got you there, love." Ginny smirked at her boyfriend as she wiped Sev's face and then lifted him into the sling she was wearing. "'Yes, I'm quite done messing up your dinner, Harry. I'm going to go eat now, okay?'"

Harry scowled. "Thanks a lot, Severus."

The baby merely continued to giggle.

* * *

**Next up, the Lupins move into their new quarters and, in the midst of the move, a few interesting people show up in Harry's fireplace. According to Merlin, one of them is a young man with curly hair and a goatee, the other young man has bright red hair, and the last is a girl with brown bushy hair. Severus does not react well.**

**A big THANKS to all who REVIEWed! You're super duper extra extra awesome! As per usual, please keep them up. I'm always interested in what people think. :-)**


	12. Close Encounters

"Oh, it's gorgeous!" Tonks gasped.

"Why thank you." Ginny grinned. "Although, Harry did most of the work. Sev and I picked out the designs, though." She elaborated. "The layout of the quarters is exactly like the layout of ours, but the designs and the themes of each room are all different. Of course, if you don't like it, you can change it around however you want."

"It's _perfect_, Ginny! Remus, isn't it perfect?" She asked over her shoulder.

"I'll elaborate on how perfect it is later, sweetheart, but for now you need to move." The werewolf grunted behind them. Both ladies jumped aside as Remus and Harry came through the door, carrying several boxes each. Severus rolled in on his walker behind them, chewing on his teething snitch and grinning.

He stopped at Tonks' feet and looked up at the baby in her arms, smiling. "Peb-by?"

Amazingly, the little metamorphamagus recognized his name, turned towards Severus and cooed. "Ah!"

"AH!"

"Severus, I like your shirt!" Tonks complimented.

Ginny had dressed the infant in a pair of cargo trousers, trainers, a blue plaid outer shirt, which was unbuttoned, and a white t-shirt that read 'Little Kid' across the front. "If you like that, you've only seen the half of it." She murmured to Tonks. "Look at what Harry's wearing."

Tonks glanced over and noticed that Harry was clad in a pair of blue jeans, trainers, and a form-fitting grey shirt that read 'Big Kid' across the front. "Merlin's name!" Tonks cracked up. "Big Kid-Little Kid! Where did you buy that? _When_ did you buy that? And where the heck was I?"

"I got it the other day when we went to Diagon Alley. I forgot where you were. You went somewhere with Remus for a few minutes. I was going to tell you about it but it slipped my mind." Ginny replied softly. "I also have a pair that say 'Me' and 'Mini Me', but I'm saving those for later, when Severus is a bit more comfortable with the situation."

"PEB-BY!"

"Coo!"

"Sev, love, maybe you can go and play with Teddy over there in their living room, okay?" Ginny suggested.

"I'll put Teddy on his bouncer, so he'll be at eye level with you." Tonks added. "Gin, would you help me look for it? It's in one of the boxes with his name on it." As they exited into the box-filled hall, Severus trailed behind them in his walker, babbling at the two-month-old.

Remus' quarters were directly across the hall from Harry's. A painting of two white wolves with piercing blue eyes, standing amidst a snowy forest with a wolf cub between them, now guarded the entrance to their new den. The moving had started early that day. Ginny had come over just before they started to watch Severus, and had ended up falling back to sleep along with him on Harry's bed. It had taken Harry, Remus, and Tonks an entire hour and a half to transport all the boxes from the Tonks residence to Hogwarts. Now all the boxes were piled in the hall and the group was moving them in one by one in order to simplify the unpacking process. Both portrait holes were open, as Remus' fireplace had yet to be connected to the Floo Network and thus they had to use Harry's floo in case they forgot something. As soon as Severus got the hang of using his new walker, he had the time of his life running from Harry's quarters to Remus' and back unhindered.

"Dora, do you know where I packed my collection of Transylvanian Ceremonial Draculean Masks?"  
"What did those look like again?"  
"They're the wooden ones, sweetheart."  
"Dora, is this the box with Teddy's bouncer?"  
"It might be. Just check inside it."  
"My masks, love?"  
"Remus, _all_ your masks are wooden ones. You're going to have to be a little more specific."  
"Whoooooooooooooooooo!"  
"Ehm…they're um…rather vampire-ish…Where do you want the record player, by the—WHOA! Hey!"  
"SEVERUS! Stop trying to plow people over!"  
"I think I found the Bouncer!"  
"Oh…_those_ masks…"  
"WHOOOOOOOO!"  
"Excuse me!"  
"Ahhhhhhhhhhh!"  
"_No_ plowing people over or I'm taking you out of your walker."  
"Yeah, that's Teddy's bouncer."  
"**MO**!!!"  
"It's adorable!"  
"This is your final warning. You want to pass someone? You say 'excuse me'."  
"Hun? The record player? My masks?"  
"Put the record player in the Den, sweetheart."  
"Coo meh…"  
"Pardon me?"  
"We bought it in Alkyds and Moore a while ago."  
"Thank you. Now go apologize to Remus."  
"I don't remember seeing it there."  
"Owy…"  
"Pa—Pardon me, Gentlemen...Ladies?"  
"It's quite alright, Severus."  
Silence.  
"Shake the man's hand, Sev."  
"Excuse me?"  
"I'll show it to you the next time we go there."  
"There! You see? Not so bad—"  
"AHEM! Sir Henry!"

All four adults and both babies shut up at Merlin's exclamation and turned to the great wizard's painting. "Yes, Sir Merlin?"

"I do apologize for shutting the entrance to your quarters while you were in the midst of this moving, but I must say, Sir Henry. A young gentleman flooed into your fireplace a few minutes ago and I do not recognize him as anyone you have allowed in yet."

"A young gentleman?" Harry asked, alarmed.

"Yes. Well…he's relatively young. I have trapped him inside in the meantime until I could check with you. He is quite confused right now and is demanding to be let out."

"Remus?" Harry questioned.

The werewolf shook his head. "No…I don't know. Dora?"

"Well we know a lot of young gentlemen. Would you please describe him for us, Sir Merlin?" Tonks asked.

All of a sudden, there was a loud banging from the other side of the portrait hole, accompanied by some muffled, angry shouts.

"He is about five foot nine, has dark brown, curly hair, brown eyes, a goatee—"

"Sirius!" Remus realized.

All of a sudden, Severus began to bounce agitatedly in his walker. "**MO**!!!"

_Thump! Thump! Thump!_

"He is demanding to be let out."

"MO! MO! HAWEH!"

"Now two others have flooed in as well." Merlin added. "The first is a young gentleman with bright red hair and the other is a young lady with brown bushy hair."

"Ron! Hermione!" Ginny gasped, exchanging a frantic look at Harry.

"MOOOOOOOO!" Sev's eyes began to glisten.

"_What's going on, Sirius?"_ They could hear Hermione's muffled voice on the other side of the door.

"_Where the bloody hell __are__ we? These aren't Harry's quarters!"_ As well as Ron's.

"Come on, Sev." Harry finally said, reaching over and lifting the infant out of his walker. "We're going to see Madame Pomfrey for that check-up now."

"Yes!" Remus added, snapping his fingers. "You three just stay out of the way. Dora, Teddy, and I will keep them distracted for the rest of the day." He picked up Sev's walker, shrunk it, and stuck it in Harry's pocket.

"Yeah, we'll call you when they've gone." Tonks agreed.

"Wait! We're going to need Sev's diaper bag." Harry remembered, as he tucked the infant into the crook of his arm.

"I'll get it, Harry. Just go!" Ginny answered, pushing them down the hallway, towards the staircase.

_Thump! Thump! Thump! _

"Be sure to get my broom too." Harry responded over his shoulder. "We'll just go flying for the rest of the day. Maybe go for a picnic." He was about to turn a corner when he suddenly remembered something. "Thank you, Sir Merlin!" He called.

"You are quite welcome, Sir Henry." The painting replied kindly.

"You too, Remus! And Tonks!"

"PEB-BY!"

"Yes, yes. GO, Harry!" Remus cried, making shooing motions with his hands.

_Thump! Thump! Thump!_

Harry quickly turned the corner and then speed-walked down several more halls before he slowed to a decent pace at the entrance to the stone bridge.

"Well…" He started, pushing the door open and pausing on the walkway to take a breath. "That was fun! Eh?" He jingled Sev lightly on his hip, and began rubbing a soothing hand up and down his back."

"Eh…Eeeeeeeennnnnnk…ooo." The infant said, leaning against Harry's chest and signing 'thank you' with his free hand.

"Sev…" Harry sighed, pushing open the door that led to the Clock Tower. "I wasn't going to make you face him until you were good and ready." He told the infant. "And even then, I would've had a long and thorough discussion with him beforehand about _old grudges_…" he emphasized strongly, "…and _letting them go_." The child now had his ear against Harry's chest, and was listening to his caretaker's heartbeat with his thumb in his mouth. "Do I need to have the same discussion with you?"

_You're__ one to talk!_ Severus scoffed internally. _I don't see you letting go of your grudge with Malfoy!_

"Mamoy." He murmured around his thumb.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Malfoy?! Malfoy is a—" _Is a what, Harry?!_ The teenager berated himself internally. _Is a what? A different story? Go ahead! Tell him that; it's all he needs to hear! Don't be a two-faced bastard, Potter! Ginny warned you about this yesterday. Malfoy and Sirius are __not__ different stories. They're the same story in different languages. Just like you and Sev are the same story in different languages. Tell this to him, Harry…and you might as well be telling it to yourself._

Harry swallowed. "Look, Sev…" He started again in a much gentler voice, pausing to sit on one of the benches that lined the hallway to the Infirmary. "…all I'm asking…is for tolerance." He said, after a moment of contemplation.

Harry leaned back slightly, so he could look the baby in the eye. "You're right." He admitted reluctantly. "Me asking you to get over Sirius is like me asking myself to get over Malfoy. You're right." He sighed. "So instead I'm going to ask you to do what Ginny had me do yesterday—learn to live with him." He watched as Severus' eyebrows furrowed. "It's hard. I know. Trust me…I _really_ do. But you remember what Ginny said yesterday, don't you?" Sev nodded hesitantly. "There's a line between being in the right and being in the wrong." The teenager paused, and then smirked at the baby. "And to add my own personal spin to things…I realized yesterday that what defines a man is _not_ how close he can come to that line, it's how far he can stay _away_ from it…" he leaned in close to whisper in Sev's ear, "…no matter how much he wants to cross it." He pulled away to study the infant's face. "That's what defines a man."

Severus rolled Harry's words around in his head. _What defines a man…_

"Will you at least try to _think_ about it, please?"

Severus nodded wordlessly Harry rewarded him with a smile. "Thank you." The teen glanced at the closed infirmary doors. "Now…shall we get this over with?" He stood, baby firmly in his arms, and walked into Pomfrey's den.

"Good morning, Mr. Potter, Mr. Snape." The matron greeted sharply, but her smile softened her words. "Or shall I say Professor Potter now, hmm?"

Harry blushed. "Morning, Madame Pomfrey." He nudged Severus, but the infant merely nodded into his shirt, refusing to move his thumb from his mouth.

"I trust Mr. Lupin and his family have moved in without a problem this morning?" The healer asked, directing them towards one of the beds.

"Yes." Harry started, but paused. "Well…there was a _tiny_ hitch." He amended, dropping onto the bed, Severus still in his arms.

"Oh?"

"Yeah, um…Sirius sort of showed up." Harry grimaced. "Ron as well."

Pomfrey raised an eyebrow. "I didn't realize you were so averse to seeing your godfather and best friend." She commented, retrieving a spell book from a nearby cabinet.

"It's not that." Harry shook his head. "It's just…" He paused. "I think it would do well for my own peace of mind if I had a long discussion with Sirius before I even allow him to be in the same room as Sev here." He gestured towards his silent charge. "Ron as well."

The healer looked surprised.

"What?"

"Before you even _allow_ him to be in the same room as Severus?" Pomfrey repeated, the corners of her lips twitching slightly.

"Yeah." Harry nodded, his eyebrows furrowing. "Is there something wrong with that?"

"No, no." The matron answered offhandedly, taking out her wand and waving it at them in a seemingly random manner. "Nothing at all." A flash of something flitted behind her eyes, and the twitching grew into a miniscule smile. Before Harry could question her any further, though, the healer changed the subject. "So where is Miss Weasley this morning, if I may?"

"She's getting our stuff from our rooms." Harry replied. "When Sirius, Ron, and Hermione flooed in unexpectedly, we were in Remus' quarters, and Merlin had locked them in ours to check with us first, since he didn't recognize them."

"I bet Mr. Black didn't like that very much." Pomfrey commented with a slight smile.

"Boom, boom, boom!" Sev spoke up for the first time, peeking out of Harry's shirt shyly.

Pomfrey looked startled. "Boom, boom, boom?"

"Sirius tried knocking down the door when Merlin wouldn't let him out." Harry elaborated. Sev giggled into his chest.

"Ah!" The matron nodded. "I see." She checked something in her book before addressing Severus. "Mr. Snape, I am going to need to take a quick peek inside your mouth, if you please."

Severus didn't budge. "Come on, cub. The sooner we can get through this, the sooner we can get out of here." He nudged the infant gently. Sev sighed, but did as he was bid, opening his mouth slightly.

"So I trust Albus, Minerva, and Horace filled you in on their investigations into Mr. Elson?" Pomfrey asked, lighting the tip of her wand and holding it at the entrance to Sev's mouth.

"Yes."

"Excellent!" Pulling her wand out of the infant's mouth, Madame Pomfrey straightened up and put her wand away. "Okay. I think I've checked everything." She slammed the book shut with one hand.

"And…?"

"Everything checks out, Mr. Potter." She replied sharply. Turning around, she walked back to the bookshelf to replace the volume. "In fact, everything more than checks out."

"What do you mean?"

"When I gave him his examination on Monday—just after he had consumed the potion—there were many things about his system that worried me." Task done, she walked back towards them. "He was underweight for a five-month-old, his muscles were underdeveloped, he was paler than he should have been, quieter than I expected, and his immune system was rather weak." She explained. "I was worried that if he caught some sort of illness, his immune system wouldn't have been able to cope." Both Harry and Severus now looked at her worriedly. "But a few days with you and Miss Weasley seem to have changed that considerably." The mediwitch continued. "He's now the perfect weight for his age, he's rather vocal, he's colored up a bit, both his leg and arm muscles seem to have developed to standard, and most importantly his immune system is _a lot_ stronger now."

"So if he were to catch a cold or something…?" Harry asked.

"It would not be as worrying it would have been a few days ago." Pomfrey assured them, glancing towards the door. "And I have no doubt that immunity boost was due in large part to this young lady right here. Good morning, Miss Weasley."

"Hello, Madame Pomfrey." The teen answered with a smile.

"If you would just step behind the curtain over there, I can examine you right away." The healer said, gesturing and then moving towards a curtained-off bed.

"Absolutely." She nodded, handing the diaper bag and Harry's broom over to her boyfriend.

"What happened?" Harry whispered.

"I'll tell you later." Ginny replied, just as softly.

Harry and Severus didn't have to wait long. Within ten minutes, Ginny stepped out from behind the curtains, beaming at them.

"Well?"

"Everything's in good order." Ginny answered, "We had a bit of a discussion regarding my body and who has the rights to it, and my coming of age in a month and a half." She took the Firebolt and continued towards the door, Harry and Severus—now in his sling—trailing in her wake.

"She's not going to tell your parents." Harry surmised.

"Not until I decide to tell them myself." She shook her head.

"What about Ron?"

"Ron has no say over what I choose to do with my own body!" Ginny replied heatedly.

"No, I mean…I was just saying…" The teen paused. "Is he still in the castle?"

"Yes." Ginny nodded. "He, Hermione, and Sirius are staying the rest of the day to help Remus and Tonks move in."

"Oh." Harry grunted neutrally. He didn't know how he felt about that. He would've been happy to see his best friends and godfather, but not at the expense of Severus. He was happy they were there to help Remus and Tonks move in, but as he had been looking forward to helping them as well, he was a bit put-out at being kicked out of the party.

"So what happened?"

Ginny grinned.

_Ginny turned towards Merlin and smiled. "I'll take it from here, Sir Merlin." She said, grasping the edge of the portrait. _

"_But of course, Lady Ginevra." _

_She nodded and paused, tilting her head as if listening to something. "Sir Merlin, if you would just brace yourself for a moment." _

_The old wizard chuckled at her. "Whatever you say, Dear Lady." He nodded. _

"_What are you doing, Gin?" Tonks asked, curious. _

"_Just…wait for it…" She smirked, her eyes twinkling. _

_THUMP! THUMP!—Ginny swung the portrait hole open violently—! _

_Sirius stumbled across the opening, losing his balance when his fist met open air, and ended up in an uncoordinated heap on the floor. _

"_With all due respect, Sirius," Ginny started, looking down at him indulgingly, "Your ruckus could wake the dead, you know?" _

"_Ginny!" "Ginny!" "Ginny!" Sirius, Ron, and Hermione all exclaimed at almost the same time. _

_Sirius looked past her shoulder at the two other people standing over him. "Remus? Dora?" _

"_What's going on here?" Ron squalled. "Where are we? These aren't Harry's quarters!" _

"_Actually, they are." Ginny replied, helping Sirius off the ground and then neatly stepping past the three of them into the room. "Professor Dumbledore moved Harry in here a few days ago." _

"_He did?!" The three of them exclaimed in chorus. They exchanged looks with each other and then with Remus and Tonks before stepping back into the room and examining it, apparently for the first time. _

"_Merlin's beard! This place is __huge__!" Hermione gasped. "Lofted quarters!" _

"_We made Remus and Dora's quarters just as big." Ginny replied over her shoulder as she marched towards the bedroom. _

"_They did?" Hermione questioned._

_Tonks grinned. "Oh, yeah! And it's __perfect__! Wait 'til you see it." _

"_Wait a minute!" Ron cried. "What was wrong with Harry's old quarters? Why would Dumbledore move him here? And why is this place so __big__?!" _

"_And what's wrong with it being big, Ron?!" Ginny snapped defensively, glaring at him from around the bedroom doorway. _

"_Nothing!" The redhead squawked. "It's just…it doesn't seem like Harry, that's all!" _

"_Maybe Harry wanted a bigger place." Sirius muttered, taking in the scope of the room for the first time. _

"_Oh, wait! Didn't I tell you?!" Tonks exclaimed. Everyone in the room, except Remus, turned to her in surprise. "I thought I told you yesterday when I said Remus got his teaching job back." _

"_Told us what?" Sirius asked, confused. _

"_That my position is part-time for the next three years, after which it will become full-time." Remus explained, a slight smile on his face. _

"_What?!" Sirius exclaimed. _

"_Why?" Ron added. _

"_Is it because Dumbledore wanted parents to get used to the idea that you're a werewolf?" Hermione reasoned. _

"_That," Remus nodded, "as well as the fact that Dumbledore offered the position to Harry to begin with." _

"_Harry?!" Ron and Sirius gasped. _

"_Well it makes sense." Hermione added after a thought. _

"_The thing is, Harry will be away for Auror's training twice a week—Thursday and Friday," Remus continued, "So he made a deal with Dumbledore that he'd take the position if I got my old job back." _

"_Part-time." Hermione filled in._

"_Yes. Until three years from now, when Harry graduates from Auror training and joins the department, upon which I will get the position full-time." _

"_So Dumbledore gave Harry these quarters as a sort of bribe to get him to accept the position?" Hermione guessed. _

_Remus and Tonks exchanged a look. "That's one of the reasons." The metamorphamagus answered with a shrug. _

"_Okay! I'm off!" Ginny said, making her way out of the bedroom, Sev's diaper bag around one shoulder and Harry's broom in her hand. _

"_Wait a minute, where's Harry?" Sirius asked, putting a hand out to stop her. _

_Ginny instead diverted to the kitchen, opening the ice box and stuffing a few bottles into the diaper bag (behind the door, so the others wouldn't see). "He's…out for the day." She answered offhandedly. "Doing repairs and such." She slammed the door shut and headed towards the entrance. Ron and Hermione stopped her. _

"_Isn't he going to help with the move-in?" Sirius asked. _

_Ginny and Remus exchanged a look. "He might be over later, if he's not too busy." _

"_Well, you're going out to meet him, aren't you?" Hermione guessed. "We'll come with you." _

"_NO!" Ginny, Remus, and Tonks cried simultaneously. The other three jumped back and then gave them suspicious looks. _

"_What is going on here?!" Sirius growled in frustration. _

"_Nothing is going on!" Ginny snapped. "Harry's just extremely busy right now, and he'd love to help Remus move in but can't, and yes I'm going to meet him but he's…working on something extremely delicate right now and doesn't want to be bothered and…I'm supposed to be helping him so if you'll excuse me…"_

"_Ginny!" Ron shouted. "We're his best friends! Since when did he start doing everything with you and nothing with us! If you're welcome, I'm more than sure we are as well." _

"_Don't count your chickens before they hatch, Ron!" Ginny snapped. She saw Tonks waving something at her from inside Teddy's sling and she handed the diaper bag over so that other witch could slip it inside. _

"_What's that supposed to mean?! We were perfectly welcome a few days ago!" _

"_And you're still perfectly welcome now. Just not…__now__!" She snatched the diaper bag back from Tonks and shouldered it angrily. _

"_Why not __now__?!" _

_Hermione held up a calming hand to the redheaded boy. "Whatever Harry's doing can't possibly last all day, Ginny. You're taking his broom to him." She gestured towards the Firebolt. "Perhaps we could all meet up later—after the move-in—and hang out for a bit, fly around." She suggested. _

"_I don't think that's going to be possible." _

"_What, in Merlin's name, is up with you, Gin!" Ron exclaimed. "You've been weird for days!"_

"_Ron—"_

"_It's true, 'Mione!" He turned back to his sister. "She's been completely unpredictable. She goes out early in the morning, and doesn't come back until late at night. She won't talk about her day. Sometimes she's moody, other times she's bouncing off the walls, grinning like Lockhart! If mum didn't know the schedule of her cycle, she could swear she had hers. She's brewing weird potions in her room, she always eats here with Harry, and now Harry's got this place!" _

"_What are you trying to say, Ron?!" Ginny snapped. _

"_I'm just trying to find out what's going on between my best friend and my sister!" _

"_What's going on between me and Harry is __none__ of your business!" _

"_Is it any of mum or dad's business, then?" _

_Ginny jabbed a finger against his nose. "Unless you want to find out after everyone else has, keep your fat nose out of it!" _

"_Find out __what__?!" Ron roared. _

"_Ginny, what are you doing with a diaper bag?" Hermione broke in, her calm voice a welcome sound against the shouting. "And a teething toy?" _

"_NOTHING!" Ginny barked, everyone jumped at her sharp tone and gawked at her. Turning on her heel, she marched purposefully out of the room and down the hall. "And DON'T follow me!" _

Harry laughed. "Wow."

"You should've seen the looks on their faces." Ginny smiled. "If I wasn't so irritated, I think I would've laughed." The three had, in the meantime, made their way down the clock tower, through the courtyard, and past the wooden bridge onto the grounds. Now, hand-in-hand, they strolled leisurely about the property. Severus lay quietly in his sling across Harry's chest, listening to the story and chewing on his teething snitch. "Hermione's quick, though."

"Would've been surprised if she wasn't." Harry smirked.

"She noticed the diaper bag, and even saw Tonks slip Sev's teething toy back in while I was arguing with Ron." She turned to Harry worriedly. "You think she knows?"

"I think…she has a _vague_ idea." Harry answered after a thought. "She's brilliant. She really is." He said. "Not many things get past her."

"She could give you a run for your money in deductive reasoning and acute observation." Ginny commented slyly.

"Maybe…" Harry shrugged, narrowing his eyes at her playfully. "But if she could, she would've figured the whole story out by now."

"Thank Merlin Ron's not that keen." Ginny smirked. Harry laughed out loud. "You think she'll tell the others, though?"

"Hermione? Um…it depends on the situation." Harry thought back to his experiences with the muggle-born witch. "She'll most likely try to figure it out on her own before she lets anyone know anything." He shook his head. "No, I don't think she'll tell Ron or Sirius."

Ginny breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay, good."

As they reached the edge of the Forbidden Forest, Ginny heard something interesting in the distance. She tugged at Harry's hand to stop him. "Shhh! You two hear that?"

Harry gave her a curious look and Severus—with Harry's help—sat up in his sling to stare in the direction she was looking. "Hear what, Gin?"

Ginny gave him a reproachful look. "Harry, why don't you take your own advice and _listen_. Hmm?"

Severus bit into his snitch and peeked up at Harry, finding the teenager with his eyes closed, his head tilted, and a smile pulling at the corners of his lips. "Ah, yes…there it is."

"Wha?!" Sev cried, not being able to hear anything, save for the birds chirping annoyingly in the trees.

"Stretch out your sense, cub." Harry directed him. "You'll hear it." Sev scowled at him. He was tired of stretching out his senses! Why couldn't he just sense what they could sense as quickly as they could sense it?! He always had to put out a huge effort to see or feel anything, while they seemed to do it naturally. It wasn't fair! "Close your eyes. It'll help." Harry nudged him. "Come on."

With a grimace, Sev sighed and shut his eyes, allowing his hearing to take over. Within moments, he was able to discern the faint sound of hooves in the distance. It reminded him of the night music he had heard a few nights before. "Boom, boom, boom…" He muttered sadly.

"Boom, boom, boom. Exactly." Harry nodded. "Sev, don't be put out because you can't sense things as quickly as we can. You're new to this." He reasoned. "I've done it for years, and Ginny's done it for at least a year."

"Plus, I had plenty of opportunities to practice during that year." Ginny added.

"Exactly." He nudged the baby playfully. "Now, come on. Chin up, cub! _That_ sound means it's our lucky day."

"Do you know what creature makes that sound, love?" Ginny asked, beaming excitedly at the infant.

Sev studied her curiously. 'C-E-N-T-A-U-R-S'. He tilted his head, indicating a question.

"Nope, not centaurs." Ginny shook her head, and then leaned in close to whisper to him. "_Unicorns_, Sev."

"Not many people can hear a herd of unicorns." Harry explained. "Oftentimes, their hooves hover just above ground, so when they run they barely make a whisper."

"If you get lucky enough to hear a herd of unicorns, it means they're calling you." Ginny said, glancing towards the direction of the noise.

"Do you trust me, Sev?" Harry asked unexpectedly. The baby gave him a confused look. "We're going to fly over there." He inclined his head towards the deep woods. "It goes much faster than walking. I will _not_ fly too far off the ground—unless of course there's danger near the ground—I will _not_ fly too fast, and I will _not_ do any stunts whatsoever."

"Break those promises, and I'll have your head, mister!" Ginny smirked, jumping onto the back of Harry's Firebolt and waiting for them patiently.

"Trust me?" After a moment of thought, and a hesitant look towards the broomstick, Severus nodded. "Excellent!" Harry made sure to tighten the sling securely before he set about casting several different wards and charms on the child for safety. Finally, he cast a charm that literally attached Severus to him like a sort of baby leash, and hopped onto the back of the broomstick. Ginny hugged him from behind, Harry held onto Severus with one hand and the broomstick with the other, and lightly kicked off the ground. "Here we go!"

They flew low—about three meters off the ground—and at a decent speed. Severus felt the wind blow through his hair and couldn't suppress the feeling of freedom that suddenly coursed through his veins. The sun filtered in through the treetops and kissed the forest floor, illuminating the area around them with the perfect balance of light and shadow. The singing birds, annoying just minutes before, now filled him with a sense of peace and calm. Some of them even flew alongside them, making Severus feel like he was part of their flock. Although Sev was never fond of flying before, his appreciation for the activity was now growing exponentially. No wonder so many students enjoyed the hobby, if this was how they felt!

They flew for about ten minutes, the galloping in the distance growing louder with each passing second, making Sev more excited by the moment. Ginny took the opportunity to point out various magical creatures to him. Most of the animals she showed him, Severus had never heard of. He didn't recall reading about Ábädäs or Cercopes, which Ginny described as forest spirits, in any magical creatures book before. Ginny had even pointed out a dwelling in the treetops where little forest elves called Korrigans lived.

_Free__ house-elves?! Living together? In a little society?! _Sev's eyes went wide as he studied the treetop village. _Merlin's name! _

"Look at those birds over there! The ones bathing in the river, Sev." Ginny exclaimed, tapping his elbow and pointing towards the water. Sev thought it was quite an impressive collection of birds. He'd never seen anything like them before. "The rainbow-feathered one is an Achiyalabopa. The one next to it is an Avalerion—king of the birds. The one hiding in the grass is a Chakora—a lunar bird. Then there's the Cinnamon Bird, over there—the brown one. Then there's the fire bird and its counterpart the rain bird. The thunderbird, and the always-intriguing lightning bird."

"Lightning birds can only be found where lighting strikes." Harry explained. "Veeeeeery interetesting."

Ginny pointed towards the tree branches. "That right there is the Bukit Timah Monkey Man. He's immortal. The Agathodaemon sleeping right there usually inhabit vinefields and grainfields. Oh!" Ginny gasped and pointed to the ground. "Look over there, Sev! The horse with the green mane is an Arion and they have the power of speech. That bull-horse is a Bonnacon."

"They have flaming dung." Harry remarked with a smirk.

"And then there are some Mares of Diomedes."

"We want to stay away from them." Harry said, flying the broomstick a little higher. "They're a bit temperamental."

_Where did all these new species come from?!_ Sev wondered as he gawked at all the strange new creatures. _Why aren't they in any magical creature books? Who __knows__ what sort of magical properties these creatures possess! We need to study them more. See what we can learn. Merlin's beard! How can I not know so much about this forest? I've lived next to it most of my life._

"It takes more than just an eye to see something, Severus." Harry commented, earning him a surprised look from the infant. "There we are!" Harry slowed to a glide and lowered the broomstick until they were a mere meter off the ground. As soon as they reached the top of a hill, the forest opened to a clearing; and in that clearing grazed an entire herd of unicorns.

"Whaaaaaa Whooooo…" Sev remarked, his eyes wide with wonder. It was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen! The adult unicorns glowed in the rays of sunlight streaming down from the treetops. The foals, gold and silver, shone equally as bright as they trotted around the feet of the adults. And Severus noticed their glowing wasn't only physical, either. "A ba!" He exclaimed, gazing up at Harry and Ginny and pointing to the unicorns.

"Yup." Harry nodded approvingly. "White magic. These are some of the purest creatures in the world. They're one of the most peaceful." Harry leaned in to whisper in his ear. "There's a reason their coats glow white." Severus turned back to admire them for a few more minutes. "Well…shall we go on a ride, then?"

_What? On a—on a ride?! On a unicorn?_

Harry steered the broom over and landed the three of them a few feet away from the herd. He undid most of the safety charms on Severus and passed him over to Ginny, wanting to ensure their safety before introducing them to the group. He reached out his mind to discern who the alpha male was and made sure to drop all of his mental shields so that he broadcasted as much light as possible. Unicorns were extremely mentally powerful. They communicated mentally, and they had the ability to read people rather accurately. Harry wanted them to trust him, so he barred his soul to them and hoped for the best. He approached the alpha male of the herd and politely asked him if they may join him for the day. The alpha male studied him for a bit before nodding his head in acceptance and bowing to him regally. Harry beamed at him and bowed back.

"Thank you."

Harry, Ginny, and Severus spent the better part of the day with the unicorn herd. Severus was a bit hesitant in the beginning, but when a unicorn foal approached him and Harry and nuzzled him playfully, Sev came out of his shell and opened up to the mystical creatures. Harry took him around to each of them, and Severus had a grand time petting their silky coats and soft manes. Harry explained that unicorns communicated mentally, but one had to learn how to do it from someone who already knew how.

"The process is rather tricky, you see. Firenze taught me when he was still teaching at Hogwarts." Harry explained. "I'll teach you when you get big enough."

The first highlight of the day was when Severus actually got the _ride_ on one of the unicorns! Harry had a conversation with one of them and the unicorn offered to give each of them a ride on his back. Ginny got to go first because the unicorns liked her best—on account of she was a woman—but Harry and Sev got a longer ride because the unicorn was rather fond of Sev and delighted in hearing his squeals of laughter.

Shortly after noon, the three of them began to get rather hungry; so they all thanked the herd and bid them goodbye for the time being, hopping onto the back of the Firebolt and flying a short distance to a nearby lake. There, Harry called for Dobby and kindly asked him to bring them some lunch from the castle. The house-elf returned moments later with a picnic basket, and Harry and Ginny dined on sandwiches, salad, and juice by the lakeside, while Ginny nursed Severus.

After lunch, the three rested for a bit until Ginny suggested a quick dip in the lake to work off any excess energy. Harry was all for it, but Severus was a bit hesitant. He changed his mind quickly, though, when Harry conjured some swim toys and floaters for the infant. The teenager waterproofed Sev's nappy, and then transfigured his trousers into little swim trunks, doing the same thing with his own jeans. Now the two boys were clad only in swim trunks and standing at the edge of the lake. Taking his wand, Harry did a quick safety scan of the unfamiliar lake to see if any danger lied beneath. Upon receiving an acceptable response, he began inching into the water, Severus in his arms.

"Alright. Just hold on around my neck tight, okay? I've got you." As soon as Harry was waist deep in water, he kneeled down to bring their heads closer to the surface of the lake. "Ready? I'm going to dip down really quickly. Take a deep breath!" Sev's eyes widened but he did as he was told. "1…2…3!" Harry dropped to just below the surface of the water and then stood up just as quickly.

Severus sputtered, coughed, shook his head, and then ran a hand through his face to clear it of water. "You alright?" Harry asked frantically. Once Sev could see well again, though, he began laughing hysterically. As the childish squeals met his ears, Harry cracked a smile. "Are you alright?" He asked between chuckles. "You like that?" The giggling baby nodded. "Want to do it again?" More nodding. "Okay! Here we go! Deep breath. 1…2…3!"

Ginny took pictures of the pair from the water's edge, wanting to capture the beautiful moment forever. She was _so_ glad she had the foresight to stuff the camera in the diaper bag while she was dashing about the bedroom this morning. If she hadn't, she wouldn't have been able to record Sev's first meeting with unicorns, or this precious moment right here.

Harry resurfaced with a laughing Severus for the tenth time in five minutes and beckoned her over. "Come on in, Gin! The water's nice and warm!"

"Immy! Hahahahaha! IMMY!"

"Deep breath, Sev. 1…2…3!"

Ginny chuckled. Waterproofing the camera, she stripped to her bra and underwear, and waded in towards them.

After an hour or so of play with both Harry and Ginny, Severus became rather interested in the swim toys and floaters Harry conjured for him. By this time, Harry and Ginny were taking turns watching him while the other took a leisurely swim around the lake. Ginny was sitting in the shallow area, with Severus playing in her lap, when the second highlight of Severus' day occurred.

Harry was off swimming in the deeper parts of the lake and, for some reason, didn't notice when a mist formed over the surface of the water. Ginny became alarmed by the sudden formation and tightened her arms around Severus, garnering his attention. Then, a voice came out of nowhere.

"Please, do not be alarmed." It was the voice of a woman and it seemed to come from all around them.

Ginny immediately jumped up, pulling Severus into her arms and holding him tightly. "Who are you?!" She shouted. "Where are you? What do you want? Harry!"

"Please, I do not mean you any harm." The voice seemed more focused now, and Ginny surmised that it was coming from somewhere in front of them—from the middle of the lake. "Your intended is off swimming, unaware of any of this…or of me." The mist parted slightly before them, and a beautiful young woman with cool blue hair, a crown of spring flowers, and a dress of pure white that melded into the mist around her, appeared a small distance away from them. "I am the Lady of the Lake." She said with a small smile. "And I only come to lay my eyes upon one who was granted the gift of rebirth." She inclined her head towards Severus. "Your little one."

Ginny's arms tightened protectively around a curious Severus and she took a few steps back. "You can't have him!" She said fiercely.

"I do not wish to take what is yours, Lady Ginevra." The Lady assured her.

Ginny's eyebrows furrowed. "How did you know my name?"

"The spirit of my own intended guards your gates, I believe," The Lady answered gently. "He has told me about you in our late-night meetings, when I come to visit him."

"Your intended?"

"Yes." She nodded. "He is known by many names. Myself, I have known him all my life as Myrddin Emrys. Others know him as Merlin Ambrosius. Yet most simply call him—"

"Merlin." Ginny nodded. "His is the painting that guards the entrance to our quarters."

"There is a lake in the background of that painting, if you'll recall." The Lady smiled.

"And according to some legends, you're his lover." Ginny nodded.

"I have only come to give your child my blessings." She held out her hands towards Severus, but looked at Ginny. "If I may?" The teenager studied her for a long while before glancing at Sev's pleading face and nodding.

The Lady of the Lake approached slowly, but didn't stop until she was within reach of the infant. She reached out and ran the back of her hand down Severus' soft cheek. "You are truly blessed to have been given this opportunity, dear Severus. Young child, sweet child." She smiled at him lovingly. "May you soon see this opportunity as a blessing. May you learn to accept the past as past. May you learn to make friends of your enemies, and family of your friends. May you grow up again with all that you lacked before. May all your missed chances present themselves to you once more." She paused then and gave him a pointed, yet gentle, look. "May you see them for what they are and seize them for good. May you always remember the road that you have traveled to help you through strife; and may you walk gently through the world and know its beauty all the days of your life."

The Lady of the Lake smiled softly at him, running her fingers down his cheek one last time before retreating as slowly as she had come. "Dear child, sweet child…" She gave him a mirthful look. "Wait for her, and she will come back to you…" She whispered.

Sev sat up suddenly. _Wait for her? __Her__? Wait for her?! _"H—H—Hoooo?"

"She will come back soon, Severus." The Lady replied, the mist closing in around her retreating form. "She will come back to you…sooner than you think…" And with those final words, the mist dispersed and she was gone.

Severus sat very still for a long time, gazing at the spot where the Lady of the Lake disappeared, wondering at her last words. _Wait for her. She will come back to you. Sooner than you think. _What did all that _mean_?!

"I think she was talking about Lily." Ginny spoke up.

Severus looked up at her in surprise. Lily?! "H—H—H—Haaa…oooowww? Ha-oow…Haoow…How?"

"I don't know, love." Ginny shook her head sadly. "I wish I did, but I don't." She tightened her arms around Severus. "But what I _do_ know…what I'm pretty _sure_ of…is that she _was_ talking about Lily. That you were going to see her again…and _soon_ too!" She added excitedly, and then paused in thought for a second. "And I am _damn_ sure she meant that you were going to be _alive_ when you saw her again, so we're not even going to go there."

Sev chuckled at Ginny's feeble attempts to reassure herself of that fact. As for Sev himself, he didn't need reassuring. He _knew_ he was going to be alive when he saw Lily again. The question he was trying to answer right now was _how_ that was going to happen. She was dead, and to his knowledge, there was no spell or potion that could bring people back to life again. Once people were dead, they _stayed_ dead. Well…with the exception of Harry, of course, whose very existence and nature defied all logic entirely.

"Why don't we just wait and see, huh, sweetheart?" Ginny said, breaking into his thoughts. She slowly lowered the two of them back into the shallow water and slipped Sev's water wings onto his arms. "The Lady said soon, and I'll trust she _meant_ soon. So…let's just put that out of our minds right now and…how about we go for one more dip before we call it a day, eh? The sun's going to set soon, it looks like." She called Harry and signaled that he had ten more minutes before wading in to waist-deep water and ducking them both below.

When time was up, the three of them made their way to shore and dried off. Ginny took the opportunity to fill Harry in on what happened while he was out swimming.

"That is incredibly odd." The teenager remarked as he rubbed a towel over Sev's wet hair and body, inadvertently tickling the infant and drawing giggles. "I could see the two of you the entire time."

"We could ask Merlin when we get in tonight." Ginny suggested.

"Good idea."

They dressed themselves in warm, dry clothes once more, packed their things, and hopped onto the back of the Firebolt for the journey back. Harry took the high route this time around, flying over the treetops and treating everyone to an amazing view of the sunset. Nothing beat the Scottish sunset; not above the skies of Hogwarts, no. It was _absolutely_ amazing up here.

"Almost feels like you're in Paradise, doesn't it, boys?" Ginny smiled.

"Uh-huh." Both man and baby murmured simultaneously, their mouths open in awe. The smile on Ginny's face grew.

They landed back on Hogwarts grounds by the Wooden Bridge and began their stroll back into the castle.

"Can you look for Sirius, Ron, and Hermione? See if they're still here?" Ginny asked as they walked through the long bridge.

"You're going to have to hold him." Harry answered, handing Sev over to Ginny. "When I throw my senses, I tend to lose all sense of what I'm doing."

"Come here, sweet." Ginny took Severus into her arms and the baby gazed at her curiously, alternating his look between her and Harry. "He's going to throw out his senses." Ginny explained. "Have you ever heard of someone throwing their voice?" Sev's eyebrows furrowed and he nodded. "No, I mean literally—someone literally throwing their voice. Meaning, they could be standing here, but they could throw their voice and you would hear it over there—that sort of thing."

Severus wracked his brain. He had heard of one such person who could do that. It was a Ravenclaw during his schooldays here at Hogwarts. According to rumors, the guy could throw his voice—without a spell—clear across the room. He could be standing at the entrance to the Great Hall and sound like he was talking from the staff table.

Sev nodded again. "Well that's what Harry's doing right now." Ginny explained. "He's not throwing his voice, though. Harry's throwing his vision, hearing, and sense of smell. His voice and his sense of touch he keeps right here with his body."

_What?!_ Sev looked at her as if she just grew another head. _What in Merlin's name is that supposed to mean?! You can throw your vision out? Like __literally__ throw it out? Send it somewhere that's __not__ in your immediate vicinity? That's impossible! _

"I know it's hard to believe." Ginny continued. "But think of it as being able to give your eyes, ears, and nose a pair of wings and just throwing it out there; letting it fly out at superhuman speeds to find whatever you're trying to find. Harry calls it 'throwing his senses'."

The infant studied his caretaker. Harry didn't look like he was doing anything at the moment. In fact, he just looked like a statue, standing frozen next to them. His eyes were glazed over, he wasn't moving. Heck, he didn't even look like he was breathing! Furrowing his eyebrows, Sev leaned over to take a closer look. Still, Harry stood frozen, as if he wasn't even aware of his surroundings. Sev wanted to inch closer and Ginny obliged him. The infant still couldn't tell if he was breathing or not. Just…a little closer…

"GOT IT!" Harry eyes focused with a snap and his gaze met Sev's, starting the infant and making him jump.

"Ahhhhhhh!" Sev whined, blowing raspberries at Harry and burying his face in Ginny's chest.

"What? What'd I do?"

"You startled him." Ginny answered, torn between admonishing Harry and chuckling at Sev.

"Oh, I'm sorry, cub." Harry said, rubbing soothing circles into the infant's back. "I didn't mean to. I tend to do that when I'm throwing my senses." He turned to Ginny. "Sirius, Ron, and Hermione are in Remus' quarters eating dinner. If we hurry right now, we'll be able to sneak in to our quarters without risk of them coming out and accidentally catching us." He reached for Sev and secured him back in his sling. "If we go on my broom right now, we'll be able to get there quicker."

After making sure the infant was secure, Harry and Ginny hopped onto the Firebolt and Harry flew them through the Wooden Bridge and then up to the Stone Bridge. He spelled the door open wandlessly and gently navigated his broom through the castle hallways until they reached the hallway to their quarters. There, they dismounted and peeked around the corner.

"Great! Remus' door is open!" Harry hissed.

Ginny peeked over and spotted the said painting. "It's only open a crack, Harry!"

Laughter from within the room filtered into the hall. "Yeah, but Sirius' hearing is as good as Remus'."

"Oh, for Merlin's sake!" Ginny rolled her eyes. Stepping around the boys, she sauntered down the hall to Remus' door and pushed the painting close with a click. "There! Now it's not open anymore."

"Now they're going to investigate, Gin!" Harry dashed over to Merlin's portrait and hissed, "Excalibur!" before jumping in through the portrait hole and hiding behind the doorway just as Remus' painting swung open once more.

"Ginny!" Sirius exclaimed. "Hey, is Harry there?" Both Harry and Sev widened their eyes at Sirius' approaching footsteps.

"Hey, Sirius!" Remus' voice called from within the quarters across the hall. "Where are you going?"

"I think Harry's back."

"He's not back!" Ginny argued loudly. The boys could hear her forcibly turning Sirius around. "I'm just here to go pick up some stuff for him. He's still working on his project. It's taking him a might longer than expected."

"Well, did you tell him we're here?" Ron's voice asked from Remus' doorway. "I'm sure he would've made time to see us if you did."

"Then it's a good thing I didn't."

"Ginny!"

"What is this project he's working on anyway?" Hermione's perky voice spoke up. She now sounded close by as well. "It can't possibly take _that_ long. Harry's magical control has improved exponentially in the past year. He could build a house with a wave of a hand. Now this project is taking him _all day_ to do?"

"Uh-oh. She knows something's up." Harry whispered in Sev's ear.

"What was that?" Sirius asked suddenly.

"What was what?" Ginny replied.

"Shit!" Harry breathed.

"That! I heard it again!"

"I didn't hear anything. Sirius, you're hearing things!"

"I'm not hearing things, Gin!"

"What's going on out here?" Remus' voice was now added to the mix.

"I think Harry's in here." Sirius' footsteps once again echoed in the hall. "Harry!"

"Hang on to me tight." Harry hissed into Sev's ear.

Severus bit his lip and clutched Harry's robes tightly. A sharp tingling sensation suddenly coursed through his body.

"Harry, who are you talking to—" Sirius rounded the corner and looked straight at them…

…and then directly through them.

Ron and Hermione popped in just behind Sirius. "Harry?" "Harry?"

"Where is he?" Sirius cried, spinning around and looking for the source of the whispering he just heard. "I could've sworn he was right here!" The man pointed to the exact spot where they were standing. Sev grinned. Black was looking like an idiot! This was getting to be pretty funny.

"I told you you were hearing things, Sirius!" Ginny interjected, pulling the man away from the spot in which she _knew_ an invisible Harry and Sev were standing.

"I wasn't hearing things!" The man replied defensively. "I heard someone right there!"

"Where is this project of Harry's anyway?" Hermione asked suddenly. "He wasn't at the staff table at lunch. Neither of you were, actually. Professor Slughorn was asking for the both of you."

"Only the both of us?" Ginny asked, a bit of nervousness bleeding through her voice.

"Why? Who else should he have been asking for?" Ron asked through narrowed eyes.

"Firenze." Ginny answered without a hitch. "He was with us as well. I'd like to think Slughorn cares about whether or not he had lunch too." Severus was impressed! Ginny could lie better than Draco and Lucius Malfoy put together! Although…that probably wasn't saying much.

Ron rolled his eyes and scoffed. "Slughorn doesn't 'care' about anyone outside of his 'Slug Club'."

Harry started inching from his spot near the door to the master bedroom. The door was closed, but opening it silently shouldn't be a problem. The issue now was actually _getting_ to the master bedroom without Sirius hearing them.

"So where is it?"

"It's somewhere off grounds." Ginny shrugged. She glanced down at the carpet and noticed Harry's footsteps as they crept towards the bedroom.

"That explains why we couldn't find them on the Marauders' Map." Ron murmured.

"What's he working on?" Hermione asked.

"Hermione, for Merlin's sake, what is this? An interrogation?"

"Look, I think we _all_ can agree on one thing." Tonks said, sauntering into the room, Teddy across her chest. "_Harry_ isn't here. So if you would all kindly return to our quarters and finish dinner." She walked towards the table in Harry's kitchen and sat down. "I'm going to nurse Teddy in here. The noise over there is making him fussy and he's also a bit sleepy right now." The metamorphamagus exchanged a look with Remus.

"Yeah." The werewolf agreed, picking up on the silent cues. "Come on, guys!" He began steering them across the hall. "Dumbledore gave me a whole case of the finest liquors in Europe for my liquor cabinet. It's not a housewarming unless you actually get warm, isn't it?"

"But what about Harry?" Ron complained.

"Harry can join us when he gets back from his project in…?" He raised an eyebrow at Ginny.

"An hour or two." The redhead answered.

"An hour or two?!" Hermione cried. "It'll be completely dark by then—"

"Hermione, come now." Remus assured her. "Harry's faced off against Voldemort and won fair and square. I think he can find his way back in the dark—" Merlin shut the door behind them.

"Wow!" Tonks grinned, her hair flashing hot pink. "_That_ was a close one, wouldn't you say, Harry?"

Harry dropped the disillusionment charm around him and Sev. "You can say that again."

Ginny glared at him. "First you warn me about Sirius' superior hearing, and then you whisper—_loudly_, might I add—when you're _ten feet_ away from him?! _Twice_?!"

"Three times." Tonks corrected offhandedly.

"I'm stupid! I know! I'm sorry!" Harry replied in a placating tone.

Ginny huffed and marched towards the bedroom, completely ignoring him. Harry groaned and ran a hand down his face. Severus giggled at him.

"Coo!"

"Peb-by!"

The infants spent the better part of an hour playing together on the soft rug while Tonks and Ginny filled each other in on their respective days. Tonks gasped when she found out about their encounter with the Lady of the Lake, and Ginny smiled when Tonks told her about Sirius, Ron, and Hermione's trek around the castle, looking for Harry. When their sharing was over, the two of them had a nice heart-to-heart with Merlin about his fairy-tale romance with the Lady of the Lake. Harry rolled his eyes. It all sounded like a trashy romance novel to him. The one good thing Harry got out of listening to _that_ conversation was an assurance that the Lady was indeed real and that there was nothing to worry about.

When eight o'clock rolled around, Tonks excused herself and Teddy, telling them she would distract the others until after Sev was asleep. Harry and Ginny thanked her, and then Harry set about giving Sev his bath and getting him changed into his bedclothes. They mounted the rocking chair, and Harry read three different stories from the _Tales of Beedle the Bard_ while Sev sucked his thumb and listened. By the time the third tale was over, Sev was having a hard time keeping his eyes open.

Harry picked him up and settled him onto his back in the crib, tucking a stuffed baby snake under his arm. "Go to sleep, cub." He said, smiling down at the infant and running a hand through his soft baby hair. "Tomorrow, we'll be off to Godric's Hollow, to a house I call 'The Den'—number 20 Haven Place." Harry leaned down to place a kiss on the small forehead. "You're going to love it. I promise."

The last thing Sev remembered thinking, as he slipped to the Land of Nod, was about his meeting with the Lady of the Lake, and her final words to him: _"She will come back to you…sooner than you think…"_

Lily…

* * *

**Well...someone certainly had an exciting day. :-)**

**Next up, Harry introduces Ginny and Severus to The Den, Haven Place, and the lovely town of Godric's Hollow.**

**A big THANK YOU to all who have REVIEWed and those who have added as well! I'm always interested in what you all think and I find your comments very motivating. As per usual, please keep them up! It'll spur me on and this story will be completed in no time! :-)**


	13. Godric's Hollow

"You feel secure, Sev?" Harry asked, checking the straps of the baby carrier one more time.

Severus wiggled his arms and legs. Other than that, he could barely move. He signed 'yes'.

"You got him, Gin?"

"Harry, I checked the straps after I put him in, and I've checked them ten times since then. You think I want him to fall out?" Ginny scowled at her boyfriend.

"I'm paranoid. I'm sorry." Harry said apologetically. "You know me, love." He leaned in over Sev's head and gave her a sweet kiss. "I know you don't want him to fall out. I'm just…" He struggled to find words, but in the end just sighed and turned away, checking his broom for anything that might impair his flying.

"Just fly slow, Harry, that's all." Ginny replied gently. She encircled his waist from behind with one arm and stretched up on her tip toes to kiss him on the cheek. "You're a master flyer, love. I trust you." Letting him go, she walked over to her rucksack and checked it one last time. In it, she had packed design books and magazines, as well as a few odds and ends in addition to her overnight clothes. "Do you think I have everything, love?" She asked the child strapped to her chest.

"So did Ron say anything yesterday after you got back home?" Harry asked as he shrunk the bags and stuffed them in a zip-up pocket.

"No, not really." Ginny shook her head. "I think he was satisfied after he saw you and you guys talked for a bit."

"Did he buy into the cover story?"

Ginny shrugged. "More or less." She gave Harry a questioning look. "Do you think Hermione did?"

"Absolutely not." Harry smirked. "She knows something's up. I think she got especially suspicious when the two of us kept going back and forth to the bedroom."

"The closed door didn't help any."

"Nope." Harry shook his head, mounting his broom. "Nor the silencing charms."

"Sirius probably doesn't suspect anything." Ginny added in a hopeful tone.

"Probably not." Harry shook his head. "He's sharper than Ron, for sure, but not as sharp as Hermione."

"I think they all took a tour of your quarters yesterday, after I left." Ginny said, closing, shrinking, and pocketing her knapsack. "Ron and Padfoot figured the crib and toys belonged to Teddy. Hermione wasn't fooled, though."

"You know, I'd _really_ love to trick that girl one day." Harry remarked as Ginny mounted the Firebolt behind him. "I mean _really_ trick her—where she doesn't suspect _one_ thing."

"That'll be the day." Ginny smirked. "Tonks told me that after they ran around looking for you yesterday, Hermione asked about Severus at the staff table; about what had happened to him and why he wasn't in the hospital wing anymore." Both Harry and Sev looked up at her in concern. "Don't worry. Dumbledore's still really sharp. I think he figured we were hiding from Sirius and that's why we weren't able to help Remus move in. He made up some excuse about Sev and threw them off the trail." The two boys sighed in relief. "The rest of the staff must've followed his example as well, from what I can tell."

"In fact, I had a word with them right before the moving party joined us yesterday." A jolly old voice answered behind them. All three turned to find the Headmaster himself strolling down the steps of the Wooden Bridge to the middle of the Stone Circle, where they were getting ready to depart. "I take it Mr. Black, Mr. Weasley, and Miss Granger do not know about Severus yet?" He raised an eyebrow at them.

"Not yet. No, sir." Harry answered.

"Well the staff promised to keep mum about it unless otherwise indicated."

"We appreciate it, sir." Ginny nodded and tapped Sev lightly.

Severus scowled at Dumbledore, but mumbled and signed, "Eeeenk-ooo."—'Thank you.'

"You're very welcome, Severus." The old man smiled at the baby and then turned to Harry. "So, are the three of you off to Godric's Hollow?"

"Yes, sir." Harry nodded. "Taking the back route, we are." He pointed to the river behind the Quidditch pitch. "We're staying low until we reach the river, and then apparating when we're outside the wards."

"Trying to avoid the nice photographers outside the gates, are we?" The headmaster chuckled.

"Hopefully it hasn't occurred to them to fan out just yet." The teenager nodded.

"Well…have a good time." He wished them, stepping back to allow them to push off the ground. "And when is the housewarming party?"

Harry made sure Ginny was hugging him tightly before he pushed off the ground and hovered just above Dumbledore's head. "In good time, sir. Don't worry—you'll get an invitation." He turned around slightly to check on Ginny and Sev. "Have you got everything, sweetheart?"

"Yes, yes—designs, overnight clothes, Sev's things, everything." She turned back to the headmaster with a kind smile. "Have a nice weekend, sir."

"And to you three as well, Miss Weasley."

With a final wave, Harry took off towards the river behind the school. He didn't move too fast, scared at what might happen if he lost control of his broom. Normally, when he flew a broom, he was by himself, so flying as fast as he wanted and as high as he wanted was the order of the day every time he mounted a broomstick. Now that he was flying with his girlfriend and an infant on board, though, his attitude towards flying completely turned on its head. Slow and low was the way to go this time around.

As soon as they reached the river, he instructed Ginny to hold on tightly. His girlfriend's arms tightened around his waist just as Sev's little arms reached around his neck, as far as they could go, and grabbed his shirt. Harry grinned. "Alright? Everyone feels secure now, right?"

"Mmm!" Sev whined.

"We're fine, Harry." Ginny answered, a smile in her voice.

"Okay, here we go!" Harry tilted the broomstick just slightly and they soared upwards in a slow, gentle climb. He leveled off at about a kilometer off the ground and continued flying forward. "Alright then…I'm going to apparate now, so…" He quickly glanced over his shoulder to check on them. "Just hang on tight, don't let go, and…enjoy the view!" Harry took a deep breath to prepare himself. "Okay, here we go! 1…" Harry gripped the broomstick tightly, "…2…" he made sure his legs were locked beneath him, and, "…3!" He shot forward as fast as he could, focusing his mind and thinking about the one other place in the world that felt like home.

_Godric's Hollow...Godric's Hollow...Godric's Hollow! _

_**POP!**_

When the 'rubber tube' feeling—as Harry called it—subsided, he looked up to find himself flying just above a bright green hilltop in the English countryside. Turning slightly, he breathed a sigh of relief when he realized that he had successfully apparated his passengers and his broomstick along with him. "Everyone alright?" He asked with a smile. "No splinching?"

"I'm fine. Are you okay, Sev?"

"Uh-huh." Sev moaned.

"Sweetheart?!" Ginny cried, alarmed.

"Dee-bee." Sev groaned.

"He's dizzy, love, that's all." Harry translated. "Is your stomach churning, Sev?"

"Uh-huh." The infant nodded sadly.

"Don't worry, cub, we're almost home."

"Where are we, Harry?"

Just then, Harry's broom cleared a rather tall hill, and a spectacular view of the English countryside greeted them. "Lady and gentleman, welcome to Godric's Hollow!"

It was like a scene out of a picture book. Rolling hills of green stretched as far as the eye could see, interspersed with small groves of trees, dirt roads, cottages, and stone fences. A small, peaceful-looking village lay nestled amidst the majestic hills, its wood and stone buildings giving it the feel of an Old English town. The midmorning sun's rays kissed everything in sight, illuminating the area with a golden glow. Ginny could see cows, sheep, and goats grazing in the different pastures. A herd of horses ran free around one particularly large patch of grass. Children and sheep dogs ran loose in another field of green. The grass must have been soft, for the kids chased each other barefoot, laughing and taking turns on a small wooden tree swing.

"Love," Ginny murmured with a smile, "'Beyond perfect' wouldn't do this place justice." Harry turned his head slightly to look at her and the two of them exchanged a meaningful look. "It's paradise." She continued. "My heaven on earth, and it is absolutely _divine_, Harry."

Harry gave her a sweet half-smile and began to gently slope his broom downwards. "Told you you'd love it." He flew towards a grouping of four cottages a short walk away from the town. Behind two of the houses was a small grove of trees, a stream running through its center. Directly across from those houses were two more cottages, behind which lay several green pastures and a single field of rye. "Alright, hang on! We're almost there, cub." Speeding up slightly, Harry banked sharply and pulled up just in front of one of the stone cottages next to the grove, landing his broom softly on the ground. "Number 20 Haven Place. Welcome to 'The Den'!"

"Harry, Sev's stomach." Ginny reminded him.

"Oh!" Dismounting, Harry pulled a small vial of pink liquid from one of his pockets. "Children's Stomach-Calming Draught, cub. Bottom's up!" He held the vial to the child's lips and he emptied it in one gulp. "You should be feeling better in a bit, eh?"

"Who else lives here, love?" Ginny asked, surveying the three other houses.

"No one, actually." Harry replied. "When I first returned here, I asked around town. A rather nice old muggle man informed me that these other three were actually up for sale, and each at a relatively low price."

"So you bought them." Ginny surmised.

"Yes, well…" He pointed to one of the houses across the street. "That house belonged to Dumbledore when he and his family lived here a long time ago. He doesn't want it back; bad memories and everything. Aberforth, on the other hand, doesn't really care. He likes the house because it reminds him of Ariana."

"So he wants it back."

"He offered to buy it back. I offered to give it back. He liked my offer better."

Ginny laughed. "Naturally. That's Aberforth for you." She gestured to the two houses across from each other. "And these two?"

"I'm remodeling both of them." Harry replied, taking the shrunken bags out of his pockets. "I'm offering them to Ron and Hermione, or even Remus and Tonks, if they want a summer home."

"I think Ron and Hermione want to live in London." Ginny replied.

"Yeah?"

"Well Hermione wants to live in London. Ron doesn't really care. But Ron told my mum, and my mum told me, that they were looking for a flat in London close to Sirius' place."

"Oh…" Harry helped Ginny and Sev off the broom. "Well, I'll make the offer to them anyway. If they refuse, I'll have the muggle realtor put an ad out for a rental."

"Muggle? Why not wizard?" Ginny asked, a small smile tugging at her lips.

Harry took his Firebolt in one hand, Ginny's hand in the other, and began leading them into his little fixer-upper of a cottage. "Oh, I don't know. Can you picture an ad in the _Daily Prophet_? 'Quaint two-story rental cottage in Godric's Hollow; 3-bedroom, 2-bath, complete with attic, basement, front and back yards, and plenty of land; Oh, and by the way, Harry Potter will be your landlord.'"

Ginny cracked up. "They'll all be swarming over here."

"Exactly! I rather have muggle neighbors than deal with _that_." He waved his hand over the lock and the door swung open, revealing a small enclosed porch that led to an inner door.

"Hey, Sev?" Harry called, turning his attention to the quiet baby strapped to Ginny's chest. "Hey, cub, are you alright?" He pulled the infant out of his carrier and into his arms. The sudden movement startled Severus and his eyes jerked open. The child whined, yawned, and rubbed his little eyes, grabbing onto Harry's robes and making himself comfortable against them.

"Aw, he's sleepy." Ginny said, removing Sev's carrier. "We woke him up pretty early this morning."

Harry stepped inside, waving the second door open and escorting them into the front room of the house. A small table lay to the left of the door, while to their right, against the wall, were several coat racks and shelves for shoes. The stairs that led to the second floor sat right in front of them, and a rather large room lay to their left. A huge fireplace sat against the far left wall, a door to its immediate right. Four leather easy chairs, a coffee table, and a comfortable-looking couch lay across from it. On the far right wall were two doors, slightly ajar. Ginny took note of how…empty the place looked.

"Ehm…this is the living room." Harry said, lowering his voice for the sake of the sleepy child.

"This is the living room?" Ginny echoed disbelievingly. "This _whole_ thing is the living room?" Harry nodded sheepishly. Ginny blinked. She pointed to the door to the fireplace's right. "Where does that lead?"

"That's a swinging door and it leads into the dining room. The other swinging door in the dining room leads into the kitchen." Then, he felt compelled to add, "It's a rather _big_ kitchen."

Ginny cracked a smile. "I'm sure I'm going to love it, Harry. Don't worry." She then gestured towards the wall with the two doors. "Where do those lead?"

"The one closest to the fireplace leads to my office…or study…or whatever. The door closest to the staircase leads to a bathroom." He replied. "Oh, and that's the only working bathroom in the house at the moment. I sealed off half of the second floor because a large chunk of the roof is missing. That includes the master bathroom."

Ginny's eyes widened in realization. "Voldemort!"

Harry grimaced but nodded. "They left the house in its ruined state as a memorial and a reminder against violence. Now I have to deal with cleaning up sixteen years' worth of water damage and wind erosion."

"Harry, at least _you're_ the one who's doing it." Ginny replied, looking him square in the eye. "They were right to do what they did."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, confused.

"Well, look at it this way," his girlfriend responded, "As I recall, this house was preserved in its ruined state as a reminder of the violence that tore apart your family, correct?"

"Yes…?"

"Now, almost seventeen years later, you're _building_ one!" Ginny continued with a smile, "You're _building_ a family. You're also repairing this house at the same time. Don't you see? It all works out, love." Ginny explained, "Seventeen years ago, this house was torn apart when your family was torn apart. _Now_…this house is being rebuilt, and—"

"My family is being rebuilt along with it." Harry nodded in understanding, a smile tugging at his lips.

"See? Appropriate." Ginny grinned. "No one else should've been allowed to rebuild it except you." Quickly turning her attention to other things, Ginny pointed to the small hallway between the staircase and the bathroom wall, near the back of the house. "What's beyond that?"

Harry glanced over, "Oh! There's a doorway to the backyard there, but I had planned to build another enclosed patio, like this doorway."

"Excellent!" Ginny exclaimed, climbing up the stairs. "Tell me what else you wanted to do and I'll fit it into my blueprint."

Harry's eyes widened. "What blueprint?" He began following her up the steps. "You have a blueprint?"

"I assume the master bedroom is livable?"

"Yes, it was the first room I cleaned and repaired."

"The sheets are new?"

"Brand new, clean, and soft." Harry nodded. "Oh, and that reminds me, did you bring Sev's crib?"

Ginny froze and turned back to him in concern. "No, I thought _you_ brought Sev's crib." Her boyfriend stopped and shook his head slowly. "His playpen?"

"I was about to ask you that."

Ginny rolled her eyes and shrugged, resuming her trek up the stairs. "It's okay. He can sleep in the big bed with us. I'll ask him about it later when he's more awake."

Harry thought about it a second before continuing to follow her up the stairs. "Well it's not like he has much of a choice now, does he? By the way, are you sure your parents are okay with you staying with me for the weekend?"

Ginny sighed in frustration. "I already told you, Harry. They trust me, they trust _you_, they trust us together, _I_ trust you, you can trust me. I'm not going to give anyone a reason not to trust me. Are you going to give anyone a reason not to trust you?"

"No! Absolutely not! You can _definitely_ trust me!" Harry replied defensively.

"Okay then." Ginny grinned. "Nothing to worry about." Upon entering the master bedroom, she gave everything a quick once-over before diving into the king-sized bed, its fluffy white comforter cushioning her landing. "Harry…I love the bed."

"Thought you might." Her boyfriend replied, trying to keep his shoulders from shaking as he chuckled at her.

Quickly, Ginny pulled open the covers and made a little white nest for the now-sleeping infant. Harry laid Severus gently on his back, pausing to brush a strand of baby hair away from the angelic face before straightening up again.

The teens quickly made plans for the rest of the day. Harry was to unpack whatever needed to be unpacked in the bedroom while he watched Sev and Ginny took a quick tour of the house. Once his girlfriend was done with her initial inspection, they would switch off—Harry focusing on building the porch he envisioned, while Ginny babysat and made blueprints and design plans using the magazines and books she brought from home. Their plans went off without a hitch.

Thus, the twelve o'clock cuckoo bird found Ginny sitting cross-legged at the edge of the king-sized bed. Picture books, do-it-yourself home improvement spell books, muggle and wizard design magazines, stainless inks, various quills, and loose pieces of parchment were either strewn on the bed or flying all around her.

"The library can have a nice, homely theme. I always liked the old-style type. Definitely mahogany…no! The cherry wood finish! Yes…" She muttered under her breath as she scratched something off on the parchment she was holding. "What was the name of that theme? The oak leaf theme? Maybe…that's probably it. Lots of greens and reds…Where was that picture?" She began flipping through one of the floating books around her when a tiny yawn caught her ear, instinctively making her stop what she was doing to check on the infant.

Severus still had his eyes closed, but he kept wobbling from side to side, as if he wanted to roll over. Slowly lowering her papers and books back onto the bed, Ginny set aside her quill and parchment, and carefully crawled over towards the pillows. She laid down on the right half of the mattress and gently lifted the pillow guarding Severus on her side. Almost immediately, those beautiful chocolate eyes flew open to meet her hazel.

"Good afternoon, Severus." Ginny drawled, a gentle smile upon her face. The infant blinked, confusion miring his features before recognition finally sparked.

"Ah-moooooooom." Turning away, Sev surveyed his surroundings briefly before pushing slightly on the other pillow and rolling over. Now on his stomach, the infant's eyes widened in wakefulness. He inspected the room once more, his eyes radiating a sort of muted curiosity. Turning back to Ginny, he yawned again.

"Still sleepy?" The teen asked worriedly, her hand automatically reaching up to take his temperature. The infant leaned into the touch, eyes closed in delight. Squirming forward, Sev pushed himself up on his hands and knees and then lunged at Ginny, landing on his back against the spot where Ginny's side met the bed. "Ah, you want to cuddle! I see!" Ginny's arm came around him automatically, and he felt a gentle kiss placed on his forehead. "Oh, and by the way, Harry and I forgot both your crib and your playpen by accident, so you'll have to sleep here on this bed with us tonight. Is that alright?"

'_No! It most certainly is __not__ alright! I sleep __alone__!'—'That doesn't sound too bad. This bed is __way__ more comfortable than that crib anyway! Plus, I always feel safer with one or both of them in the room.'_ Two different voices argued viciously in the back of Sev's mind. Yet he completely ignored both of them in favor of the third voice in his stomach, which was grumbling something fierce right now.

"What do you say, sweetheart?"

Sev tilted his head back to look at her. "Mewmew, pea…" He said pleadingly, signing 'hungry', 'milk', and 'please'.

"I'll feed you just as soon as you answer me, love. Are you okay with sleeping with us?"

"Uh-huh!"—'Yes'

"Okay!" Ginny grinned, giving him a tight hug and a brief kiss. "Thank you, Sev!" Sitting up, she summoned the baby sling to her and prepared to nurse. Once she had Sev settled in and appropriately latched on, she looked down at him adoringly. "How about we take these…" she held up her semi-completed blueprints, "…and go find Harry. He's been working for three and a half hours now. We could all use a break."

As gently as she could, Ginny made her way downstairs and towards the back door under the staircase. "Harry!" She called over the din of spellwork, "Come on, you've been working long enough. Time for a break!"

"Argh!" Harry stopped himself mid-spell with a frustrated sigh. "It's not measuring up the way I want it to." He explained, trying the smooth the wrinkles on his forehead. "Plus, it's not reinforcing itself the way I want it to."

"You can figure it out, later." Ginny interjected, tugging him towards the dining room. "It's lunchtime now. Someone's already enjoying himself. Let's find ourselves something to eat, shall we?"

"Oh, bloody hell!"

"Harry!" Ginny scowled at her boyfriend, her arm tightening around Sev protectively.

"Sorry…" The teen grimaced. "It's just…I…forgot I didn't have any more food in my kitchen." He threw his spell book against the wall, irritated with himself.

"Will you calm down, _Henry_!" Ginny snapped, using Harry's proper name in an effort to get his complete attention. It worked. Harry turned to her, speechless. "Look at yourself! You're getting angry over nothing. This is precisely why I said you needed a break. You were too focused, and then you became stuck, now your blood pressure's up and you being hungry probably didn't help that much." Stopping herself mid-rant, Ginny took a deep, calming breath and then released it, feeling her own anger and frustrations draining away. "Okay, so there's no food in the kitchen. So what?" She shrugged and waved it off. "Is there a grocery store in town?"

"Um…yeah." Harry nodded.

"Muggle or wizard?"

"Muggle."

"Do you have a couple of pounds on you?"

"All my money's in pounds right now." Harry replied, reaching into his back pocket and checking his wallet to make sure that was indeed the case.

"I could do with a walk. How about you?" She looked at him expectantly.

"Do I actually have a choice?" Harry asked, a smile tugging at his lips.

Ginny narrowed her eyes playfully and smirked, "What do you think?"

Harry snorted, and then peered down at the nursing baby. "What do you think, Sev? Do I have a choice?" The infant smiled at him from around Ginny's breast. A drop or two of milk escaped and ran down his cheek.

Ginny wiped them up immediately. "That's a 'no'."

Harry inclined his head towards the front door. "Let's go."

Hand and hand, Ginny and Harry leisurely strolled into town, taking their time to admire the amazing green scenery, the carefully constructed stone walls, the clean dirt roads, the five-hundred-year-old, still-sturdy bridge. They coaxed Severus into stretching out his senses and listening for the music that, even during the day, was present in places like this.

"You see, cub, Hogwarts may be a beacon of light for white magic, but for some reason it doesn't have the same sort of purity that this place has." Harry explained.

"That's probably because Hogwarts has seen its fair share of battles." Ginny explained. "This most recent battle is hardly its first, and I'm sure it won't be its last."

"Many people have died on its grounds, yes." Harry nodded. He turned back to the infant. "But can you hear that, Sev? Can you hear that music?"

"It's always there, sweetheart." Ginny added, "Just like I told you. It's not only at night."

"That's the _sound_ of white magic." Harry emphasized. "Just like the tingling is the feel of it."

Severus sat up in his sling, admiring the landscape along with his two caretakers, and basking in the warmth of the surrounding light. The wind whistled through the trees in perfect harmony with the earth's notes, and his ears rang to the tune of nature's drummer. By the time they reached town, Severus was a calm, happy baby, chewing on a water-filled teething ring and looking around curiously.

Apparently, today was the farmer's market in Godric's Hollow, for there were booths set up along the main street, displaying all varieties of fresh fruits and vegetables available for purchase. Ginny, a fan of the farmer's market as well as supporting the little people, bought fruits and vegetables by the bushel and made Harry lug everything around, much to Sev's amusement. She made sure the feed her boys, though, keeping them satisfied as they trekked from booth to booth.

"Good afternoon there, young lady!" A nice middle-aged woman greeted them from her seat behind her produce booth.

"Good afternoon!" Ginny replied cheerfully, eyeing the tomatoes, potatoes, and asparagus in the boxes with a critical eye.

"May I interest you and yours with a carton of eggs—three dozen for only ninety pence."

Ginny's eyes widened in surprise. "Ninety pence?"

"Yep!"

"Three dozen?!" She turned to Harry in wonder. "Three dozen, Harry! What do you think?"

Her boyfriend raised an eyebrow, but gave both ladies a half-smile. "I'd think 'What's the catch?'"

The booth tender cracked up. "I know. Hard to believe, isn't it?"

Harry silently and wandlessly scanned the carton for any rotten eggs or funny business. Strangely enough, the woman was genuinely selling a carton of three dozen fresh eggs. "A tiny bit." He answered lightly, handing his wallet over to Ginny.

"A ba!" Severus babbled, making a reach for some peaches on the table.

"No, no, no, sweetheart!" Ginny chuckled nervously, gently pulling his hand back.

"No, go ahead! You can have one. No charge!" The booth tender smiled. "Your son's adorable! How old is he?"

Both Ginny and Harry blushed. "Thank you. He'll be six months in…"

"Twelve days." Harry filled in, "The ninth."

"Wonderful! Hey, listen, are you new in town, or are you just passing through?" The tender asked.

"Oh, we just moved in to a cottage near here." Harry answered.

"Excellent! So _you're_ the new neighbors up at Haven Place! My friend told me someone had bought all three houses up there. So how're you enjoying town, so far?" Then her eyes widened and she stood up and offered them her hand. "Oh, excuse me, where are my manners? I'm Martha." She said with a smile.

"Ginny." The teen answered, shaking her hand and mirroring the smile. "This is my husband Harry and our son…er…" she exchanged a look with Harry, "…Henry."

"Oh, my goodness!" The woman chuckled. "Harry and Henry."

"Yes, well…" Ginny laughed nervously, "He's a junior!" She saw Harry scanning the area for any indication of wizarding folk. "This is the big Henry, this is the little Henry." Her boyfriend gave her a barely-perceptible nod, indicating he had found a few. "Sometimes we call the little one Hank." Ginny continued, forming a cover story in her mind.

"Harry and Hank. That works!" The booth tender nodded, oblivious of the additional exchanges between them. "So listen, since you're new to town, I'd like to invite you to our Sunday services tomorrow in the chapel." The woman continued. "It doesn't really matter what denomination you are, really. My brother is the pastor, and though one of his missions is converting, he doesn't like pushing religion on those who wish to dance to their own drummer, so to speak. He likes hosting events that bring the community together, though. This Famer's Market is largely his doing."

"Tell him it's wonderful." Ginny said.

"I will, thank you! So anyway, a free lunch is offered after services every Sunday. If you and your family don't want to come to services, that's fine. You're still very much welcome at the free lunch."

"That sounds great, Martha!" She exchanged a look with Harry. Her boyfriend shrugged and then nodded. "What do you think about that, Henry?" She jiggled Sev to get his attention. The infant looked at her, blinked, looked at the woman, blinked, looked at her once more, blinked, and then leaned over and tried reaching for the peach once more.

"I take that as a yes." Ginny shrugged. "Thank you so much for the invite! We'll be at services _and_ the free lunch."

"Excellent!" The two exchanged details and then Ginny bought the three-dozen eggs in addition to several soft fruits for Severus. The two then said their thanks and goodbyes and soon the three of them were heading up the road back to Haven Place.

"Do you think anybody recognized us?" Ginny asked as she finished peeling Sev's peach and held it in his mouth for him to chew on. The infant gripped her fingers and held her hands where they were, gnawing at the fruit as if it was a new teething toy.

"Without a doubt." Harry replied. "Well, they recognized _me_, at least. I saw at least a dozen wizarding families there. They were all trying to _not_ stare at me."

"Bet that whole 'husband and son' thing threw them for a loop, though." Ginny smiled mischievously.

"Just a bit." Harry smirked. "At least, it threw off the ones who were in listening range."

"Too bad I didn't see their faces!" Ginny added playfully, acting put-out. Sev laughed at her antics.

"We need to work on our cover story." Harry said. Ginny agreed.

After they reached the house, they put all the food away and then fixed themselves lunch. Severus nursed once again while they ate. After finishing and cleaning up, Ginny shrunk the dining table to an appropriate size and then sat Severus on its surface, away from the edges. She then took her blueprints and spread them out in front of the baby.

"So this is what I have so far for _this_ house." She said, presenting the plans to her boyfriend. Both boys inspected the plans.

"Are these all to scale?"

"Yep!"

"Bick few-pey." Sev commented, pointing to the main fireplace.

"Yeah, I know. It's huge!" Harry agreed with a smirk.

Ginny began pointing to different parts of the paper. "So this is the section that was blasted off by Voldemort—the section missing the roof—and this is the section that you sealed off. I checked out your old nursery while I was in there. Ol' snake-face really did a number on the place."

"I know." Harry nodded. "I really, _really_ know. But you know what?" He added, barely remembering something he had meant to tell her for a while now. "What I noticed was that it wasn't flooded with Dark Magic! You'd think it would be."

"Oh, I know!" Ginny agreed, wide-eyed and excited. "I noticed that too! It's flooded with white magic instead. It's absolutely incredible!"

"It's my mother's magic." Harry said assuredly. "I can feel it. I can _tell_. It's her." He and Ginny exchanged a short, meaningful smile.

"Wiwee?" Sev broke in, his voice small and quiet. His gaze moved from one to the other, eyes filled with as much wonder as his caretakers'.

"Yeah, Sev." Harry replied, taking a seat next to the child and looking him square in the eye. "Lily." His voice was soft, almost reverent, when he spoke of his mother. "I'll take you there tomorrow so you can feel it for yourself. It's her who has left the white magic. I just know it! It must've lingered there after Voldemort was taken care of, and it never dispersed."

"It's just as well." Ginny broke in, pointing to the room on the blueprint. "It's going to be _his_ room by the time the house is finished."

"MEH?!" Sev squeaked, taking a closer look at the blueprint under him. "Meh woom?!" Sure enough, the words 'Sev's room' were scratched in blue ink next to the red outline.

"Absolutely, your room!" Ginny smiled. "Why? Is that so hard to believe?"

"So let me guess," Harry stood up and walked around the table, looking at the plans, "the ones in black are already there, the ones in blue are labels, and the ones in red require intense construction spellwork."

"Not necessarily." Ginny shook her head. "The rooms definitely do, and the porches, for sure. Most of this red stuff is furniture, though. That reminds me! Can we go into London sometime this week?"

"IKEA?"

"I'm sorry?"

"You want to look at furniture, right?" Harry guessed. Ginny nodded. "You're going to love IKEA. It's a gigantic furniture store, they have displays and almost everything on the displays is for sale, a restaurant on top, a kids' area, it's ridiculously cheap—"

"Stop! It's my favorite store already." Ginny smirked and then turned back to the blueprint. "Okay. So once you guys raise the roof next weekend, you can really get down to repairing these four rooms—your old nursery that we're converting into Sev's room, the master bathroom, and then the two rooms across the hall from them, which, on this blueprint, are bedrooms. The only big construction work on the ground floor are the two porches—the closed one you're working on right now, and the bigger, open one behind the kitchen. The only things left to build after those two are the island in the kitchen and the wall to separate the living room and the stairwell."

"An entertainment center? Like a _muggle_ entertainment center?" Harry's eyes shone with delight as he studied the boxed off area next to the aforementioned wall.

"Why not?" Ginny shrugged, smiling at his childlike glee. "You said you always wanted one of those as a child. Just because we're of the wizarding world, Harry, doesn't mean we can't have the best of both worlds."

"I love you." Her boyfriend whispered in her ear, giving her a big, loud kiss on the cheek.

Ginny rolled her eyes and laughed. "Everything else that's marked in red is furniture. Now…" she pointed at Harry, "Next week, when you guys raise the roof, I request that you reinforce it multiple times over because Sev and I will be working on a super-secret project for the attic."

Sev perked up at the mention of his name. "Meh?"

"You, sir." Ginny nodded. "Unless you want to remain idle every single weekend we're here?" She raised a questioning eyebrow at him.

"Mo!" The baby shook his head firmly.

"Then I have an assistant!" The baby grinned. "Will you be working on the lab at all this weekend?" She asked Harry.

"Wab?" Sev's eyes widened and his gaze shot to Harry.

The teen sighed. "Yes, I have a lab. Yes, it's for potions. Yes, I'll show it to you _when_ I'm done with it. And I _might_ work on it this weekend if I can get the porch to cooperate."

"Wehw?"—'Where?'

"It's down in the basement, next to the big library." He fixed the baby with a stern look. "And you are _not_ allowed in there without my go-ahead, you hear me? You're not even allowed to touch the door. The way down is a spiral staircase and it is _dark_. You won't be able to see the first step until you're tripping over it, and by then you'll be tripping over the next step, and the next step, until you end up rolling down the staircase and breaking your neck."

"Oh, quit with the melodrama, Harry." Ginny rolled her eyes. "His walker can't even fit through the door, and you should have baby-proofed the staircase by now to begin with!"

"Do you understand me, Severus?" Harry continued, regardless.

"Yep, ehw."—'Yes'

"Excellent!" The teen smirked at his girlfriend. "Don't hog him, Ginny. I'd like an assistant too, sometimes."

"Well, aren't _you_ the popular one." Ginny winked at Sev and the baby grinned. He liked feeling useful! "For now, will the two of please help me think about things to plant in the garden. I'm going out to assess it right now, and I'd appreciate some ideas as to what I could grow in it."

"Ah whoa! Ah whoa!" Sev bounced up and down excitedly, his racing mind already coming up with over a dozen potions ingredients she could grow in a garden.

"I think that adjourns this meeting." Harry chuckled.

Ginny placed Sev in his walker and spelled the wheels to be virtually frictionless, while Harry set about baby-proofing all the staircases in the house. Just as the last time Sev was allowed in his walker, he had the time of his life running around all over the place. He moved between helping Ginny redesign the living room to helping Harry make sure the porch was on straight.

"You see…" Harry said as he corrected the angling of some wood, "…there's a world of difference between repair and construction. Repair is easy and fun. Construction is irritating and tedious. Repair is just correcting something that's already there. Construction is growing something that's not there yet." He corrected the angling of another piece of wood. "It's like a plant. It can grow up sickly and weak, it can grow up crooked, it can grow up the wrong color, there's any number of things that can go wrong with it. You see, we were lucky with Remus' quarters yesterday. By some miracle, it all turned out alright when I grew his loft and rooms. _This_, on the other hand, is a rather stubborn plant. You know what I mean?" He turned to the infant in his walker, who had stationed himself against the far wall of the backyard, and cried out to him loudly, "There! How is it now?"

Sev shook his head. "MOHPE!"

"Whoooooooooooo!"

"What do you think of a deep burgundy color?" Ginny touched her wand to the wall and it turned that exact shade. She then turned to Sev, who stood in the middle of the room, examining it on all sides. The baby shook his head. "Okay…how about dark green?" She changed the color and turned a raised eyebrow on the child.

Sev's lips tightened. 'T-O-O D-A-R-K.'

"I don't suppose a light purple could do the trick?" She murmured to herself. Tapping the wall, she changed the color and stepped back to examine it. She made a face. Sev made a face as well.

"What about a cream color? Something a bit off yellow…" Ginny tapped her chin in thought.

"Hey, you two! Will you stop for a second and tell me if this wall is what you had in mind?" Harry asked, gesturing towards the newly-constructed wall between the front hallway and the living room.

"Whoooooooooooo!"

"Okay, cub. Is the top on straight?" Sev was across the kitchen, parked against the fireplace and the cast-iron stove, helping Harry build the island Ginny wanted in the middle of the enormous cooking space.

The infant took one look at the new island and was about to sign 'yes' when a thought struck him. _He__ doesn't know that._ Sev smirked internally. He put on the most innocent baby face he could muster and shook his head slowly.

Harry frowned. Tapping his wand to the granite counter, he tried correcting the angle once again. "How about now."

_Now__ it's crooked._ Feeling laughter bubbling in his chest, Sev thought it wise to hightail it out of the room before he burst into giggles and gave himself away. "Uh-huh!" He gave Harry a thumbs-up and rolled past the swinging door into the dining room, just as Ginny came into the kitchen.

"Whoooooooooooo!"

"Um…Harry? The top of the island is crooked."

"Severus!"

Childish squeals of laughter could be heard coming from the living room.

"Whoooooooooooo!"

"Okay, love…" Ginny unrolled a piece of parchment and laid it on the table of Sev's walker. "These are my plans for the attic so far. What do you think?"

Sev chewed on two of his fingers and, smiling, he nodded. "G—oo—d…Goo—d…Goo—d…Good!"—'Good'.

"It's good?!" Ginny's eyes lit up in delight. "You like it?"

"Ike."—'Like'

"Thank you, Sev. That means a lot to me!" She gave him a big kiss on the cheek. Sev grinned.

"Whoooooooooooo!"

_Does he love me?  
I wanna know!  
How can I tell if he loves me so?_

Ginny was in the kitchen.

_(Is it in his eyes?)  
Oh no! You be deceived!  
(Is it in his size?)  
Oh no! You make believe!_

Listening to oldies songs and dancing around the room, singing into a wooden spoon.

_If you wanna know  
If he loves you so  
It's in his kiss  
(That's where it is!)_

She pointed the spoon at Severus, winked, and in one fluid motion lifted him out of his walker and into her arms.

_(Or is it in his face?)  
Oh no! That's just his charm!  
(Or his warm embrace?)  
Oh no! That's just his arm!  
If you wanna know  
If he loves you so  
It's in his kiss  
(That's where it is!)  
Oh! It's in his kiss!  
(That's where it is!) _

Ginny puckered up and Sev gave her a quick, wet kiss on the lips before burying his bright red face in her shirt, giggling.

_Oh, oh, oh! Kiss him and hold him  
And squeeze him tight!  
And find out what you wanna know!  
If it's love, if it really is  
It's there in his kiss!_

She danced to the counter, mixed the bowl of pudding she was making, and then danced back to the stove to check her soup and bread.

_(How 'bout the way he acts?)  
Oh no! That's not the way!  
And you're not listening to all I say!  
If you wanna know  
If he loves you so  
It's in his kiss!  
(That's where it is!)  
Oh yeah! It's in his kiss!  
(That's where it is!)_

Harry leaned against the doorframe of the kitchen entrance, arms crossed and a half-smile on his face as he watched his girlfriend cooking, dancing, and singing all at the same time. She had a giggling Severus wrapped in her embrace and seemed oblivious to her captivated audience. Harry couldn't remember ever seeing something more beautiful in his life.

_Oh, oh, oh! Kiss him and hold him  
And squeeze him tight!  
And find out what you wanna know!  
If it's love, if it really is  
It's there in his kiss!_

Ginny and the infant Severus—his girlfriend and his ward—in his kitchen, dancing to music from his record player, and making his favorite dish for dinner, while he watched them from the door. Harry's heart skipped a beat when it occurred to him just how…_domestic_ this whole scene looked to him. A stranger from afar would see them and assume they were a family. Well…to be completely honest with himself, they _were_ a family…sort of. Yet it was that simple fact that Harry was finding difficult to come to terms with. For him, this was all too good to be true! Harry felt like a bum from the streets who had just been handed a million pounds. This was a scene from his deepest dreams, his most desperate desires! He almost had to slap himself to prove he was actually awake.

To go from having almost nothing to having the world in the space of a month was a bit of a shock for him.

_(How 'bout the way he acts?)  
Oh no! That's not the way!  
And you're not listening to all I say!  
If you wanna know  
If he loves you so  
It's in his kiss!  
(That's where it is!)  
Oh yeah! It's in his kiss!  
(That's where it is!)  
Oh, it's in his kiss…!_

The record player clicked as it transitioned to another song, while Ginny threw a spoon into the kitchen sink with a clang.

"Oh, wasn't that a great song, love?" She grinned at the cooing baby in her arms. "They don't make it like that anymore, huh?" She laughed as she brushed some stray red hair away from her eyes, and spotted Harry in the process. Her grin melted into a gentle smile as her hazel eyes met his emerald greens. She immediately noted the wistful look and tiny smile upon his face.

"How long have you been standing there?" She asked, her eyes narrowing playfully.

The opening notes of another familiar song began floating through the room.

"Long enough." Harry pushed away from the door and slid over to where she and Sev stood. "Come 'ere." He whispered, pulling them into his arms.

_There are places I'll remember  
All my life, though some have changed.  
Some forever, not for better  
Some have gone, and some remain  
All these places have their moments  
With lovers and friends, I still can recall.  
Some are dead and some are living  
In my life, I've loved them all._

He took her hips, she took his shoulder, and together they slowly danced around the kitchen, Sev in between them, smiling softly around his chewed fingers.

_But of all these friends and lovers,  
There is no one compares with you  
And these memories lose their meaning  
When I think of love as something new  
Though I know I'll never lose affection  
For people and things that went before  
I know I'll often stop and think about them  
In my life, I love you more._

He pulled the two of them closer, wrapping his arms around her back and leaning his forehead against hers. Their eyes locked for a long moment before his gaze flicked to Severus.

_Though I know I'll never lose affection  
For people and things that went before  
I know I'll often stop and think about them  
In my life, I love you more._

Leaning down, Harry placed a gentle kiss on the top of Sev's head.

_In my life, I love you more._

And then he and Ginny shared a kiss of their own; a kiss, they both realized, that meant so much more than it ever did before.

_**

* * *

**_

Dinner that evening was full of laughter. Sev delighted in the seafood soup Ginny made. Apparently, it was Harry's favorite. Reluctant as he was to admit it, it was quickly becoming Sev's favorite as well. Ginny kept whispering ideas in Sev's ear about their attic project and Harry kept trying—and failing—to eavesdrop, much to Sev's unending amusement. Dessert for the night was Ginny's vanilla pudding, which tasted just as good as her chocolate pudding, so Sev wasn't about to complain.

One nice, warm bath later, Sev found himself nestled between a fluffy, white comforter and sheets, big, soft pillows, and Harry and Ginny.

"So you like the _Tales of Beedle the Bard_, huh?" Ginny asked as she flipped through the book and made herself comfortable on Sev's left side. Harry lay on Sev's right, shirtless and reading the _Evening Prophet_. "Which stories haven't you read yet?" Sev pointed them out and Ginny chose two to read. "I'll read one, and then Harry will read one—complete with voices!" She winked at Sev.

Harry suddenly looked up from the paper and turned to them. "I beg your pardon?!"

"Once upon a time…"

"I am _not_ doing voices, Ginny."

Ginny coaxed him into doing voices anyway. Sev spent half of story time just laughing at him. Yet when story time was done, Ginny put away the book, Harry folded up the paper, Ginny turned off the lights, Harry opened the windows, and the three of them huddled together, listening to the humming of the midnight wind as she sang them to sleep.

* * *

**"In His Kiss" by Betty Everett  
"In My Life" by The Beatles**

Next up, Harry, Ginny, and Sev get a warm welcome from the muggle/wizard community at the Sunday Services BBQ, Harry plays some football, and the cub learns to pounce!

PICTURE (See Ch. 2 end note on how to access it): Blueprint for Harry's house at Godric's Hollow [except for the attic, of course ;-) ] Images of the outside of the house can be found all over the internet.

**THANK YOU all so much for all the ADDs and REVIEWs! As an author, it means a lot when you all take the time to drop a line and let me know what you think. As per usual, please keep them up. I'm always interested in your thoughts. :-) **


	14. Pouncing

Severus stood on the bed, with Harry's help, while Ginny dressed him in a tiny white collared shirt, khakis, and trainers. Ginny herself wore a pretty, light purple sundress, which Sev thought brought out her eyes, while Harry wore black dress pants with a brown collared shirt and black tie.

"Right! Okay…that looks about right." Ginny pulled back to examine him top to bottom.

"Wah—koo."

"Not right now, cub." Harry answered, turning Sev around and then lifting him into his arms. "We're about to leave for services." He walked over to the bookcase and drew out a small, ornate, decorative box, bringing it to the vanity table, where Ginny was seated. "I refuse to transfigure my broomstick into a car." He told her.

Ginny snorted and rolled her eyes. Putting down her hairbrush, she studied the box curiously. "What is it?"

"Open it." Harry pushed.

Narrowing her eyes playfully, Ginny undid the various latches and turned the various dials until she heard a click and the box popped open. Now even Severus was curious as to what lay inside. Soft, gentle music began floating out from within the confines of the box. "A music box?" Ginny raised an eyebrow at Harry. Slowly, the teen lifted the lid to reveal a small model car.

"Blue, four-door, Nissan Micra. It's the newest model—1998. Driver and passenger-side airbags, all-wheel drive, anti-lock brakes—"

"Harry?" Ginny stopped him with a smile. "You can have _that_ conversation with my dad."

"Right." Harry smirked. "It's a…uh…good car."

"That's good enough for me." She handed the model car to Severus. "Why don't you go warm it up?"

"Careful with that, cub." Harry said as they made their way out the bedroom and down the stairs. "That's our ride."

Soon enough, the model car was enlarged into a real one, Severus was strapped into the car seat they had transfigured from his walker, and the car was warmed up and ready to go.

"So when, exactly, did you learn how to drive, Harry?" Ginny asked as she strapped herself in and checked Severus' straps as well.

Harry adjusted his mirrors and then began to slowly drive down the road. "The summer before my sixth year." He answered, "My uncle had just lost his job and blamed me for it the moment I got home from the train station. He laid into me good that night, and the night after that, and the night after that. After that third night, I knew if I stayed any longer, he'd kill me."

"So you ran away." Ginny guessed.

"Just for a little bit." Harry nodded. "About a month or so." He checked the street for any pedestrians before speeding up a bit. "I went into London and healed myself near Diagon Alley. That way, the Trace wouldn't have been able to tell it was me."

"How badly were you hurt?" Ginny asked, concerned.

"Pretty badly." Harry shrugged.

"Elaborate." His girlfriend's eyebrows furrowed.

The teen sighed, "Several broken bones, my right leg was fractured, almost all my ribs were cracked, I think I was bleeding internally, my left shoulder was dislocated, and I'm not going to get into my face or my back."

"You got all the way into London without someone noticing you were _that_ injured?!" Ginny was appalled. "What did Stan Shunpike say?"

"I didn't take the Knight Bus." Harry shook his head.

"Are you telling me you _walked_ to London? Bleeding internally and on a broken leg?!"

"I flew my broom, Gin." Harry stopped as a herd of goats crossed their path. "And I had my invisibility cloak on."

"Why didn't you go to Grimmauld Place?"

"What? And have them send me back to my aunt and uncle's? 'I'm sorry, Harry, but we have to send you back there for your own protection. The blood wards would fail otherwise.' Like hell I was safe in there, Gin!"

"I doubt Sirius would've sent you back if he only knew what happened."

"Dumbledore would've made him!" Harry argued. "You know how that old coot can be! Manipulative, that he is."

"Harry—"

"I don't want them to know, Gin!" Harry interjected strongly. "I don't want any of them to know anything!" He lowered his voice to just above a whisper. "The only two people who know about that are you and Severus and I want it to _stay_ that way." He faced forward again and resumed driving down the road. "Anyway…after I healed myself, I donned a glamour, drew out some money, and spent about a month living in a cheap motel with rats for company. Hell of a lot better than my 'home' in Surrey, I'll tell you."

"And you got your driver's license."

Harry shrugged. "I had to do something after I finished reading all my books." He turned down a paved street and into town. "Riding around on trains could only amuse me for so long."

Ginny shook her head. "You're unbelievable, Harry."

"Hey, if there's one thing living at my aunt and uncle's taught me, it was _self-reliance_." Harry remarked as Ginny began directing him to the chapel, "I couldn't depend on them—they made that _abundantly_ clear. So I learned how to snitch food at an early age, I learned how to heal myself at an early age, I taught myself how to read, how to write, how to work with numbers, how to tie my shoes." He scoffed. "Living with rats in a motel in London was _paradise_, Ginny. I was next to Diagon Alley, the Trace didn't work properly, and I could practice magic all I wanted. I could make all the potions I needed, I could perfect my defense." He shrugged. "I was happy."

Ginny looked at him sadly. "You were lonely." She corrected matter-of-factly.

Harry sighed as he pulled into a parking spot next to the chapel. "It doesn't matter anymore. The past is past." He shut off the engine and turned to look at both Ginny and Severus, "_Now_…I'm happy—for real this time." He narrowed his eyes at his girlfriend. "I dare you to deny that."

Ginny smirked and rolled her eyes. "I can't."

Sunday service turned out to be an interesting experience. Although the chapel looked old on the outside, it was completely modernized on the inside. A new speaker system sat in one corner, fully functional stage lights hung from the rafters, and a drum set, electric guitars, and more than a few acoustic guitars sat in one corner, already plugged into the speakers. A few university-aged students seemed to be helping with set-up and testing. Harry and Ginny were handed program booklets when they walked in and were directed to a row of white, fold-out chairs, rather than the traditional pews. Service started with the introduction of new community members, including Harry, Sev, and Ginny, and the trio found themselves shaking hands with the dozen or so cheerful strangers sitting around them. The program continued with the entire congregation singing in conjunction with the Christian rock band that was set up in the corner. Somehow, the trio found themselves singing along as well. After a rather captivating sermon by the young pastor, another long set of Christian rock songs were sung before a final prayer and an invitation to a BBQ at the local park.

"Well, that was…interesting." Harry remarked as he walked out of the chapel, Sev in his arms.

"I must say, I've never been to something quite like that before." Ginny added.

"What do you think, cub?" Harry nudged the infant.

"Oh—key." The baby mumbled around his thumb.

"I bet you're hungry, eh?" Harry felt Sev nod against his chest.

"M—M—M—Mis—Mis—Mister Potter?" Somebody bumbled behind them. "Mr. Potter?" Harry and Ginny both turned to find a rather portly man and a small boy standing several feet from them. "Mis—Mister Potter?"

Harry smiled amicably. "Yes, sir?"

"Oh, it _is_ you! Harry Potter!" The man looked positively giddy as he gripped the small boy by the shoulders and shook him in excitement.

The boy scowled and gave the portly man a strange look. "Dad, will you calm down!" He brushed the man's hands off his shoulders and extended a hand to Harry. "Hello, Mr. Potter, I'm Logan Miller. This is my dad, Warrick."

Harry shook the boy's hand and then the bumbling man's. "Nice to meet you Logan, Mr. Miller. This is my girlfriend Ginny and this little guy is Henry."

"Warrick! Honestly, can't you mind your own business?" A rather portly woman came bounding up to them from behind the father and son. "I'm sorry, Mr. Potter and Miss…?"

"Weasley." Ginny answered with a smile.

"Miss Weasley. I apologize. My husband can't help himself sometimes." She offered her hand to them. "I'm Regina."

"It's very good to meet you, Regina." Ginny smiled. "Tell me…you're of…uh…" she tilted her head, and Regina and Logan nodded knowingly. Warrick just continued to stare at Harry like a worshiper to a god.

"Can I ask a favor of all three of you?" Harry said.

"YES!" Warrick cried out loudly, making everyone jump at the sudden outburst. "Anything, Mr. Potter. Anything! Anything at all!"

Sev gave Warrick a disgusted look. "Kiff—aff!" He scowled at the portly man and stuck out his tongue, intent on blowing raspberries at him. Before he could do anything, though, a hand placed itself gently but firmly over his mouth.

"Will you excuse me for just one minute?" Harry said with a smile. Turning around, he hissed in Sev's ear. "Remember how I said I was going to give you a warning before a spanking became warranted." Sev gasped and looked up at him, wide-eyed. "That was your warning." Harry continued sternly. "And you're getting a five-minute time-out when we get home for that 'kiss-arse' remark. Now I expect good, polite behavior from you for the remainder of the day. Do I make myself perfectly clear?"

Sev took one look at Harry's firm glare and hung his head. "Yea, ehw." He murmured sadly, burying his face in Harry's shirt.

"Thank you." Harry replied and turned back around. "I'm sorry. He's hungry and that's why he's a bit grouchy right now." He stepped closer to the other family and lowered his voice. "Could the three of you do me a little favor? You know all the magical families around here, right?"

"Oh, yes, Mr. Potter! Yes, we do! All of them!" Warrick answered, nodding fervently.

"Please, Mr. Miller, call me Harry." The teen insisted. "That's good to hear. Listen…I just moved back into my family's home up at Haven Place. My girlfriend and I are renovating it. I'd appreciate it…" He eyed their surroundings and lowered his voice some more, "…if my presence here does _**not**_ attract the attention of _any_ newspapers, muggle and _otherwise_. I love this community here. I _really_ do. I'd love it even more, in fact, if I don't have to shut myself in my house because photographers are trying to get my picture or my family's picture."

"Oh, we understand, sir, completely!" Logan nodded.

"Mum's the word." Regina agreed.

"I'll tell all the, uh…neighbors to keep it all hush-hush." Warrick added, coming out of his stupor of the first time.

"Thank you all very, very much." Harry smiled gratefully. After wishing them a good day, he and Ginny turned and continued following the crowd to the park.

"Hopefully that doesn't happen too much today." Harry murmured to Ginny.

"I agree. Did you see that guy?"

Harry snorted. "He looked kind of funny." Suddenly, he felt something shaking on his chest. Sev was sniggering into his tie. "Didn't he, cub? He had that glazed over look in his eye for, like, five minutes." The sniggering turned into giggles and Harry found himself laughing along.

"Oh hush, you two!" Ginny chided.

"It was funny!"

"It was creepy!"

"It was that…" Harry shrugged, "…_and_ funny!"

They reached the park and the glorious smell of barbeque filled their nostrils. "Oh, yes!" Harry growled, making Sev laugh at the rumbling noise his chest was making. "Meat!"

The picnic at the park was spectacular. The congregation said a short prayer, led by the pastor, and then the church served lunch. On the park benches sat barbeque pork that had been left roasting for twelve hours, potato salad, corn, mashed potatoes, and a green salad with dressing—all for free.

"How can they afford all this?" Harry remembered asking Ginny as they stood in line for food.

Martha had been next to them then and had answered him. "Donations from the community." She smiled. "The community gives to the church, the church gives back to the community."

"Every Sunday?"

"Every Sunday."

Harry and Sev both ate their fill, while Ginny watched in amusement. They had brought Sev's special formula along that day, thus the infant was able to taste the delicious food as well. Ginny was just finishing her first helping when both Harry and Sev collapsed on the grass next to her, sated and sleepy. "You two really should eat slower, you know." She commented, feeding herself some corn. Harry merely raised an eyebrow at her, and Sev peered at her through half-closed eyes as he lay on Harry's chest. Ginny laughed and rolled her eyes.

After a sufficient resting period, some guys from the church brought out sports equipment—a few footballs, a rugby ball, a couple of American footballs, two cricket sets, some baseball equipment, and a croquet set. Harry, Sev, and Ginny merely stood on the sidelines for a while as various people—both muggle and wizard—kept coming up to the trio and introducing themselves. The muggles welcomed them to the community and gave them information regarding various services offered around town, including schools, daycares, kids' programs and whatnot. The wizarding folks welcomed them to the community and promised to keep mum about their existence there.

Harry and Ginny decided last night to tell the muggles they were married and tell the magical folks they were still dating. After all, Harry Potter's love life wasn't that big of a secret in the wizarding world. Everyone knew he wasn't married. No one in the muggle world knew that, though.

"Hey, Ginny! Can we borrow your husband for a bit, eh?" One of the muggle church brothers—Dan, if Harry remembered correctly—shouted from the field. "Come on, Harry! Let's play a bit of football. What do you say?" Dan's teammates shouted in encouragement and the wizarding family they had been talking to also clapped supportively.

Harry gave Ginny a questioning look. His girlfriend merely smirked and took Severus from him. "Go ahead! Go on!" She turned towards Dan and cried, "Sure, you can borrow him! Just bring him back in one piece, okay?!"

Harry sighed and undid his tie and shirt, stripping to his undershirt. Cheers originated from the gathering crowd as Harry ran over and accepted an orange vest from Dan. The game suddenly gathered a large crowd, as everyone present who was of the wizarding community stayed to watch Harry Potter play muggle football. Ginny was actually surprised by Harry's skill level with a football. Whenever one of the guys passed it to him, he would drive it forward by sweeping the ball around his feet, through other players' legs, or between two players or more. At one point, a teammate passed him the football midway through the opposing team's field and Harry drove the ball around his back leg, spinning to avoid colliding with another player, then in between two other players, tripping them up, before giving it a hefty kick between another player's open legs and slamming it into the air, straight at one of his other teammates, who then head-butted the ball into their goal.

"Wah-oh!" Sev squealed, grinning up at Ginny.

"That was good, wasn't it?!" Ginny laughed. She heard Sev clap his baby hands. "When you get big enough again, I bet you he'll teach you all those tricks of his." She whispered into his ear. "And then you'll be better than him one day." She gave him a big kiss on the cheek, and laughed as Sev's arms and legs bobbed up and down excitedly as the crowd cheered.

About fifteen minutes later, the game came to an exciting end when Harry's team reached game point after five minutes of tie game. The two groups shook hands amicably and then Harry made his way over and collapsed on the blanket beside them, his hair matted with sweat.

"Did you have fun?" Ginny laughed as Sev crawled away from her and onto Harry's chest.

"Oh, yeah!" Harry panted. "Jeez! I haven't played a good game of football in…quite some time." His eye rolled to the back of his head as he breathed heavily. "Since I was thirteen, I think…That was the last time I played…found some guys in a park…pick-up football."

"Hey, good game, Harry!" One of the guys from his team called from across the field. Harry picked up his head and waved. "See you next week?" The teen gave him a thumbs-up and a smile. "Alright then! See ya, mate!" Harry waved once again.

Ginny chuckled. "So…shall we go?"

"Just give me a few minutes." Harry replied, still a bit breathless.

"Hey, Ginny!" One of the muggle ladies—Jane, if Ginny remembered correctly—came up to them from behind. "Would Henry like to come play with the other children for a while? We're about to blow bubbles!"

Harry suppressed a snort and Sev scowled at him. "Come on, love, it's only a few bubbles." Ginny whispered in Sev's ear. "You'll be surprised how fun it is!"

"Come on, cub. I've had my fun. It's time for you to have yours." He tried lifting the child off his chest, but Sev would have none of it. He whined and stuck himself to Harry's shirt.

Jane laughed. "Why don't you come with him, Harry? Show the other dads how to be a man and enjoy something with their infant." She and Ginny shared a look and a laugh.

"Oh!" Harry grunted. "I can't get up!" Sev giggled into his chest and gripped his shirt. Harry sat up, arms gripping the infant securely, and stood on his feet. "Where are those bubbles? Huh? Where are they? Where?!"

"They're over here, Harry." Jane answered with a smile, pointing to a spot nearby where numerous infants and toddlers were gathered on the grass, chasing bubbles. The teenage girl who was blowing bubbles at them looked up and blew a set towards Severus. The infant in Harry's arms flinched away from the bubbles, dodging them whenever they came near his face. When a bubble finally managed to pop on his nose, Sev sniffed and shook his head, reminding Harry of a little puppy. The infant turned to Harry and scowled.

"Aw, come on, cub! Bubbles can be fun, too! Look!" The girl blew another set of bubbles towards them and Harry thrust his face at a few of them, popping them with his nose. At one point, he bit at some bubbles to pop them, making a face as the soap hit his tongue. "See?!" He sat down on the grass, next to the children, and then resumed his former sprawled position. "Have at it, Hank." Harry closed his eyes and tried once again to get his heartbeat to slow down.

Severus continued to scowl at Harry. He didn't want to play with bubbles! Did these people sometimes forget he wasn't a _real_ baby? Granted, Severus forgot that himself sometimes, but…that wasn't the point right now! He did _not_ want to play with bubbles! He'd look like a complete idiot! Sev gripped Harry's shirt tighter and started pulling against it. _Get up, Potter! Get up! I do __not__ want to play with the stupid bubbles! _But it was useless. The teenager was halfway into a nap. Argh! Sev huffed, pouted, and pushed up against Harry's chest, frowning at the other infants who were chasing the ridiculous little bubbles.

The idiot teenage girl found it necessary to blow more bubbles in his direction. With a growl, Sev buried his face in Harry's chest in order to escape them. "Ah!" He whined at Harry, tapping him none-too-lightly on the chest in order to rouse him. It didn't work. What _did_ happen, though, was that a lone bubble managed to land right on Harry's nose without popping.

Severus froze. Looking around, he noted that all the other babies' attentions were drawn away by the other bubbles. This one seemed forgotten by the rest. Well, not for long! Sev crouched low on Harry's chest, watching the bubble through narrowed eyes. Harry's head moved slightly left, then slightly right, but the bubble remained exactly where it was. Excellent! Sev crept forward slowly, keeping himself low on Harry's chest. He wriggled until his nose touched Harry's chin, and then he crouched low, lower than before, so low that only his eyes were visible over the top of Harry's chin. He watched the bubble closely. Still, his prey remained oblivious. It continued to sit there, impervious to the wind and movement. Sev's muscles tensed, he felt his fingers curl up. Then, without warning, he pounced! Sev trapped the bubble between his two hands, popping it soundly.

"**OW**!" Harry cried out, his eyes flying open in surprise. Ginny's hysterical laughter could be heard somewhere in the background. "Seve—Argh! HENRY!"

Sev pushed up against Harry's chest and grinned down at his caretaker.

"Are you alright, Harry?" Jane asked, looking down at him in concern.

"Yes, I'm…I'm fine." Harry replied, "Little guy just pounced on my nose!" He clutched the offended appendage and rubbed it gently.

"It was a _good_ pounce, too!" The teenager who was blowing the bubbles added.

"Yes, well…I call him 'cub' for a reason." He lifted Sev off his chest and laid him on the grass next to him. "Go on! Pounce on more bubbles, just not the ones on me!" Yet it was no use. The infant had spotted yet another bubble that had landed on Harry's glasses and pounced on it as well. After that, he jumped on the one on Harry's hair. "Argh! Hank…give me a break! Please?" Sev then jumped on a bubble that had landed on Harry's ear.

After about five minutes of allowing herself to indulge in her favorite hobby, Ginny put the camera away and went to rescue a laughing Harry from the clutches of Severus, the great bubble-pouncer. "Hey, you two!" She placed her hands on her hips and smirked at the two roughed-up boys. "You ready to go?" She double-checked the spot where they were sitting to make sure he hadn't left anything.

"Yeah." Harry replied, lifting Sev into his arms before picking himself up off the ground. "There's just one more place I want to drop by before we go back home."

* * *

**Thus was my college experience with a rather large Christian group on my campus. They were a really interesting group of people. :-) The food was unbelievable!**

Next up, Harry and Sev visit sacred ground, Sev gets in more than a bit of trouble, Harry's demons attempt to possess him, and Sev learns the difference between love and obsession.

**Once again, a big THANK YOU to everyone and especially those who left REVIEWs and ADDs! They're fantastic! Please, don't be a stranger. I value everyone's opinion. :-)**


	15. If You Love Me, Let Me Go

**WARNING: Two swats**

* * *

Harry, Sev, and Ginny said their goodbyes to their new friends and neighbors before leaving the park. Taking his girlfriend's hand, Harry led her down the street from the church and towards a small graveyard.

"Do you mind?" He asked her pensively.

"No, love." Ginny shook her head, gripping his hand supportively.

"Do you, cub?" Harry asked the child in his arms. In response, Sev merely whined and reached towards the graveyard, opening and closing his hands in plea.

"Go on!" Ginny encouraged him.

Using just a touch of magic to open the gate, Harry slowly walked into the hallowed ground and led them to his parents' gravesite. The white headstone gleamed in the afternoon sunshine. Harry remembered coming here that first time, in the dead of night, looking for it; remembered how it seemed to glow in the moonlight as well. The names _James Potter_ and _Lily Potter_ were engraved just above the dates of their birth and death; and below that, '_The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death._'

As soon as he reached it, Harry released Ginny's hand and crouched down, setting Severus on the ground before him. Almost immediately, the baby crawled to Lily's side of the headstone. Leaning against it with one hand, he used the fingers of his other to trace the letters of her first name, ignoring the Potter completely.

L-I-L-Y

Harry sat back on his heels and looked at the headstone as a whole. James Potter, Lily Potter—his parents. He hadn't told anyone this yet, but he had the chance to have a nice chat with his parents just a month ago, during his brief stay in the no-man's-land between life and death. They were the ones who told him what he had to do; they were the ones who gave him the choice between joining them or leaving them once more; and they were the ones who helped him finally come to terms with their deaths once and for all.

"_We'll see each other again one day, my love." Lily told her son, caressing his face lovingly. "And when we do, it'll be forever."_

"_But that day is not today, Harry." James broke in, putting his arm around his son and ruffling his hair. "You've got your whole life ahead of you! __That__, mind you, is what __won't__ last forever." _

"_You've got a limited amount of time in the world of the living, Harry." Lily added, "Don't waste it! Enjoy the people you have in your life. Set aside this hatred in your heart and show the world your capacity to love!" _

"_You got that from your mother, by the way." _

"_Harry, sweetheart," Lily crouched in front of her son and gripped his hands tightly, "Don't think of this as a goodbye. It's __not__ a goodbye! It's a 'see you later' more than it's a 'goodbye'." _

"_Remember what your godfather said, cub." James put in, "Those who love us never really leave us. They're right here." He laid his hand over his son's heart. "Always." _

"_We're watching you, my love. We're right next to you every moment of every day of your life." His mother told him. "When you close your eyes, you'll be able to see us. If you listen hard enough, you'll be able to hear us as well." _

"_You see?! The only thing we'll be missing is a body! And what's a body anyway?" James waved it off as if it was nothing. _

"_We love you, Harry..." _

"_Very much, son…" _

Harry's eyes flickered open and he found himself kneeling on the ground, his forehead resting against the headstone. His cheeks felt damp, his eyes stung slightly, and he could swear something just dripped off his chin.

Severus traced Lily's name lovingly, reliving every memory of her, recalling all their joyous childhood moments. Lily. Lovely Lily. His precious flower. How Severus wished he could take back all those bad moments. How he wished he could just start their friendship over from the beginning. Lily was so sweet, so innocent, so pure, and so mature as well. She was wise beyond her years. Severus didn't deserve her!

Well…apparently life agreed with him on that point. He didn't deserve her and he didn't get her. It was Potter who got her! Severus could feel anger boiling in the pit of his stomach. Potter. Potter! James Potter! Big Quidditch hero, super-arrogant, bullying git James Potter! _He_ ended up with the girl! What the hell did Potter have that he didn't?! What the hell did Potter do to deserve her that Severus didn't do?!

"_Grew up." _

The thought popped into his mind as if it just apparated in out of nowhere. Yet it latched itself onto his consciousness and refused to let go. Potter grew up. So what?! Severus grew up as well. That didn't seem to catch Lily's attention as much as when Potter grew up. It must've been something else that attracted Lily to Potter.

"_You're missing the point, Sev! You __didn't__ grow up, you stayed the same! The muggle-born hating, the pure-blood superiority rubbish, the cold-hearted, violent friends you refused to relinquish; __that__ all continued! From childhood to adulthood, that continued. I thought suspending our friendship would bring you to your senses, but when I found out you took the Mark, I knew your quests for power and prestige meant more to you than our friendship. You __didn't__ grow up, Sev!"_

A voice that sounded suspiciously like Lily screamed into his head.

"_As much as I loved you as a friend, Severus, I couldn't love you as anything more than that; regardless of how much I wanted to. I fall in love with personality, Sev, not appearances. James grew out of his pranking ways and showed me his better side. He showed me the man he could become and became him. You showed me the man you could have become, but chose not to. Therein lies the difference, Severus! James __chose__ to be the better man, you didn't."_

The cold, hard truth felt like a knife to the heart for Severus.

James chose to be the better man, Severus didn't.

James chose to bury the hatchet, Severus didn't.

James chose the path of most resistance; Severus chose the path of least.

James made the right choices, Severus didn't.

James loved Lily. Severus…didn't? The saying '_If you love me, let me go._' flashed in his mind for a moment. If Severus really _did_ love Lily, he would've found it in himself to let her go. Yet Sev had flat-out refused to let her go. He had held on to her. He had held on to her throughout her courting by James Potter, throughout her marriage, throughout her son's birth, and throughout her death. He had held on to her like a lifeline, even when she wasn't there anymore. In fact, Severus was _still_ holding on to her even now. He was _still_ keeping the lamp burning for Lily Evans.

Yet what did all that mean? Did that mean that Severus' love for Lily wasn't love at all? Did that mean that Sev was, in fact, _obsessed_ with Lily rather than in love with her? Did that mean that Severus' love was selfish, rather than pure, like James Potter's? That his love was more a desire for possession of her than it was actual love?

Severus' stomach churned. _Oh god! Oh god! Oh god!_

Images of Lily from childhood to adulthood flashed in his mind. _Lily, Lily, Lily…_Sev felt a physical pain in his chest. He realized as the years passed by, Lily's face grew sadder and sadder whenever she looked at him. By fifth year, her eyes didn't shine with the same light that they shone with when they were children. Her words to him became more and more desperate with time. She had been begging him, pleading with him to change. But he didn't. Then one day she stopped looking. And the light she used to keep burning for him began burning for James Potter.

And that had driven Severus over the edge. That had been what had pushed him to take the Mark. He had wanted Lily back!

_Oh god! Oh god! Oh god! I __didn't__ love her! _He realized._ I wasn't in love with her; I was obsessed with her. I wasn't trying to court her; I was trying to claim her. _Severus felt like throwing up. _I wanted her as my possession rather than my wife. _A lump formed in his throat and fresh tears sprung to his eyes. _Oh god! LILY! I was a fool! I was a damn fool! _

He traced her whole name this time. All of it.

L-I-L-Y P-O-T-T-E-R

James Potter _had_ deserved her; a lot more than Severus ever did. James Potter had given Lily Evans exactly what she deserved—pure, _unselfish_ love. Something Severus couldn't give to her.

_If you love me, let me go…_

_I was a fool, Lily…A damn fool…!_

Voices from all around him began echoing in his ear as Sev leaned against the gleaming headstone.

"_Dear child…Sweet child…"_

"_You're free now, Sev…"_

"_She will come back to you…sooner than you think…"_

"_Chase me, Sev! Run with me!"_

"_May you soon see this opportunity as a blessing…"_

Sev's eyes fluttered open. _See this opportunity as a blessing…_

"L-I-L-Y P-O-T-T-E-R." Sev heard a slightly nasal voice spell out. Turning, the infant found a red-nosed, puffy-eyed Harry sitting on the ground next to him. His back rested against the headstone and he was giving Severus a bit of a half-smile. "Pleasant memories?" The infant sat back on his heels and leaned on his arms, frowning at the teenager. "Yeah, mine weren't all that happy either." With a sigh, the baby turned away, mindlessly continuing to study the gravestone next to them.

Harry and Severus continued to sit in silence for several more minutes, neither moving nor thinking. They both just stared out into space, reveling in the stillness that surrounded them and in the blankness of their thoughts.

Then, wordlessly, Harry opened his arms and Severus crawled into them, snuggling into his shirt. "Let's go home, shall we?" He felt a little head nod into his chest.

Harry stood up and made his way over to Ginny, who had gone to visit the Dumbledores' graves in order to give them both some privacy. The teenager took his girlfriend's hand and then leaned in to give her a long, sensuous kiss. A whispered, "Thank you," was the only explanation he offered.

Ginny merely smiled and let her boyfriend lead her out of the graveyard. A comfortable silence filled the car on the way back to Haven Place. Halfway through, though, Ginny decided to break it by suggesting they take a tour of the woods around the house. Desperate for a break from the morbid atmosphere, Harry and Severus both accepted immediately.

Harry stopped the car and everyone climbed out. Sev's car seat was quickly re-transfigured back into a walker, and the car promptly shrunk again. Ginny donned the baby sling this time, and the trio fearlessly ventured off the beaten path and into the small grove of trees.

The sunlight filtered through the treetops, bathing the area with the perfect balance of light and shadow. Severus was strongly reminded of their trip into the Forbidden Forest just a few days ago. The infant wondered idly if a secret lake lay hidden in here as well. Perhaps he could talk to the Lady of the Lake again.

"Isn't it gorgeous, love?"

Harry led them towards the small stream that ran through the grove, and the trio spent half an hour wetting their feet in the cool, shallow water.

"Look at the tadpoles, Sev! Look at the tadpoles! They're swimming through your toes! Whoops!" Harry lifted the baby out of the water, pulling his feet out along with him. Severus squealed in delight, kicking his feet wildly and splashing water droplets everywhere. "Watch out! Here he comes again!" He set the child down and immersed his feet in the water. Just as the tadpoles came close enough to the baby's toes, Harry pulled him back up again. "Whoops!" The infant giggled some more. The pattern continued for fifteen minutes, with Ginny seizing the opportunity to take yet another roll of pictures. Halfway through, the two teens switched places and Ginny splashed around while Harry got to play the photographer.

After playtime at the creek, Harry decided to do a bit of exploring and led them towards a rock outcropping he spied downstream. He remembered seeing the same outcropping from the backyard of his house and wondered idly if that was the location of Remus' aforementioned cave. Sure enough, as soon as they circled the structure completely, they were able to spy an opening on one side of the rock. "Hey look! That's the cave Remus mentioned." Harry stepped in first to assess the safety of the structure and found it to be more than satisfactory. "Come on in!" He signaled to Ginny and Sev.

Moony wasn't kidding when he said it'd be exactly as they left it. The cave itself was rather small and its shape was reminiscent of a doughnut. Harry thought it quite resembled his dorm in Gryffindor tower. The dimensions seemed about right. A cut-up tree trunk stood in place of a heater, half-eaten chocolate bars lay on it instead of wet socks, and sleeping bags were strewn around the room instead of beds. Rather than windows, there stood support beams. Rather than clothes and shoes, empty cartonsofBertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans and boxes of half-eaten Chocolate Frogs littered the room. Rather than Dean's football posters, Sirius' pictures of motorcycles and bikini-clad muggle girls decorated the walls. Yet very much like Harry's dorm, the cave was decked out from top to bottom in Gryffindor colors.

"Merlin's beard! Look at this place!" Ginny gasped. Severus peered around and shifted uncomfortably in his sling.

"I reckon Remus would like a few minutes in here before we do anything to the place." Harry remarked.

"Yeah." Ginny nodded in agreement. "It's absolutely beautiful, though. Do we _have_ to do anything to it?"

"Well I'd think it'd make a wonderful hideaway, wouldn't you say?" Ginny shrugged. "How about you, Sev? What do you think?" The infant shrugged as well.

"Come on, give me _something_, cub."

Sev buried his face in Ginny's chest. "Gif-dow cowo…"

"Gryffindor colors?" He and Ginny exchanged a puzzled look. "Is that making you uncomfortable?"

No response.

Harry sighed. "Alright. Let's head home then, shall we? At least we all know where the cave is now." He took Ginny's hand and led her out of the cave and towards the house. "I'll let Remus know it's still here. I'm sure he'd love to see it again."

"Will you be working on the open porch today? The big one?" Ginny asked, examining the back of the house as they approached it from the woods.

"Yeah." Harry nodded. "But I think I'll work it out in the kitchen first…while someone takes his time-out."

That got Sev's attention pretty quickly. He pushed up from Ginny's chest and whined, scowling at Harry.

"Don't give me any of that. I told you all of this a while ago, when you first got in trouble." Harry replied sternly.

"What's he in time-out for?" Ginny asked, curious.

"Calling Warrick a kiss-arse in the church parking lot. You remember. The first wizard family we met? The creepy guy?"

"You called him a kiss-arse?"

"Mo."

"Severus!" Harry rebuked.

"Mo mime ow!" The child whined again.

"I don't appreciate the grating tone." Harry replied coldly.

"Immy?" Sev went for pitiful this time, turning sad eyes upon Ginny.

"Oh no!" Ginny shook her head and looked the other way. "I am not getting in the middle of this."

"Mo mime ow, Haweh!"

"Five minutes time-out, Severus." Harry lifted the child out of his sling and entered through the new back porch.

"Mo mime ow! Mo mime ow! MO MIME OW!!!" Severus began squirming and kicking in Harry's arms as the teen removed his shoes by the door.

Harry's grip tightened on the infant. "Severus, stop that immediately!" His lips tightened as he marched down the hallway, stopping by the living room to pick up a couch cushion, and into the dining room.

"MO MIME OW! MO MIME OW! **MO MIME OW**!!!"

Harry laid the couch cushion in one corner of the dining room and sat the child on it, facing the wall. Severus fought him tooth and nail.

"MO MIME OW!" He kicked at Harry's arms.

"Severus…"

"MO MIME OW!" Sev kicked so hard, he slipped onto his back. His little fists beating a steady rhythm against Harry's hands.

"You are in here because—"

"MO MIME OW!" A strong kick to Harry's cheek and then his jaw stopped the teen mid-sentence and made him loosen his hold on the infant as he grabbed his face.

"OW! Son of a…" Harry felt around his jaw to make sure it wasn't broken and Sev took advantage of his preoccupation and crawled under the dining room table.

Harry could feel anger boiling in the pit of his stomach. _Not good, not good, not good!_ A voice screamed in his head. _Need a breather, need a breather, need a breather!_ Harry felt his hands begin to tremble and his fingers started curling in on themselves of their own accord. _No, no, no, no, NO! Get out, Potter! GET OUT NOW!!!_

Shutting his eyes, Harry pushed himself back to the wall and leaned against it. Flashes of Uncle Vernon invaded his consciousness. _Breathe, breathe, breathe, breathe, breathe. Say what you have to say and then get out. I am NOT turning into Uncle Vernon! I am NOT turning into Uncle Vernon! I am NOT turning into Uncle Vernon! In…out…in…out…in…out…Come on, Potter! In…out…FOCUS! Control yourself, Potter! Control! I am NOT turning into Uncle Vernon! In…out…In…out…_

When Harry felt like he was sufficiently able to control his temper for at least a few minutes, he opened his eyes and fixed the infant under the table with his sternest glare.

Once Severus had barricaded himself behind the dining room chairs, he had turned back towards Harry, fully expecting the teen to come crawling in behind him. What he found instead was Harry sitting up against the wall, doing deep breathing exercises. Within moments, Sev's confusion gave way to curiosity and he continued to sit quietly, studying the teen from under the table. When Harry turned the mother of all glares upon him, though, Severus felt like shrinking back into the carpet. Adrenaline started pumping through his veins and his stomach began doing flip-flops. He had _never_ seen Harry look that mad before; not even when he was his teacher!

"Haweh?" He squeaked, his voice sounding tiny to his ears.

"Congratulations. You just earned yourself a two-swat spanking." Harry replied, his voice cold and devoid of all emotion. The teen then stood up and Sev couldn't help but flinch back. However, Harry wasn't heading towards him; he was heading towards the door!

"Haweh?!" Severus crawled forward in alarm, wondering where his caretaker was going. "Haweh!"

Yet Harry didn't reply. In fact, he didn't even look back! He just marched straight through the dining room door and left Sev in the room by himself.

"HAWEH!" Severus crawled forward as fast as he could, trying to chase after his guardian. But when the infant heard the unmistakable sound of the front door slamming shut, he gave up entirely and sat back on the floor, leaning against his arms. "Haweh!" He moaned pitifully. Sev felt the distinctive sting of tears in his eyes and he let them fall. Where was Harry going? What had he done? Why had Harry left him alone? Why wasn't he here?

_Why couldn't I just sit in stupid corner for five minutes?! Why couldn't I just do that?!_ The infant berated himself. _What's five minutes in a corner compared to feeling like __this__?!_ The ache in Sev's heart felt almost physical. Guilt and regret coursed through his body. He didn't mind that he had earned himself a spanking. Right now he'd take the worst spanking in history if Harry just came back through the door! _Why did he leave me???_

"Oh, angel…" Ginny stepped into the dining room and lifted Severus into her arms.

Somehow, her presence just made the tears fall even faster and Sev's heart ache even more. He screamed his lungs out into her chest, soaking the material with his tears. "HAWEH!!! HAWEH!!!" He pushed up and peered at Ginny though his tears and snot. "Wehw?! Wehw?! Wehw?!" He cried, signing 'where' over and over again.

"Once you calm down, baby, I'll tell you." Ginny replied softly. Stooping down, she picked up the couch cushion and carried him back into the living room. After dropping the cushion back in place, Ginny plopped herself down on the couch and rocked him soundly, whispering calming noises into his ear.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, Severus felt his eyes run out of tears, and he lay limp in Ginny's arms; his breath continued to hitch as he calmed down from the crying fit. The ache in Sev's heart was still there, though, and the flip-flops still continued in his stomach, though not as violently as before. A button on Ginny's shirt caught his attention and the infant began picking at it with his fingers, barely becoming aware of the soft hand running through his hair or of the angelic humming in his ear.

"Feel better now, baby boy?" Ginny asked softly.

Sev turned towards her, his eyes miserable. "Haweh…" He whined pitifully.

"Hey now, love…" Ginny readjusted his position so that he now sat on one of her legs, "Don't think for one minute that Harry left because he hates you. Do _not_ think that, Severus!"

Just hearing those words out loud brought a fresh wave of tears to Sev's eyes.

"Harry stepped out when he did because he was trying to _**protect**_ you, Sev!" Ginny continued, emphasizing her words with a tiny shake. "He didn't want to hurt you or do something that he regretted, so he stepped out of the house to _**calm down**_!"

Sev felt a tingle of hope spring up in his gut, and he looked up at Ginny questioningly.

"He _cares_ about you, baby." The teen pushed on, "Harry believes his history of child abuse in the hands of his uncle made him predisposed to be like that as well, so he is doing everything in his power to _not_ turn out that way." She looked directly into Severus' eyes. "He doesn't want to hurt you, Sev. He cares too much about you to do that. He told me he'd turn his wand on himself before he ever hurt you. Do you understand me?" Ginny gently brushed some of Sev's baby hair to the side. "He only stepped outside to calm down. Nothing more, okay?"

Sev felt a heavy weight lift from his shoulders and he breathed a sigh of relief. Harry hadn't abandoned him? Harry just needed a chance to calm down? Harry didn't want to hurt him? Yup, that all sounded right to Severus. "Ohhhhhhh—wa." He muttered nonsensically as he released another relieved sigh. Blushing, the infant swiped at his wet eyes.

"Alright? So are we okay now?" Ginny asked, her eyes filled with concern.

Sev nodded, swiping at his nose this time.

The teenager sighed. "Oh, come now! You're getting your nice clothes dirty." Ginny summoned one wet and one dry handkerchief and then proceeded to clean up the tears, drool, and snot that had gotten all over the place during Sev's crying fit. After ordering the infant to blow several times, she banished the hankies and carried Sev upstairs to change him into something a little more comfortable.

"Now…" She sat down on the bed and placed Sev on her lap. "…Harry will be back here in about ten minutes or so. In the meantime, I want you to sit here on the bed and think long and hard about what you did to earn the two swats you've got coming." Sev's face fell and he hung his head. He felt Ginny lift him and place him in the middle of the bed before standing up. "While you do that, I'll be right here, doing some work." With a flick of her wand, all the items on the vanity threw themselves into a box which then pushed itself into a corner as the vanity transfigured into a desk.

Sev watched her sit down to her papers before throwing himself back onto the sheets. The infant's heartbeat thumped in his ear. The adrenaline coursed through his veins once again. The flips in his stomach flopped back with a vengeance.

He was nervous.

_This is ridiculous! It's two swats. Two swats! What are two swats? They're nothing. Why am I so nervous?_

The sound of the front door closing echoed up the stairs and Sev's eyes shot towards the bedroom door.

He didn't want a spanking! _Well…if one can call two swats a spanking._ It was the principle of the thing, though! He was a thirty-eight year old man in a five month old body. He was too old for a spanking! _It's two swats. What's there to be afraid of?_ Severus thought his mind was being ridiculous. Not half an hour ago, he was telling himself he'd take the worst spanking in the world if Harry just came back through the door. Now Harry's come back through the door and suddenly two swats seemed too overwhelming for him. _But that was when I thought Harry was leaving me. Turns out he wasn't leaving to begin with. He was just stepping out to calm down. So…bloody hell! _Severus didn't want a spanking. That was the truth of the matter. No matter how many swats were involved, he didn't want one. _Who in their right mind would __want__ one anyway?_

Severus rolled over onto his stomach and pushed up against the bed. The sound of footsteps against the stairs had him crouching back down into the sheets, though. He wondered idly if he could blend himself into the comforter and disappear completely. God, how he wished he was Teddy right now.

_You just don't like the fact that he found it necessary to give you a spanking._ A voice said in his head. Severus also didn't like the fact that Harry found it necessary to give him that kind of glare, or speak to him in that kind of voice either. Those cold, emotionless notes coming from his caretaker's mouth sent shivers down his spine. He was used to a happy, smiling Harry, not a cold, unemotional Harry. To know that he, Severus, had been the one to drive Harry to that extreme sent waves of guilt rolling through his body.

Severus heard Harry's unmistakable footsteps approaching the bedroom door and he screwed his eyes shut, not wanting to see the disappointment in those eyes. He covered his free ear as best he could, not willing to hear the cold, detached voice either.

Severus waited.

Despite his efforts, the sounds of the room managed to filter through his hand and pique his curiosity. The footsteps padded into the room and walked past him to the desk. Sev heard some muted whispers and then someone walked out of the room, the door softly clicking shut behind them. After that, silence filled the space for a few minutes, leaving Sev unsure of what to do. He was certain someone else was in the room with him, but right now he didn't know if that someone was Harry or Ginny. Suddenly, the mattress dipped beside him, filling Severus with a cold dread. That didn't feel like Ginny.

"Your feigning sleep act needs work." Harry whispered through Sev's hand.

The infant's eyes flew open. That wasn't a cold voice! That wasn't an unemotional, shiver-inducing, detached voice. _That_ voice had a hint of a smile in it! Removing his hand from his ear, and thus his arm from his view, Severus tentatively raised his eyes to meet Harry's. The teenager was sitting on the bed next to him, giving him a look that betrayed his quiet amusement. "Hello there." He greeted, a hint of a smile on his face.

Relief flooded through Severus at the sight of that familiar—albeit miniscule—grin, and the infant quickly pushed himself up and dove towards Harry, his arms wide open. "HAWEH!" He cried.

The teenager caught him easily, lifting the child and cradling him in his arms. "Whoa there! Easy now, Severus."

"Ooo bac!"

"Of course I'm back!" Harry replied, as if that should've been obvious. "I never left!" Ten minutes ago, Severus would have begged to differ; so he buried his face in Harry's shirt and made himself comfortable. "Hold on! Wait a minute, Severus. You and I need to have a talk."

Sev's face fell and his stomach started flip-flopping on overdrive as Harry shifted around and sat him on his lap. "Now, do you remember what I said this morning after I told you you would be receiving a five-minute time-out for the 'kiss-arse' remark?"

Severus paled. _"Now I expect good, polite behavior from you for the remainder of the day. Do I make myself perfectly clear?"_ He gulped. "Goo…powie…behbor…?"

Harry nodded. "Good, polite behavior. Correct. Now I want you to take a look at this." He pointed to his cheek, which was starting turn a light shade of purple, as well as his chin, which sported a small cut. "Is this good, polite behavior, Severus?"

The flipping in Sev's stomach quickly turned into churning. Guilt rolled through his body in waves. He had hurt Harry! He'd bruised and cut his face! Fresh tears flooded his eyes and Sev heard himself sniff. "Uh-uh." He shook his head sadly and swiped at his wet lashes.

"No, it's not." Harry shook his head as well. "Now do you understand why you're getting this spanking?" The infant sniffed and nodded. "I gave you a warning this morning, you didn't heed it. Thus, this became warranted."

He shifted Severus once again until the infant lay face down over his right leg. After making sure he had a nice, firm hold on the baby and that he wouldn't drop him, Harry gave him a verbal heads-up. "Ready?"

Sev held his breath.

SMACK! Severus heard the first swat before he even felt it. The sharp snap made him flinch and caused the tears in his eyes to start trickling down. Sev felt the guilt in his chest slowly begin to loosen. SMACK! A warmth spread over the cheeks in his face before the warmth in his nether-cheeks even registered. The trickles became streams, and Sev soon realized the more he cried, the more the guilt loosened in his chest. A hand began to rub soothing circles into his back and Harry's calm-inducing voice began whispering gentle words into his ear.

"It's over now, Sev. That was it! See? Not too bad, eh, cub?"

Cub! Harry was calling him 'cub' again! And he called him 'Sev' too! The overwhelming joy made the tears fall down all the harder. When Harry sat him upright again, Sev hugged him as best he could and muttered, "Oweh!" over and over again into his shirt.

Harry hugged him close and laid them both down on the soft comforter. "Shhh…I know you're sorry. And I'm sorry as well for having to do that. But it's all forgiven now. Alright, cub? Shhh…" He rubbed the infant's back, infusing a bit of calming magic into the circles. "Dry those tears now, my boy. It's all forgiven." He placed a kiss on Severus' forehead.

It took Severus about twenty minutes to drain his eyes of his guilt. Harry stayed with him the entire time—holding him in his arms, rubbing his back soothingly, humming nonsense tunes in his ear, and imparting his calming energy to the child. Eventually, the tears dried up, the hiccups subsided, and all the negative feelings drained away until only a calming peace was left in the room.

"Feeling better?" Harry murmured. Sev nodded against his chest.

"Excellent." The teen sat up. "Oh, but there is one more thing…" The infant gave him a worried look. "Two more things, rather." He held up a finger. "One, you're still getting that five-minute time-out. No ifs, ands, or buts." He held up another finger. "And two, you're grounded from now 'til Wednesday. Now that means…no dessert, a seven thirty bedtime, and no Teddy." Severus gawked at him and opened his mouth to whine. "Ah, ah, ah!" Harry held up a warning finger. "You should have left it at a five-minute time-out before, but you didn't. You fought tooth and nail for _no good reason_—other than the fact that you didn't want a time-out—and ended up with a sore behind and a grounding. So unless you have a _very_ good reason to fight tooth and nail now, I would rethink it quickly." Sev's shoulders fell and he sighed in defeat.

"Good choice!" Harry gave the infant another kiss on the head and a poke on the belly, pulling a few giggles from the baby. "Come on, cub! It's not _that_ bad." He stood up and began making his way down the stairs. "Sitting on a cushion and staring at the wall doesn't hurt one bit. It may be dreadfully boring, but that's about it. I used to do it all the time in Professor Binns' class. And I'm still alive, aren't I?" Harry felt Severus snort into his chest as he took the cushion from the couch once again. The teen laid the cushion down in the same corner of the dining room as before and placed Severus down facing the corner. "Now…do I need to remind you as to why you're in here again?"

"Kiff-aff." The infant murmured.

"Exactly." Harry stood up. "Five minutes, Sev."

"Just be grateful you're not big enough to have your mouth washed out with soap." Ginny remarked from the table. "My mum used to do that with all of us—including Harry. 'Kiss-arse' would've warranted a nice five-minute scrub." Sev's eyes widened as he stared at the corner.

After the five minutes were up, and Severus had apologized for making the remark, Harry allowed him out of the corner and put him back in his walker with strict orders not to go into the front yard, side yards, or any other floor without supervision. Other than that, the entire ground floor and back yard were fair game.

As he ran around the living room, Severus swore to himself to never fight one of Harry's punishments—unless absolutely necessary—ever again. He ended up with a spanking and a half a week's grounding, and why? Because he didn't want to sit and stare at a wall for five measly minutes! He had ended up doing that anyway in the end. He should've just sat through it to begin with and skipped all the drama completely.

_Nice going, Snape! Nice going…_

Sev cheered up a bit later in the day when Ginny shared her updated plans for their secret project in the attic. The infant loved them immensely and signed some suggestions for additions that could make the room even better.

The highest point of Sev's day came when Harry took him upstairs, past the false wall that sectioned off the destroyed half of the second floor, and into the site that would eventually become his bedroom—Harry's old nursery. At first, Sev's eyes widened at the amount of destruction he saw there. Not only was most of the roof blown off, but so were the top half of almost all the walls. The windows were completely blown out, the wood splintered, what used to look like a nice bathtub was split in two and cracked everywhere. Damage due to the elements and time showed on everything. The floorboards were rotting, there was mold and moss on every conceivable surface, animals had eaten out the cushions, vines grew around the walls, and birds made their homes in and around the dilapidated furniture.

"This used to be my old nursery." Harry announced, walking through the farthest doorframe on the right and into a room that offered a sweeping view of the neighboring grove, meadows, and town, considering it was practically missing both of its outer walls as well as its roof. "This was where Voldemort lost his first body…and my mother gave her life."

Clouds gathered in above them, blocking the sun from view. Severus remembered how his good mood had met with much the same fate. This was where Lily had died. Sev took in the site, his eyes clouded with sadness. This was where his precious flower had ceased to bloom.

Pieces of wood that looked to be from a crib littered the room. Severus spied stuffed animals, a toy broom, and a baby mobile scattered about the floor. They were all discolored, caked in soot and grime. If they had eyes, their eyes no longer shone, but rather stared out at nothing, emotionless, cold. This was a place of death. Yet…it didn't _feel_ like death lived here.

"Reach out, Severus." Harry whispered in his ear. "Reach out."

And reach out Severus did. The birds and the wind and the grove and the trees and the grass and meadows sang to him. His eyes closed and his heart immediately filled with their song. Then…Severus suddenly found himself surrounded by what felt like all the white magic in the world! It was the exact opposite of the Slytherin Common Room. Whereas that place was packed with darkness, this room was saturated with light! Severus felt like he was standing on the surface of the sun; this room felt so bright!

_Severus…_

Sev's eyes flew open and he looked around the room frantically.

"Hey, calm down! That's just my mum." Harry said, smirking at the infant and adjusting him in his arms.

_Lily?! That was Lily?! _

"That's my mum's magic you feel, Sev. It's lingered here over the years."

_Oh, Lily…Oh god, Lily!_ A thought suddenly occurred to him. _Lily! Lily, if you can hear me, I'd, um…I—I'd like to tell you something!_ He looked around the room desperately, trying to ascertain if there was any kind of response. _Lily…_ He sighed. Oh, what did he have to lose anyway?

_Look, Lily…I, um…I got your message today in the cemetery. I know you sent it. I don't know __how__ you did, but I know it was you. _He looked around some more. _And I want you to know you're right. I realized today you were right. I…I didn't grow up. I—I didn't…__want__ to grow up. And…by consequence…I didn't want to give you what you deserved to have. _He swallowed. _Oh god, Lily! I was a fool! I was a damn fool and you were right to choose Potter over me. He…he gave you everything. He gave you everything you wanted from me. And he gave it to you freely…wholly…completely. Unselfish love. _ Severus could feel a familiar stinging in his eyes. _I didn't love you like I thought I loved you. Not back then. I obsessed over you. I wanted to possess you. I didn't love you; not like I do now._ Sev sighed. This was the hardest part for him to admit. _Potter loved you then. He loved you like you deserved to be loved. He gave up everything for you because he knew you were worth giving up for. _His lips tightened. _I knew it too…But Potter chose to act on it whereas I couldn't find the courage to do so. That courage came later. But by then, you were already gone. _

_Oh, Lily…Lovely Lily…My sweet flower…_Sev fixed his eyes upon a small broken vase on the floor. _If I could turn back time and make all the right choices, I would in an instant, but I can't. I __can't__. _The tears began to trickling down his eyes. _I can't get you back. I can't have you anymore. _He swiped a hand over his eyes. _I can't be the man in your dreams anymore…which means you can't be the woman in mine. _Sev choked back a sob. _I hope you're happy, Lily! Wherever you are, I hope James is making you happy…You deserve it…And he deserved you…_

_So now I say goodbye, my love. _Sev's breath hitched in his throat. _Goodbye to all that was…And goodbye to all that could have been. _The trickling tears turned into streams. _I love you, Lily! I love you SO much! I love you now as I always __should__ have loved you! Which is why I must let you go. _Sev swallowed past the lump in his throat. _I love you too much to keep you. _

_Goodbye, my love…I hope you and James find happiness wherever you are…_

_Goodbye, Lily…_

Severus buried his face in Harry's shirt and bawled his eyes out for what seemed like the millionth time that day. He felt his caretaker rub his back, hum a whimsical tune in his ear, and dance him around the room, despite the debris. Finally, after what, again, seemed like forever, Severus calmed down enough to listen to reason.

"Hope springs eternal, Sev." Harry murmured as they walked out of the room and back towards the livable part of the house. "Remember what the Lady of the Lake told you? Well…hope springs eternal."

The Lady of the Lake?

"_She will come back to you…sooner than you think…"_

Lily?!

"_Hope springs eternal, Sev." _

Oh yeah! It was the highlight of his day.

* * *

**Next up, Harry, Ginny, and Sev go into London to do a bit of shopping. Sirius, Ron, Hermione, Remus, and Tonks go into London to do a bit of sightseeing. What happens when the shoppers and the sightseers both end up on Oxford Street? Muwahahahahahaha!**

**A ginormous THANK YOU to all my ADDers and REVIEWers, most especially my regular reviewers--you guys are awesome times a million! :-) As per usual, let me know what you think! **


	16. Life Has a Sense of Humor

Severus didn't like being grounded. He didn't like it _one bit_!

On Sunday, Sev had politely asked for dessert after finishing his dinner. What did Harry reply?

"Sorry, cub, you're grounded."

Sev pouted at him, pleaded with him, and screamed at him. Nothing worked. The latter earned him a chilling glare and a time-out warning. Sev relented.

When Harry began bathing him at seven and put him to bed at seven thirty, Sev whined to stay up just a little bit longer. What did Harry reply?

"No. You're grounded. That means bedtime's an hour earlier. End of discussion."

Sev had tried his hand at crocodile tears this time. Harry merely raised an eyebrow at him until he stopped. Then, he quietly informed Severus that in addition to being a master occlumens, he was also a master ligilimens. He could tell the fake tears from the real ones. Therefore, any future attempts at winning him over with crocodile tears were both useless and inadvisable. The infant scowled at him.

Ginny managed to smooth the situation over, though, when she wordlessly strolled into the room in her nightgown, laid down next to Severus, urged Harry to lay down as well, turned out her light, and promptly settled down to sleep. Both boys stared at her in confusion. When Harry shrugged and followed his girlfriend's example, Sev found himself between his two resting guardians in a room devoid of any light. He was asleep within five minutes.

It wasn't until Tuesday that they had run into Remus. Harry and Sev were heading to the Entrance Hall to get their assignment for the day and they had exited their quarters at the same time Remus, Tonks, and Teddy had exited theirs, heading for breakfast.

"Peb-by!"

"Coo!"

The infant had reached towards Teddy, opening and closing his hand in plea, and what did Harry reply?

"Uh, uh, uh! Are we forgetting we're grounded?"

Sev sat back in his carrier and frowned at his guardian. "Haweh!" He whined.

"Don't give me that look. You _know_ you're grounded. That means no dessert, early bedtime, and no playtime with Teddy." He turned back towards the trio. "I'm sorry, guys."

Remus and Tonks just waved it off, giving them a pair of gentle smiles. "What's he grounded for?" The werewolf asked softly.

"Mo wike!"

"Of course you don't like it. You're not supposed to like being grounded. Then it wouldn't be a punishment anymore, would it? Maybe next time I try to put you in a five-minute time-out, you'll sit quietly and not bruise my face again." He fixed the infant with a stern look, "Because I guarantee you, the next time that happens, it'll be a _three_-swat spanking and a _week_ of grounding. Do I make myself perfectly clear?" Sev blushed and buried his face inside his sling. Harry felt his nod through the material.

Ginny showed up bright and early Wednesday morning and announced that that was the day she wanted to go shopping in London. Severus was still asleep and had stayed asleep. Harry, however, groaned and turned over on his bed, burying his head under the pillow.

"Love, it is five o'clock in the morning! I promise…" Harry yawned, "…we'll go around nine."

Ginny had rolled her eyes and climbed into bed next to him. The two spooned and went back to sleep until Hedwig woke them up at seven. Severus was up at eight and sitting up in his crib, screaming at the top of his lungs for somebody to get him out.

"OWD!!! OWD!!! OWD!!!"

Harry stood at the door with his arms crossed, giving the infant a stern glare, until Severus stopped talking altogether and sat back on his heels, looking attentive.

"Thank you." Harry said, his voice level, his tone low. "You know, Severus, you don't need to scream at the top of your lungs for someone to hear you in the living room. The acoustics in this room are perfectly fine." He said as he approached the crib and lowered the railings. "All you need to do is ask in a nice, calm voice for one of us to help you down." Harry told him gently. "And we'll be able to hear you perfectly. Now…" He gave the infant an expectant look.

"Owd, pea." Sev requested calmly, adding a bit of charm into the mix by giving Harry his award-winning toothless grin.

Harry smirked. "We've got a charmer, haven't we?" He carried the child through his morning routine as he described the coming day. "So Ginny wants to go into London today to do some window shopping. She wants some ideas on how to design the living room, the bedrooms, and all the other rooms and whatnot. I'm going to take the pair of you to IKEA. It's a muggle store. Have you ever heard of it?"

Severus cooed around the two fingers he was chewing and shook his head.

"Oh, come now, cub, you're drooling everywhere." Harry wiped up the infant's drool and fingers before handing him his teething snitch. "IKEA is big furniture store. It's international, the displays are brilliant, and it's very cheap. I think it's a brilliant store."

"AH!" Sev used his free hand to sign, 'S-I-G-N B-O-O-K'

"Oh, yeah." Harry nodded. "Definitely. That was the other reason she wanted to go into London—to get you a more comprehensive baby sign book."

"I also want to pick one up with British Sign Language and American Sign Language." Ginny continued as she walked into the bathroom and used to mirror. "British sign language is more complete than baby sign language, but I also wanted to compare that with American Sign Language to see if their signs are easier for little hands." She walked over to the changing table and began dressing Severus in a tiny pair of blue jeans and a t-shirt that said 'Small Fry' on it.

"Let me guess," Harry started, taking off his t-shirt and throwing it into the laundry basket. "I'm 'Big Fish'."

Ginny grinned. "It's on the bed, Harry."

"Mm-hmm."

"You're going to be in the pram or the sling for most of the day, Sev, so I won't put your trainers on you." Ginny said to the infant, "I will put on socks, but we'll have your trainers in the diaper bag if we need them, okay?" The infant was too busy watching the trashcan gobble up his nappy to care about what she said.

"Hun, I'm going to transfigure the car into an SUV, just in case you want to get something at IKEA." Harry called from the bedroom.

"What's an SUV?"

"It's a big car. Lots of wiggle room."

"Don't forget to transfigure his walker into a car seat. We'll have to get one of those while we're in town." Ginny summoned several toys from all around the quarters into the bathroom and told Severus he could pick one stuffed toy and one other toy to bring for the day.

"I know."

"And his pram!"

"I know."

"Can you add car seat to the list I made? It's on the table." While Sev mentally debated on which toys he wanted to bring, Ginny transfigured the nappies in the diaper bag to look as muggle as possible. That was when she remembered something. "By the way…Harry!"

"Yeah?" A voice replied from the den.

"Fred and George invented something for you." She pulled out plain sterling silver cuff from her pocket and fingered its smooth surface. Curious, Sev looked up from his toy-picking and studied the cuff in her hand.

"What does it do?"

"Basically…it's a glamour that you can put on, but it doesn't really change your appearance."

Harry stuck his head through the bathroom door. "Run that by me again?"

Ginny waved the cuff in his face. "It changes your appearance for magical cameras only. Nothing else." She put the cuff in Harry's hand and the teen studied it closely. "So if someone from the _Daily Prophet_ or _Witch Weekly_ or _Wizards Today_ tries to take your picture, they'll get a picture of something else instead."

"Some_thing_ else?" Harry gave her questioning look.

"You know how Fred and George are." Ginny smirked. "It's quite funny, actually. They showed me a few pictures taken of the pair of them while they were wearing the bracelets. There was one where a dragon had his arm around a hippogriff, and the hippogriff was doing bunny ears on the dragon. It really is a laugh when you see the pictures." She took the bracelet from his hand and looked for something on the inner lining of the cuff. "Here, this one is a…dragon." She handed the cuff back to Harry and took two more out of her pocket, looking for the same inside inscription.

"Fred and George gave you three?"

"Yeah, they were wondering about that." Ginny replied, squinting at one of the bracelets. "They asked what I needed three for when there was only the pair of us."

"And what'd you say?" Harry wondered anxiously.

"Nothing." Ginny shrugged. "I was like, 'Oh, you know…'. I shrugged it off. Didn't really give them a reply." She studied the cuff once again. "Ah! This one is a baby dragon. Here, Sev, this can be yours." She shrunk the cuff and put it on his tiny wrist.

"And what'd they say when you didn't say anything?"

"Well they didn't ask any more questions, if that's what you're wondering." She studied her cuff for a moment and grinned. "Wicked! I'm the hippogriff." She slipped the cuff on her wrist and signaled Harry to do the same with his own cuff. "Now my _mother_, on the other hand, is beginning to wonder why I'm suddenly interested in all the baby books in the house." She handed the diaper bag to Harry and picked Sev up.

"AH! AH!"

"What? What is it?"

Sev pointed to his teething snitch. "Mmma! Mmma!"

"Sorry, cub. We can't bring that with us. It moves." Harry said.

Sev made a disappointed sound, but then brightened up and pointed to his stuffed baby snake. "Doy." Then he pointed to another stuffed lion cub. "Doy."

"You want to take two stuffed animals instead of one other toy?" Sev nodded. "I'll settle for that compromise." Ginny handed both stuffed animals to Harry, who put them in the diaper bag. "Anyway, she actually asked me if I was _pregnant_ the other day. Can you imagine?!"

"She did?!" Harry's eyes widened.

"Yeah!"

"In front of your dad?!"

"No, we were alone. Thank Merlin!"

"So what'd you say?" Harry asked anxiously.

"I said 'No, I'm not pregnant!' and asked if she wanted proof! I can't _believe_ she asked me that. She raised me! She should know me by now!" Ginny handed Sev to Harry and slipped the baby sling over her shoulders. "And anyway, you were on the run and we were in hiding up until a month ago. She knew we were still going strong when you left, and throughout the year. Why would she assume I'm pregnant?! Where would we have found the time to have sex? Before the Battle, I hadn't seen you since Bill and Fleur's wedding; and even _that_ ended up being raided. Honestly!"

"Well she probably assumed we did it during one of the victory parties." Harry replied, helping Ginny put the baby in the sling.

"She _shouldn't have_, Harry. _That's_ my point!"

"Gin, I'm pretty sure she trusts you. I mean…" Harry waved a hand and called his broom to him while Ginny thrust the transfigured car seat and folded pram into his arms. "…you said she and your dad both trust you and me."

"They do! That's why I'm really offended, Harry."

Harry didn't know what to say to that. "Well…are your parents the type who are…e—easily offended, or something, with underage sex or…sex before marriage…that kind of thing?"

Ginny paused her mental checklist for a moment, unsure about her response. "Well…not really." She shook her head. "I mean…they're really progressive parents and all of that."

"So if we were actually having sex right now…they wouldn't mind?"

Ginny frowned and put her hands on her hips. "What're you trying to say, Harry?"

Harry's eyes widened. "No! No, no, no, no, no, no, no!" He held his hands up in a peace gesture. "I—I—I wasn't trying to say anything by that! I just meant uh…I was just wondering about your parents' stands on issues like that." He shrugged. Turning on his heel, he strolled towards his desk to retrieve the shopping list and the shrunken car. "I mean…I think she was just wondering, Gin. That's why she asked if you were pregnant. You don't need to be so worried about that."

"She didn't sound like she was just wondering." Ginny scowled.

"Why? What'd she sound like?"

"I don't know." His girlfriend's eyebrows furrowed, indicating she was in deep thought.

"Mewmew! Mewmew, pea!"

"She sounded…" The furrowed eyebrows turned into a frown as undid her shirt and pulled up her bra. "I don't know. It's kind of weird! She sort of sounded…_excited_ or something." She guided Sev's head until she was sure he was properly latched on.

"Excited?!" Harry repeated, surprised.

"Yeah! Can you believe it?! Actually, I just noticed that right now." She adjusted the sling so that Sev wouldn't shift around while he nursed.

Harry headed to the kitchen. "Wait…if she was excited when she asked if you were pregnant," his eyebrows furrowed as he opened the ice box, "how did she react when you said no?"

Ginny frowned in confusion. "Disappointed, actually." Then her eyes widened and she gawked at Harry. "Merlin's beard! Do you think she actually _wanted_ me to be pregnant?!"

Harry shrugged. "Maybe." He pulled Sev's teething ring out of the ice box, spelled it to be perpetually cold, and stuck it in the diaper bag. "If she sounded that way, then maybe she did." Closing the ice box, he turned back to his girlfriend. "Shall we go?"

"Breakfast?"

"IKEA. Ninety-eight pence for a full breakfast." Harry smirked.

"Harry, I love this place already." Ginny carried Severus out the door while Harry trailed behind them, lugging his broom, the diaper bag, the folded-up pram, the car seat, and the car along with him.

The trio flew the broom from the stone bridge on the fourth floor, around the back of the school, to the section of the riverbank that sat just outside the apparition wards of the school. There, they enlarged the SUV, packed everything in, strapped Sev's car seat to the back seat, strapped Sev into the car seat, and climbed in. Ginny opted to sit in the back with Severus to ensure he didn't throw up when they came out of apparition.

"Where are we apparating to?" She asked, buckling her seatbelt and checking Sev's.

"The alley behind the Leaky Cauldron." Harry answered, checking his mirrors. "It's charmed with a Notice-Me-Not and a Muggle Repellant. We could pull out of there and it'd be fine."

"And you know how to get to IKEA from there?"

"Yeah." Harry nodded, starting the car with a wave of a hand. "I know that city like the back of my hand. Street kid, remember?" He smirked. Harry's right hand hung onto the wheel of the car, while his left hand held Ginny's and Ginny's held Severus. "Ready? 1…2…3!"

_

* * *

_

The floo in Harry's quarters flared green and a floating head emerged from within the flames.

"Harry?"

No response.

"Harry?"

Complete silence.

For a moment, the fires died down and the head disappeared. Then, suddenly, they flared green again, the flames leaping higher than before.

Sirius Black stepped in through his godson's floo and dusted himself off on the hearth. Now that he had a complete view of the quarters, he took the opportunity to look around. "Harry?"

Still nothing.

Spying the partially open bedroom door, Sirius tiptoed around the tables and chairs of the living room, dodging the playpen, and managing to step on several squeaky toys in the process. "Merlin's Beard, Harry!" Sirius hissed under his breath, having stepped on yet another stuffed animal. "If this is how many toys you buy for Teddy, how much are you going to splurge on your own son?"

Having finally navigated through the crucible of children's toys, he approached the bedroom door and cleared his throat loudly, just in case. He received no response. Sirius knocked on the door, pushing it open slightly, and stuck his head inside. "Harry?" He found a neatly-made bed, a beautiful crib with a…thingy floating on top of it, and an empty bathroom, but no Harry.

"Is _anybody_ here?" Sirius murmured to himself. His eyes rolled towards the ceiling and the loft beyond. Shuffling past the playpen, the animagus darted up the stairs and did a quick check of the other two rooms and bathroom. Nobody was home.

With a sigh, he ambled back down the stairs and towards the door. "Ginny sure knows how to decorate a place. That's for sure." He said under his breath. Sirius reached out a hand to push the door open but paused halfway, remembering just whose painting guarded Harry's door. "Ahem…um…Sir Merlin?"

"Yes, Sir Sirius?" A voice boomed out of nowhere.

"Is it alright if I leave now?" The animagus asked warily.

"Certainly." The amused voice replied, and the door swung open.

"Thank you." Sirius quickly stepped through the doorway and crossed the hallway in two steps. "Remus?!" He hollered at the painting of the wolves before banging on the picture's frame.

The two adult wolves stared down at him disapprovingly while the wolf cub barked, yipped, and howled at him. A few seconds later, the door swung open to reveal his favorite first cousin once removed. "Good morning, Sirius." She smiled, her hair flaring red.

"Good morning, Dora." Sirius gave her a kiss on the cheek before stepping past her and into the room.

"Padfoot, you have a hell of a way of announcing yourself. You know that?" Remus remarked from behind the _Daily Prophet_.

"And a good morning to you too, Moony." Sirius replied, taking a seat across from his friend at the kitchen table.

"Breakfast, Siri?" Tonks offered.

"No, thank you, Dora. I just ate." Sirius waved it off. "Hey, have either of you seen Harry this morning?" He asked.

"No, I haven't seen them since yesterday." Dora shook her head.

"I think I heard them leaving their quarters a few minutes ago, though." Remus remarked, folding up the newspaper and sliding it towards Sirius. "You just missed them."

"Ginny's with him?"

"Ginny's always with him nowadays." Tonks smirked. "They're uh…They're playing 'house', you could say." She laughed at her own joke. Remus shot her a look.

"Yeah, I know." Sirius pointed behind him to Harry's quarters. "I, uh…tripped over Teddy's collection of toys in their quarters. God, I hadn't realized how much toys Harry bought for the little guy." Sirius turned away for a second and missed the look that passed between Remus and Tonks. "Merlin's beard!" Sirius chuckled. "If that's the way he splurges on his godson, how do you think he's going to splurge on his own kid, eh?"

"Yeah, one wonders…" Tonks had to clamp her jaw shut to keep from laughing out loud. The smirk on her face, though, couldn't be helped, especially when Remus passed her an exasperated look behind Sirius' back.

"Maybe I should have a word with him about proper balance for a child."

"HA!" Tonks snorted into the back of her hand.

"What?!"

"Padfoot, do you really think Harry's going to take you seriously if you start talking to him about that now?" She asked.

"Sirius, there is not a doubt in my mind that Harry can discipline just as well as he spends." Remus put in, remembering the mild scolding Harry was giving Severus yesterday.

"James never could."

"Harry's not James."

"True."

"Why were you looking for him anyway, Paddy?" Tonks asked, breaking apart a croissant.

"Well, I wanted to ask him and Ginny, and you two as well, if you all wanted to spend the day in London." Sirius replied, snatching a bit of Dora's pieced croissant and popping it in his mouth. "I already flooed Ron and Hermione. They should be at Grimmauld Place within the hour."

"Ooh, London!" Dora murmured, her eyes widening playfully as she turned a pleading smile towards her husband. Remus eyed her over the rim of his coffee cup and sighed.

"So how about it?" Sirius pushed excitedly. "We could take the muggle underground. Go around the sights! I've always wanted to do it, you know. I never could, though, considering my parents were…you know." He shrugged.

"You've never seen Big Ben?" Tonks' eyes widened. "Or Buckingham Palace? Or any of that?" Sirius shook his head. "Are you serious?!" A grin blossomed on Sirius' face. "Don't answer that!" Tonks amended, raising a finger at the animagus. Her cousin snorted.

"I haven't seen them, either." Remus remarked.

"Well then the pair of you are in for a treat." Tonks pushed her croissant towards Sirius and stood up. "How about it, Remus? Fancy a nice tour of London?"

Remus sighed. "Oh…why not?"

"Brilliant!" Tonks' hair flared hot pink. "I'll go get Teddy ready."

"Bring some walking shoes!" Sirius called after her. "Hermione wants to go to Oxford Street and Tottenham Court Road right after for some window shopping!" A squeal of delight emerged from behind the bedroom door. Sirius turned back to Remus. "So…I've gotten you two. Now all I need to do is find Harry and Ginny and convince them to come along as well."

"Shouldn't be too hard." Remus smirked. "Tonks and Hermione are coming along, which means Ginny will want to come along, and where Ginny goes, Harry goes, so…" Remus took a sip of his coffee, "There you go!"

"You wouldn't know how I could find Harry around here, would you?"

As Tonks got everything ready for the day, Remus took Sirius over to the Entrance Hall to find Harry's current repair assignment. It said he was assigned to the Seventh Floor that day, but when the boys arrived to look for him, they only found Professor Flitwick, who assured them Harry hadn't been there all day. Remus suggested asking Merlin if he knew where they were, but Sirius proposed they check the Great Hall before they resorted to asking the paintings. A handful of professors were at the table that morning, debating about something or another when they walked in. Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, Slughorn, and Hagrid all hadn't seen Harry that day, either.

"Why do you ask, dear boy?" The Headmaster questioned, his eyes twinkling.

"I was just going to ask him if he wanted to go with us into London today." Sirius shrugged. "Well…thanks for your help."

"Sorry we couldn't provide you with more." Dumbledore added.

Disappointed, Sirius turned back and headed up the moving staircase, Remus in tow. "Where could he have gone?"

"Like I said, Merlin would know. He knows everything!" Remus smirked.

Merlin did indeed know everything, but what frustrated Sirius was that _he_ didn't. "So they went into London already?"

"Yes, dear boy, you just missed them when you…flooed…in." Merlin replied, the concept of a floo still quite foreign to him.

"Well, do you know where they went?"

"I believe they went to visit an IKEA."

"An IKEA." Sirius echoed. He turned to Remus and lowered his voice to a whisper. "What's an IKEA?"

"I've no idea."

"Oh…" Sirius cleared his throat and turned back to Merlin, "Well then…um…do you think they'll be gone all day?"

"Looked that way to me." The old wizard answered amicably.

"Oh…" Sirius sighed, disappointed. "Alright then. Thank you!"

"You are very welcome, dear boy!"

They turned around only to find the door to Remus' quarters swinging open in their faces. Tonks loaded them down with Teddy's pram and diaper bag before marching across the hall and stopping in front of Merlin. "Sweetheart, do you need anything from our quarters before we go?" She asked Remus.

"Uh…" The werewolf's gaze moved from his quarters, to Teddy's diaper bag, to his wife, then back to his quarters. "I don't think so."

"Excellent!" The witch swung the door shut and turned to Merlin, politely asking if they could use the floo before blurting out the password. The bubbly wizard replied in the affirmative, swinging the door open and amicably warning her to watch her step, as she carried some precious cargo.

"Thank you, Sir Merlin."

"Your floo still isn't set up yet?" Sirius murmured to Remus.

"Kingsley's reorganizing everything at the Ministry. There's chaos going on down there these days, from what I hear. They're working as fast as they can."

After wrapping Teddy up as best they could, all three of them flooed to Grimmauld Place, where Ron and Hermione were waiting for them.

"Sirius, do you realize you live within walking distance of both Buckingham Palace and Big Ben?" Hermione pointed out in her lecture voice as they stumbled out of the fireplace.

"Define 'walking distance'." The animagus replied, dusting himself off.

"You live within a three mile radius of both of them." Hermione raised an eyebrow.

"Where're Harry and Ginny?" Ron squeaked over the din of Teddy's crying.

"Apparently, they're already in London." Sirius shouted over the wailing.

"What?!" Ron cried, not having heard him very well.

"Will you two shut it!" Tonks hissed, patting Teddy on the back and swaying back and forth. "His head is already spinning. Your screaming doesn't help." She turned to Remus. "Sweetheart, I packed some of that Children's Stomach-Calming Draught Ginny gave us. It's the small pink vial. Would you please?"

Ron pulled Sirius aside and Hermione followed them. "What do you mean they're already here?" He asked, lowering his voice. "Ginny didn't mention anything about going into London this morning."

"Honestly, Ronald, you weren't even _up_ when Ginny left this morning." Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Look, I ran around the school looking for them, just like we did last week. Merlin—the painting—told me they weren't there. Told me I just missed them when I flooed in." Sirius explained. "He said they left early to go to an…IKEA." His eyebrows furrowed.

"IKEA?" Hermione repeated.

"What's an IKEA?" Ron asked.

"It's a furniture superstore." Hermione replied. "My mom _loves_ shopping there. It's really cheap, their displays are brilliant, and they've a restaurant and everything." She explained. "They must've gone there to shop for furniture for Harry's house in Godric's Hollow."

"There's already furniture there!"

"Oi! How're we going to get around town?" Tonks asked. She and Remus had managed to calm Teddy enough to give him the potion, and now he was back to normal and looking around inquisitively.

"Do you mind walking, Dora?" Hermione asked.

"Absolutely not." The witch replied cheerfully. "Sweetheart?"

"Walking sounds good."

"Do you think Harry's avoiding us?" Ron asked Sirius as Hermione propelled everyone towards the door.

"I don't think so. I think we just missed him, is all." Hermione answered.

"Are you sure?"

"Perhaps if this trip was planned _ahead_, they would've been able to come along." Hermione opened the door for them.

"I still don't understand what they need to go furniture shopping for." The animagus muttered, running down the front steps like a five-year-old.

"Whatever the reason, _they're_ not here now, but _we_ are. So I say we enjoy the day together, and maybe later we can plan some other outing with them at a time that they _can_ come. How's that?" Tonks interjected as she stepped out onto the porch.

"She has a point. Boys?" Hermione turned to Ron and Sirius, gracing them both with an expectant look.

"Yeah."

"Sure."

Tonks smirked at Hermione and winked when Remus passed her a relieved look. "Then to Buckingham Palace we go!" Reaching behind her, Tonks shut the door.

_

* * *

_

"Lady and Gentleman, welcome to IKEA!" Harry announced, shutting the engine off and waving at the IKEA sign with a flourish. Turning in his seat, Harry glanced at his girlfriend behind him.

Ginny was smiling at him and tapping a finger to her lips. "He fell asleep on the way here." She whispered, inclining her head towards the infant asleep in his car seat.

Harry couldn't help but smile at the precious sight. "Did you take a picture?"

Ginny looked taken aback. "Of course I did! I took an entire roll."

"Without the cuff on?"

"I took the cuff off, don't worry." Ginny whispered, stuffing the camera back in the diaper bag. "It's back on now, though."

"We have to get you a muggle camera later." Harry commented, climbing out of the car. "Perhaps one of those new ones—digital cameras, I think they called them." He came around and opened the trunk of the SUV. "Should I bring his pram?"

Ginny nodded. "Yeah. We'll carry him later, when he wakes up."

Harry unfolded Sev's pushchair for the first time and the couple spent the next ten minutes or so trying to figure out how to snap everything in place without magic, and how to transfer Severus from the car seat to the pram without waking him. Finally, when everything was safely snapped into place, and the infant lay cradled within the folds of his blanket, they started towards the large furniture store.

"Nine thirty! Just in time! They just opened for breakfast. Shall we?" Harry offered one of his arms to his girlfriend, as his hands were busy pushing the baby carriage.

After having gotten over the shock at the cheapness of their breakfast, Ginny began to enjoy herself. She and Harry ate their fill before heading into the main showroom. Ginny was in _heaven_! Her eyes widened as she took in the various displays. Absolute _heaven_! Interior design was her hobby so _this_ was her happy place. She spent at least ten minutes at each and every room display, taking notes with the tiny paper and pencils the store provided for customers, and examining everything from the couches and beds to the refrigerator magnets and organization boxes. She noted which wallpapers and colors went with which pieces of furniture. She marveled at the picture frames and paintings. She studied the shapes of the various rooms and tried to figure out how she could make it work at the house in Godric's Hollow. She even took note of all the rugs and wondered on how she could make them work.

All the while, Harry trailed behind her, pushing Sev in his carriage. The baby awoke at around eleven, at which point Harry transferred him to his sling and Ginny nursed him under the privacy shawl. By the time they finished in the showroom, it was noontime and Sev was fed and bored, while Ginny and Harry were tired and hungry.

"Can we just share a plate?" Harry asked, shifting a fussy Severus to a different position. "I want to take you to this great place on Oxford Street called the Spaghetti House."

"Sounds good." Ginny nodded.

They ordered a plate of IKEA's famous—according to Harry—Swedish meatballs, and Harry kept Sev entertained by making his stuffed lion cub and baby snake wink at him.

"Harry!" Ginny rebuked.

"No one can see! It's behind his canopy." He flicked his head and the lion cub and baby snake began making faces at each other, causing Severus to laugh out hysterically.

"For god's sake, Harry!" Ginny placed a blanket over Sev's canopy, completely blocking him from view, which encouraged Harry to go all-out with the stuffed animal show.

By the time they finished lunch and headed towards the warehouse, people were beginning to throw some odd looks their way. "People are going to wonder why a baby is laughing all by himself, inside his carriage, without anyone or anything making him laugh." Ginny frowned at her boyfriend.

"Sorry." As they entered the lift, Harry noticed they were by themselves and took the opportunity to wandlessly cast a _Muffliato_ around the vicinity of the pram. Thus, they could still hear Sev laughing, but everyone else couldn't. The odd looks stopped then.

"Thank you."

Ginny spent another forty-five minutes getting everything she wanted to get from the warehouse. Harry ended up having to fold up the carriage and use the baby sling, as Ginny had him pushing the big, flat carts around. The teenager found himself hauling big boxes full of side tables, bookshelves, shelving, and stools, all while carrying a squirming Severus on his back.

"Now _that's_ a modern man." A young woman in her thirties commented to her boyfriend as the couple stood in line. "He does all the manly stuff _and_ carries the baby around." She gave Ginny a thumbs-up. "You go girl!"

As the two ladies exchanged laughs, the woman's boyfriend approached Harry and murmured, "I feel for you," as he passed. The two men snorted.

"Hun, you _do_ know there has to be at least _some_ walking room in the house, right?"

"Harry, did you even _look_ at the plans I had for the house?" Ginny asked, her eyebrows furrowed.

"Enough to know that this isn't even an _eighth_ of what we're going to end up buying, is it?"

"Don't worry, love. My first paycheck will more than make up for everything we're going to buy." Ginny answered offhandedly.

"Gin, I don't want you to pay me back for—" Harry broke off when the full extent of his girlfriend's statement finally registered. "Wait, what do you mean?"

Ginny snorted and gave him that look of hers; the one that drove Harry mad. It was her 'I know something you don't know' sort of look and it drove her boyfriend wild with anticipation. "I'll tell ya later." She winked.

"Gin…" Harry groaned.

After they finished paying, Harry and Ginny opted to push all their purchases out to their car. The semi-privacy of their parking spot provided them with the luxury of being able to use magic in order to make all the boxes fit in the back of the SUV.

"Thank Merlin for spatial charms!" Ginny muttered under her breath.

"You can say that again!" Harry leaned against the stack of boxes and bags in the back of the truck. "If it wasn't for them, we'd be needing a moving van to haul all this home."

"I didn't buy _that_ much!"

"You did too!" Harry retorted childishly.

"I'll make it up to you." Ginny ran a hand down his face and kissed him on the cheek before bouncing away to sit next to Sev's car seat.

"Which reminds me…" Harry closed the back of the SUV, cast Notice-Me-Not and Muggle-Repellant charms on it for the time being, and went to return the cart. Upon returning, he removed the charms, climbed into the car, and turned to his girlfriend. "What were you talking about back in the store? Something about your first paycheck?"

Ginny grinned and pulled a letter from Sev's diaper bag, handing it to Harry. The teenager gave it a quick once-over and his eyes widened in disbelief. Adjusting his glasses, he read it over once again, slower this time. He still couldn't believe it. "The Holyhead Harpies!"

Ginny's eyes shone as she beamed at him. "Seeker. Three year contract after Hogwarts. _Two hundred thousand_ _**galleons**_ _**per year**_!"

Harry's eyes widened to the width of saucers. Sev giggled. "You're signed?!"

"I'm signed!"

"Merlin's Beard!" Harry jumped out of the car, threw open Ginny's door, and gathered her in his arms, spinning her around and around in circles. Ginny simply laughed and locked her legs around Harry's waist and her arms around his neck. Harry finally stopped when he began to get dizzy, and leaned against the backseat of the car. "You are an amazing woman." He smiled up her.

"You are an amazing man." She smiled down at him.

Reaching up, Harry gave her a long, sweet kiss.

The tender moment was broken, however, by the sound of someone blowing raspberries behind their back. Ginny broke off the kiss and threw her head back, laughing hysterically. Harry simply leaned back against the car, chuckling. "Alright, Severus, we're done now. Thank you!" Harry put Ginny down, giving her one last quick kiss before climbing back into the driver's seat.

"What? Can't I have a moment, huh? Can't _I_ have a moment, too?" Ginny smiled and kissed Sev on the cheek, tickling him where she knew all his weak points were. "You're not the only one who gets to have a laugh, you know?" Sev squealed with laughter as Ginny began blowing raspberries on his tummy. "_I_ get to be special too sometimes, you know! DuggaDuggaDuggaDuggaDugga!" Ginny pulled back and paused in her tickle assault, allowing Severus to catch his breath. She watched with a contented smile on her face as the infant rode out wave after wave of giggles. Finally, after a while, Sev released the last of his giggles and cooed, smiling at Ginny.

"So…where are my congratulations, huh?" She asked playfully.

Sev grinned and puckered his lips. "Kip!"

"Congratulations kiss?" Ginny grinned.

"Uh-huh!"

"Okay!"

Harry watched in the rearview mirror, a smile on his face, as Sev gave Ginny a kiss on the lips before blushing and ducking his head under his tiny arm.

"Ah! Wet kiss! Wet kiss!" Ginny laughed, wiping both her mouth and Sev's mouth clean of drool. "Thank you, baby. That means a lot to me." The teenager whispered in the infant's ear, her voice both gentle and sincere.

Harry heard Severus sigh contentedly as he pulled out of the parking spot. "Oxford Street, here we come!"

_

* * *

_

The tour of London ended up becoming the tour of Sirius' neighborhood. Within half an hour of walking out of Grimmauld Place, they arrived at the gates of Buckingham Palace.

Remus had let out a long whistle, "Now _that's_ a house."

"Can you imagine how much it'd cost to buy furniture for this place?" Sirius smirked. Remus and Ron snorted.

Hermione had a muggle camera with her so she took it upon herself to take pictures of everyone doing various things. Tonks, Teddy, and Ron all listened and asked questions about the landmark as she took their photos. Meanwhile, Remus and Sirius had each chosen one of the famously stoic palace guards and were doing everything in their power—save from using magic—to get them to flinch, twitch, or do anything other than blink.

"Hermione…are these _real_ people?" Sirius asked, standing within inches of the red-uniformed guard and studying him closely.

"Sirius!" The teenager hissed, waving frantically for the animagus to move away. "_Yes_, they're real people!"

"Are you sure?!" Sirius sniffed the guard and reached out a finger to poke him.

"Sirius!" Hermione dashed forward and grabbed the hand with the raised finger, using it to drag the curious animagus away from the poor guard. "For heaven's sake!"

"Hey! _Hermione_! I almost got him to move!" The older man whined.

They watched the Changing of the Guard Ceremony and the boys all gawked at the precision of the soldiers.

"How do they do that?"

"They're trained to do that."

"They look like the pawns on my chess board." Ron, of course, was referring to his wizarding chess board. "Only they're real!"

"Is that possible?"

"With lots of discipline and training? Absolutely!"

"Harry told me once that he enrolled himself in a military-based after-school program before he came to Hogwarts." Hermione commented.

"What? He never told _me_ that!"

"Have you ever _asked_ him, Ronald?" His girlfriend raised an eyebrow at him.

"I don't need to ask!" The redhead pouted. "Are you telling me Harry knows how to walk like that?"

"Harry knows how to walk like that, talk like that, and dress like that."

"Bollocks!" Ron rolled his eyes.

"Haven't you ever noticed Harry's acute attention to detail?" Hermione argued. "His tendency to try to keep everything of his neat and clean? That's all—"

"Who the bloody hell are you talking about, Hermione?" Ron looked at her with a confused expression.

"You know what? Forget it! I'm arguing with someone who took four years to notice I was a girl!" Flipping her hair, Hermione turned on her heel and moved to stand by Tonks, who was hiding a laugh behind her hand. "Boys!" She growled in frustration.

The group opted out of touring the castle to take advantage of the wonderful morning and stroll through St. James' Park to Big Ben and the Parliament Building. The walk took them all of fifteen minutes. There, Hermione took more pictures of everyone as well as of the building when they went in to look around. The opulence nearly made Sirius gag. It reminded him too much of the pure-blood socialites that basked in this sort of ridiculous grandeur. What he found funny, though, was that some of the hallways in the parliament building looked nearly identical to some of the hallways in Hogwarts. Hermione wanted to go ahead and visit the Parliament Archives since they were already in the building, but everyone else thought that was a bad idea, so they ganged-up and dragged her away. With his wand hidden in his sleeve, Sirius managed to confound a tour guide to accept them into a group and take them up to the clock tower itself. With Remus carrying Teddy, the five walking adults took the challenge and climbed the 334 steps to the top of the Clock Tower. There, Hermione busied herself with taking more pictures before the group descended again and rested for a bit in a café.

"So…to Oxford Street?" Hermione asked her fellow coffee-drinkers.

"To Oxford Street." Remus nodded, taking a sip of his coffee.

_

* * *

_

It had taken a while for Harry to find a parking spot, but he had managed. The teens charmed the car with a Notice-Me-Not—so that no one would wonder how so much stuff could fit inside—and set out on foot, Harry carrying Sev in his sling, and Ginny pushing around an empty pram.

One of their first stops had been to a bookstore so that Ginny could find all the sign language books she needed for Severus.

"You know what? I don't know what the opposition is. Really! There are quite a few people who think teaching baby sign language to infants is a bad idea. Why?! What's so bad about it?" Ginny began ranting quietly to Harry as they stood in line. "It's when they're infants that they start soaking things up like a sponge! You should start giving them a thirst for knowledge from the cradle so that they can carry it to the grave. I bet you if I start talking to Hank in French now, by the time he can speak clearly, he'll be bilingual."

"That sound like a good idea, cub?" Harry murmured to the baby across his chest. Sev merely stared up at him, rubbed his eyes, and yawned. "You want to learn another language?"

Severus shrugged. "Ah omo."

Harry smirked. "Well…think about it." Harry lowered his voice to a whisper, "Because I think she's got it in her head now that she wants to start speaking to you in different languages so that you can become multi-lingual as you get big again."

Sev rolled his eyes.

As they were strolling by the H&M at the intersection of Oxford and Regent Street, a loud tire screech and the sounds of crashing metal had both Harry and Ginny covering Severus on instinct, protecting him from whatever made those sounds.

When they looked up again, they found themselves staring at a three-car pile-up a mere twenty feet away from them.

_

* * *

_

"Blimey! Did you see that?!" Ron turned to a gaping Sirius and Remus.

"What happened?" Hermione asked, unsure of what to make of the situation.

"That blue car was losing control, it was! I was swerving like mad!" Ron pointed across the intersection towards the H&M store. "It almost hit that couple with the baby across the street."

"Where?"

"Over there! You see? That redhead with the baby carriage?" Ron pointed towards a redheaded woman huddled next to a black-haired man. They both had their heads ducked, talking to an infant inside the baby sling who was obviously distraught, if the kicking was anything to go by. "If it wasn't for the guardrail, they would've been hit for sure!"

"Oh my god!"

"You see…the blue car swerved and then braked across the entire lane, so then the green one that came speeding after it couldn't brake on time and slammed into him." Remus continued, "Then the red car came in even faster and ran over them both and flipped over."

"God, that is so scary!"

"I feel sorry for the couple with the baby." Ron looked across the street once more but found that they were gone. "Hey! Where'd they go?"

"Probably somewhere inside." Tonks replied, rocking Teddy and hugging him protectively. "I wouldn't want to stay outside either if someone almost crashed into me."

"Hey guys! Maybe we should go." Sirius suggested. "Not block the foot traffic of anything. Hermione, didn't you say there was an inside mall around here?"

"There are two inside malls. Let's go to the West One Shopping Center first. It's on top of the underground." The teenager replied, leading the group down the street and away from the car crash.

_

* * *

_

Harry and Ginny spent about an hour at a coffee shop, trying to calm their nerves. Sev sat on Harry's lap, munching on the bag of Wizard Cheerios Ginny had brought along and practicing his hand-eye coordination.

That car crash had been a close call. The blue car that was swerving in their direction would've crashed through the guardrail and hit them had it not been for Harry's magical reflexes. The teen's magic had pushed the car away from them and into the middle of the intersection, causing the pile-up.

"It was his fault, Harry." Ginny told him. "Don't feel sorry for anything at all! He was the one going too fast and if you hadn't done something, we would've died." Harry nodded grimly.

Sev leaned back against Harry's chest and tipped his head to look up at the teen. "A ba!" Holding his little hand up, Sev offered Harry a single piece of cereal soaked in drool.

Harry couldn't help but smile. "Thanks, cub." He took the cereal and ate it, making Sev grin and turn back to his bag of snacks.

"Also, from what I hear, no one was seriously injured in any of the cars. They were just dazed, is all." Ginny gripped Harry's hand supportively. "It was the lesser of two evils."

The teenager sighed. "I know." He kissed Sev on the top of the head and hugged the child protectively. Meeting Ginny's eyes, he nodded. "I know."

"Good." His girlfriend smiled. "Come on! Let's go to that West One Shopping Centre I saw a while ago. I could do with some indoor window shopping for the rest of the day. What do you think?"

Harry chuckled and stood up. Hand in hand, they walked down the street and entered the building at the same time as a large tour group.

_

* * *

_

"Bloody hell!" Ron cursed. "Where'd all these people come from?" He and the others had stuck themselves close to the wall in order to avoid the swarm of people coming in.

"They're a tour group, Ron." Hermione replied. "They're here to either shop or use the underground."

"Shop? What's there to buy?" The redhead grumbled. "There's not much here." He looked over and spotted a shock of red hair and a baby carriage. "Hey look!" He hissed at Hermione. "I think it's that couple the car almost ran over a while ago."

"Where?"

"Right over—" When Ron turned back towards the receding crowd, they were gone. "Bollocks! I lost them again."

"Oh never you mind, Ronald." Hermione rolled her eyes and grabbed her boyfriend's hand, pulling him behind her. "Let's go find somewhere good to eat."

_

* * *

_

Harry and Ginny went around the small mall once, looking through every store and cart on every floor, before deciding to walk down the street and do the same thing to the other indoor mall on Oxford Street.

"It's called the Plaza. They have a nice window display up top. It's sort of silver with…different shades of blue."

"Let's go!"

Once they got the Plaza Shopping Center, they put Sev in his pram, retracted the canopy, and put him in a seated position, which allowed him to look around. As soon as the infant spotted the large window display on the ceiling, he was entranced, gaping at the unusual shape and the pretty blue lights.

"Close your mouth, cub, before flies come in and nest in there." Harry rebuked gently, a slight smile on his face.

The couple walked around the small mall for about twenty minutes before both Harry's and Ginny's stomachs growled loudly. Sev giggled at the funny noises.

"Feel like dinner?"

Ginny raised an eyebrow at her boyfriend. "Do I really need to answer that?"

The two laughed at each other. Harry put an arm around Ginny's shoulders, as she pushed Sev's pram, and gently led her towards the door. "Come on. I know this great place a few blocks down called the Spaghetti House. You'll love it."

As they exited the Plaza, a man selling a ton of animal balloons walked by on his way into the shopping centre. The multitude of colors caught Sev's attention and held him spellbound, even after Ginny turned and blocked his view.

_

* * *

_

"Hey 'Mione, want an animal balloon?" Ron asked, indicating the man next to them who was doing his best to pull his herd of balloons through the door.

"Thanks, but no thanks, Ron. I'm not really a balloon kind of person." Hermione answered as she watched Sirius and Remus rush forward and hold open the doors for the balloon man.

The group had gone to several restaurants around the block, deciding to eat somewhere and then quickly deciding against it once they glimpsed the menu. Neither of the girls wanted to eat at a fast food place, and none of the boys liked any of the food at the restaurants they visited. The food court at the Plaza was the fifth place they decided to visit, but Hermione highly doubted she wanted any of the food there.

True enough, the group found themselves walking out of the shopping centre not ten minutes later.

"Oh! You know what?" Sirius spoke up, his eyes lighting in excitement. "I don't know what I didn't think of this before. I've heard of this great place a few blocks down. Harry was telling me about it once. It's called the Spaghetti House. I think I know where it is. The food is decently priced, I think. You all feel like having some Italian?"

"That sounds brilliant, Padfoot!" Tonks nodded, glancing at her husband.

Everyone else nodded in agreement, and Remus waved his arm towards Sirius. "Lead the way, old friend."

_

* * *

_

"Hello! Welcome to the Spaghetti House! Table for two?" The waitress greeted them.

"Plus a high chair, if you don't mind." Ginny nodded.

"Absolutely!" She led them towards a small table in the back, next to a rowdy group of six who were finishing their desserts. "Here you are!" She waited until they were seated before handing them their menus and taking their drink orders. "Excellent! I'll be right back with these drinks and that high chair." She began walking away but backtracked for a second. "Oh, and if I may, those shirts are absolutely adorable!" She pointed towards Harry and then to Severus. "Big Fish, Small Fry! That is so cute!"

Ginny chuckled and Harry blushed. "Thank you." They both murmured.

Within minutes, the waitress returned with their drinks and a high chair for Severus. While Harry seated the infant in the chair and strapped him in, Ginny ordered their appetizers and main meals, requesting an extra small plate for the infant to eat out of. The waitress nodded with a bubbly smile and made a note of it before taking their menus and assuring them she would be right out with their appetizers.

"I'm going to go to the loo. I'll be right back, okay?" Harry stood up, but found his pathway blocked by the rowdy group next to them who had gotten up to leave. The teenager politely pushed his way through the crowd and made a beeline for the bathroom.

_

* * *

_

"Hello! Welcome to the Spaghetti House! Table for five?" The waitress greeted them.

"Yes, please!" Tonks replied, matching the waitress' bubbly tone.

"You're in luck! A table just opened up in the back." She picked up five menus and inclined her head. "Follow me!" She led them towards the back where the group could see a busboy mopping up a set of tables before laying place settings on them. "Here we are!" The waitress stood at one end of the table, a smile on her face, as she waited for everyone to take their seats. "Here are your menus." She passed them around. "And do you want to order your drinks now, or do you want a few minutes to decide?"

"Uh…" Everyone looked around at each other.

"We'll take a few minutes to decide." Remus smiled.

"Absolutely! I'll be right over there. You just wave me over when you're ready." She pointed to a cash register in the corner, smiled, and then left, unblocking the table behind her.

"Remus," Tonks whispered in her husband's ear, "Does that baby look familiar to you?" She inclined her head towards the small table next to theirs, which the waitress had been blocking.

The werewolf glanced over. "Oh shit!" He hissed, his eyes widening in alarm.

"Ginny! What are you doing here?" Hermione exclaimed.

Sirius and Ron looked at her in confusion for second before following her gaze to the neighboring table. The redhead—who had her back to them—looked up in surprise and turned around in her seat. Sure enough, the fiery mane belonged to none other than Ginny Weasley, who stared back at them with wide eyes, her mouth hanging open in shock. The black-haired baby in the high chair next to her turned in his seat and, upon taking one look at them, promptly burst into tears.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"

Ron, Hermione, and Sirius exchanged looks of shock and confusion.

* * *

**Next up, confrontations abound as Ron and Sirius try to find out just who this mysterious child is, and where he came from. Will they succeed? And, more importantly, how will everyone react when they do?**

**Well...things are certainly getting interesting, aren't they? A big thank you, thank you, thank you for those who have taken the time to drop me a line and REVIEW. :-) Simply the best, the lot of you! As usual, don't be a stranger--let me know what you think! **


	17. Confrontations

**WARNING: One swat**

* * *

"Hey! What's going on here?" A familiar voice drawled from across the room.

All three heads shot around. "Harry!" They cried in surprise.

The teen, on his way back to the table, froze mid-step and gaped at the group of six as if they had just sprung out of nowhere. "Ha….! Wha…?" He stuttered.

A high-pitched squeal turned several heads in the vicinity and Harry immediately tore his attention away from his best friends and godfather, directing it towards his ward, who was reaching out to him in desperation. "Hey! Hey there, cub!" Harry took his seat across from Ginny, unbuckled the infant from his high chair, and cradled him in his arms. Sev immediately latched onto his shirt and screamed into the fabric. "Come on now…Come now…" He rubbed the infant's back soothingly and signaled to Ginny, who was already digging into the diaper bag for Sev's sling. "Hey now…shhh…it's okay…"

"Sir, is your son alright?" A waiter stepped up to their table and peered at them in concern. "I can ask—"

Both Harry and Ginny waved him off immediately. "No, no, thank you! He's fine!" Harry answered as he began to rock back and forth. "He's fine! He's just…uh..." He turned to Ginny with worried eyes.

"You see, he's around six months old, and they all have separation anxiety at this stage." The redhead replied smoothly. "He got a little panicky when this nice group of people arrived and he wanted his dad. They're really close, you see." She explained.

"We are _so_ sorry about the outburst." Harry added.

"No, no!" The waiter waved it off, "Don't apologize! It happens all the time. Plenty of babies pass through here. It's no big deal. I just wanted to see if there was anything the wait staff could do to help. We have some baby supplies, you see."

"No!" Ginny shook her head, smiling amicably. "Thank you, but no. He's still nursing right now, and his father and I are rather reluctant to let him eat anything other than breast milk and the food that we make."

"Perfectly understandable." The waiter bowed slightly to them and began to back away. "Just call if you need anything, though."

"Thank you." Harry nodded. He wrapped his arms firmly around the infant, rubbing his back with one hand, whispering soothing sounds in his ear, and rocking him back and forth. "Come on, baby boy. Come on now…Calm down, my cub. Calm down…" Ginny stood up and helped him don the baby sling while Severus was still attached to his chest. She slipped the infant into the pocket and helped Harry wrap the sling around his shoulders.

"Is he secure?" She whispered.

"Yeah." Her boyfriend answered distractedly, still trying to calm the distraught child.

Ginny picked up her chair and pulled it over, sitting next to them so she could peer inside the sling. She leaned in close, placing her head next to Harry's. "Hey there, love." She whispered to the sniffling infant. "What's all this crying now, eh? What's all this crying?"

Sev leaned his ear against Harry's chest and peered up at the two of them through eyes filled with tears. "Mmmmmmmmmm!" He moaned sadly, chewing on his thumb and drooling all over the place.

Ginny's heart went out to him. "Oh, my baby boy…" Cupping the child at the back of the head, she leaned in and gently kissed Sev on his forehead. "When you feel safe enough again, you come on out and eat okay." Her gaze flickered down towards her chest. "I'll be right here." She inclined her head towards where her seat used to be. "You want to stay with Harry now?" Severus nodded, his cries much quieter, but the tears still continued to roll down his face. "Alright. I'm going to cover up. Is that going to be okay?" Sev nodded again.

Ginny took the excess from the sling and began wrapping it around Harry's shoulders, but the other teen stopped her. "Can you make it so that he can still see me? Is that possible?"

"Yeah, I think so." Ginny nodded and wrapped the excess from the sling around the shoulder opposite Sev's head. "There. You can still see in, right?" She peered at the crying baby inside. "Cozy in there?" She kissed Sev's head through the fabric before moving her chair back to its previous place and turning back to the table next to them.

"What the bloody hell is going on here?!" Ron hissed, ducking his head low and checking to make sure they weren't overheard. "Your _son_?! Ginny?!"

"Who is that child?" Sirius added, his voice just as low as Ron's.

"That's none of your concern!" Harry snapped in reply, startling half the table's occupants, as well as half the room.

"Hey! Whoa! Whoa! Calm down, mate!"

"Guys, we're in _public_!" Remus broke in, his voice low but authoritative. "_Not now_!" He hissed.

Harry and Ginny exchanged looks, as well as Ron, Hermione, and Sirius. "Right." The teen replied.

"Fine." Sirius grumbled.

"Harry, would you like to join us?" Remus, ever the diplomat, invited. "We can shift seats around. Sweetheart, you want to sit there, next to Harry?" He glanced at his wife, and then at their son in her arms.

"Oh! Right! Yes. Absolutely!" Tonks stood up.

Harry glanced at Ginny, who then twitched her head in Teddy's direction. Harry pressed his lips together firmly and glanced down at the infant wrapped in his arms. With a sigh, the teenager tightened his arms around the child protectively and stood up.

"Sirius, maybe you and Ron would like to sit here at the end. Okay?"

"What?"

"Huh?"

"Sit here at the end!" Remus repeated, turning the request into an order. With a wave of a hand, he managed to get a few waiters to help them shift the tables and seats together.

"Why?"

"Padfoot, just…" Remus sighed. "Please?!"

Sirius rolled his eyes and reluctantly stood up. "Fine."

"Ron, right there, across from him."

When everyone was properly seated, Tonks and Teddy sat at the head of the table, with Harry and Sev on her right and Ginny on her left. Remus and Hermione sat next to each of them, respectively, and Ron and Sirius sat at the end, buffered from Severus by people he trusted.

"Okay! Is everyone ready to order their drinks?" The bubbly waitress asked when she returned. "Oh! So you all know each other?" She beamed at the two now conjoined groups.

"Yes, it's…really funny." Ginny chuckled nervously.

"That's fantastic! Splendid! So I'll just bring your appetizers here. They should be ready in a minute or two."

"Thank you."

"Was something wrong with the little guy?" She asked the couple worriedly.

"Oh, no!" Harry shook his head, rubbing Sev's back.

"He just saw something that startled him, and he wanted his daddy. That's all."

"Oh, okay!" The waitress nodded. She took everyone else's drink order and then asked if they were ready to order any food.

"Just give us a few minutes, please." Remus waved her off.

"Absolutely!" Sticking the pen back in her apron, she turned back to Ginny. "May I ask one more question? I'm sorry."

"No, no! Go right ahead."

"Where did you buy those shirts?" The waitress asked. "They were the most adorable things I've seen all day. My husband and I are expecting as well and I'd love to get them a pair of those. It's so precious."

"Oh! Well, first of all, congratulations on the baby." Ginny smiled.

"Thank you."

"But, unfortunately, I don't remember where I got them." She lied, giving the waitress a sad look. "My husband and I went baby shopping a _while_ back, before little Henry was born. So…I don't really remember where I bought them." The tall tale flowed out of her like water through a sieve. "I remember buying them from a street vendor, but for the life of me, I can't remember where."

"It was right outside of a baby store." Harry threw in.

"Yeah, it was." Ginny nodded. "But I'm sure you can find them in tons of places. They're rather popular, from what I gather."

"Oh, okay." The waitress nodded, a bit disappointed. "Well thank you anyway."

Ginny apologized for not being able to help more, but the waitress just waved her off amiably.

"Are they the 'Big Kid—Little Kid' ones?" Tonks asked excitedly.

"Big Fish—Small Fry." Ginny smiled.

"Oh! You didn't tell me you had those!"

"I didn't?"

"Wait just one second here!" Ron broke in. "You _knew_ about this, Tonks?" He gaped at the metamorphamagus before turning to the werewolf. "Remus?"

"Well it's kind of hard _not_ to know about something like this when you live next to them." Hermione pointed out.

"I went baby shopping with Ginny." Tonks answered.

"I stumbled onto it the same day." Remus added.

"So you _have_ been avoiding us." Sirius spoke up, leaning across the table to look beyond Remus and directly at Harry. His eyes looked a bit hurt.

"You don't know the whole story, Sirius." The teenager replied, forcing himself to calm down.

"Then tell me the whole story!"

"Not _here_!" Remus hissed, frowning at his best friend. The animagus grumbled and turned away.

"Why don't we all choose what we want to eat right now, before we get into anything else, okay?" Hermione interjected, picking up her menu and studying it daintily. The two argumentative boys reluctantly followed her example, while Remus, Ginny, and Tonks all shot her looks of relief.

Just then, the appetizer Ginny ordered arrived and Harry thanked the waitress before ducking his head into the baby sling and addressing Severus, wandlessly casting _Muffliato_ first for privacy. "Hey there, cub." Harry murmured soothingly, running his hand up and down Sev's back. The infant had thankfully stopped crying, but his whimpers had yet to cease. He was sticking his ear to Harry's chest as close as it could go, and sucking his thumb with a vengeance. "What's going on in that head of yours, huh?" Harry ran his thumb over the back of Sev's head, through the fabric of the sling, and sent a wave of calming white magic to the baby through the caress.

Severus relaxed instantly. His thumb-sucking slowed down considerably, his shoulders loosened up, and his eyes closed, though he remained awake. He began taking slower, deeper breaths now, as opposed to the shallow pants he had going just moments before, and the pressure on Harry's chest from Severus' ear began to ease up. "There…" The teenager gave the baby a gentle smile. "Are we calmer now?"

The infant sighed and popped his thumb out of his mouth. When he opened his eyes once again, and turned his sad gaze towards Harry, the teen could see even more unshed tears in his eyes. "Mo wike." Sev moaned.

"You don't like that Sirius is here?" Sev shook his head. "Or Ron?" More shaking. "How about Hermione?" The infant stopped shaking his head and shrugged. "Just Sirius and Ron then?" Sev nodded. "This is more than the fact that you don't like Sirius and Ron, though, isn't it?"

The infant sighed, "Mo wike!" He repeated himself, sounding sadder and more frustrated than before.

"Listen to me, cub." Harry adjusted his position so that the child could see him better. "This was bound to happen at some point. And just so you know, I don't give a damn what Sirius or Ron have to say about any of this, alright? I made a promise to _myself_—when I took you in—that I would take care of you and protect you to the best of my ability. That protection is against _everyone_, _including_ my own friends and family. Do you understand me, cub?" He reached down and brushed a stray tear away with his thumb. "You're _stuck_ with me for the rest of your natural life, whether you like it or not, whether Ron likes it or not, or whether Sirius likes it or not. Is that clear?" He gave Sev a playful half-smile. "So he can bitch and moan and whine like a little girl about it," he paused to smile when his comment drew giggles out of the infant, "but at the end of the day, he's just going to have to learn how to deal with it." He raised an eyebrow at the baby. "Alright?"

_Potter's giving me priority over Black?! __Me__, Severus Snape, gets priority over his own dogfather?! Ha, ha, ha! Take __that__, you mangy mutt! For once in my life, __I__ take priority over __you__! Ha, ha! Revenge is __sweet__! I get his attention and you don't!_ Sev sang in his head. _I get his attention and you don't! I get his attention his attention and you don't! _The baby began to dance to the tune in his head.

"Meh poh—dad?"

"Po—dad?" Harry echoed, analyzing the pronunciation in his head. A match came to him and his eyes widened in realization. "Important? You're asking if you're important?" The infant nodded. "_Of course_ you're important!"

"Ah! Back!" Sev pointed down the table, where he figured Sirius was seated.

"Are you more important than Sirius? Is that what you're asking?" Sev nodded. "Yes." Harry answered without hesitation.

Sev grinned. "Meh poh dad ah back!"

Harry chuckled and nodded. "Yes, you're more important than Black."

Sev squealed in delight and reached up for Harry. "Up! Pea?" The teen cancelled the _Muffliato_ and obliged the infant, who continued to chant, "Meh po dad ah back!" over and over and over again.

"Meh po dad ah back! Meh po dad ah back! Meh po dad ah back!" He turned to Ginny across the table. "Immy!"

"Yes, sir?"

"Meh po dad ah back!"

Ginny turned to Harry questioningly.

'I'm more important than Black.' Her boyfriend mouthed.

Ginny threw her head back, laughing hysterically. When she was able to calm down again, she leaned on the table and looked Severus in the eye. "Yes, you are."

Sev squealed around the two fingers in his mouth and began bouncing in his sling.

"Can I see your shirt, uh…?" Tonks turned to Ginny questioningly, not sure what to call Severus in public.

"Henry." The teen supplied.

"Henry?" Tonks' eyes widened. "Henry like daddy?"

"Just go with it." Ginny replied, feeding herself some of the appetizer.

"Can I see your shirt, Henry? Please?"

Sev looked down at his shirt as a droplet of drool landed on it. Removing his fingers from his mouth, he pointed his wet digit at the little fish in the picture. "Boop, Boop, Boop!"

Tonks gasped. "Is that the sound a fish makes?"

"Boop, Boop, Boop." The infant repeated with a smile.

"Boop, Boop, Boop." Tonks grinned at Remus.

"Peb-by?"

"Oh no, sweetheart, Teddy's eating right now."

Sev gasped and turned to Ginny. "Immy!" She signed 'milk' and 'please'. "Mewmew, pea."

"Oh, here we go!" Harry sighed. The teen stood up and made his way around the table.

"Come here, love." Harry placed Sev in Ginny's arms and proceeded to transfer the baby sling from around his shoulders to around Ginny's.

"Do you want the privacy shawl?"

"Uh…yes. Would you please?"

Hermione gasped next to her. "Oh my god, Gin! Do you—"

"Yes." She answered before Hermione could finish her question.

"Do you what?" Ron squeaked from Hermione's other side. "Do you what? What's going on here? What's all that? What are you doing?"

Ginny ignored him.

"Since when have you done that, Gin?" Tonks asked, naturally curious. This was the first time she and Remus had ever seen Ginny nurse.

"Last week." Ginny answered distractedly. Once Harry had placed the privacy shawl over her shoulders, she began helping Severus latch on. "I made a…drink. There we go, sweetheart."

"He on?" Harry asked above her.

"Yes, thank you."

"Right." Harry nodded and retook his seat.

"A drink?" Remus questioned.

"It was in a parenting book. It was for adoptive mothers to help them…lactate." She whispered the last part, but it appeared Ron heard her anyway.

"Lactate? Lactate!"

"As in breastfeed?" Sirius questioned.

Ron stood up so fast his chair nearly tipped over, but Hermione managed to grab both the chair and Ron's shoulder on time, making him sit back down. "Ronald, would you _kindly_ calm down!" Hermione hissed in her boyfriend's ear. "We are in _public_, for Merlin's sake! People are starting to _stare_!"

"Is everything alright at this table?" The bubbly waitress asked, giving them her signature cheerful smile.

"Yes, yes! We are _so_ sorry for all the disturbances. Our friend…just…" Remus began to stutter.

"He thought he forgot his wallet at another store, but it turned out his girlfriend had it all along." Ginny filled in smoothly. "We apologize if we alarmed anyone."

"Oh, it's quite alright." The waitress smiled. "Just…try to keep it on the down low, if you please?"

"Absolutely! And we apologize again." Remus smiled.

The waitress mirrored his expression, asked how Harry and Ginny were enjoying their appetizer, and assured them that their meal would be right out, before bouncing back the way she came.

Remus then fixed Ron with a stern expression, making the redhead blush. "I told you, Ron, _not __here_!"

"Sorry." The Weasley man replied. He glanced at his nursing sister and then turned away, his ears getting redder and redder by the second. "This is just too _weird_!"

"You're telling me." Sirius muttered.

"Then pretend it's not!" Remus retorted, his voice low and even. "And if you can't pretend, don't say anything! This is neither the time nor the place for theatrics right now."

"I don't _do_ theatrics." Sirius replied, indignant.

"Padfoot," Remus' lips thinned to a line, "Go with the flow or don't say anything at all until we get to Grimmauld Place. Is that too much to ask?"

The animagus growled and turned away, sipping his water and sulking.

"So you made a drink that would help you lactate?" Tonks asked, as if the interruption never happened.

"I've heard of that one!" Hermione broke in, her eyes lighting up. "It's called Matrilac, isn't it?"

"So _that's_ what you were…mixing…last week in your room!" Ron spoke up, mindful to keep his voice down.

"If you must know, yes!" Ginny hissed in reply, fixing her brother with the coldest look she could muster.

"So this baby's been in the picture since last week. Meaning you _have_ been avoiding us every time we try to come over."

Ginny's jaw tightened. "Yes, Ron, we have. And once you hear the entire story, you'll know why."

"Neither the time nor the place!" Remus sang from the side of his mouth.

Ginny turned away from her brother with a huff.

Harry and Ginny's dinner arrived moments later, along with the small bowl Ginny requested. The teenager looked down, through the privacy shawl, at the infant in her arms, and asked if he wanted to try his hand at eating some noodles tonight. Sev's eyes lit up at the prospect of a new challenge and he unlatched and nodded.

Ginny grinned at Harry. "He's excited about trying noodles."

"Does he understand you?"

"It's a long story, Hermione." Harry replied.

"No, I'm just curious."

"Yes, he does." Ginny nodded as she fixed her shirt and removed the privacy shawl.

"And he was doing baby sign language with you a while ago, wasn't he?"

Ginny turned to her in surprise. "You know about it?"

"Of course! Yes, I do! I think it's brilliant, and when I have a baby, that's something I _definitely_ want to teach them."

Hermione, Ginny, and Tonks then began a thorough discussion about baby sign language, while Harry strapped Sev back into his high chair and Ginny scooped some noodles into the baby bowl.

"Dora, you want to switch seats?" Harry asked.

"Sure."

"Coo!"

"Peb-by!" Sev grinned and his hands and feet began bobbing up and down excitedly. The two boys then began babbling at each other incessantly.

Harry and Ginny had decided to wait for everyone else's food to show up before tucking into their own meals. While they waited, the girls continued their discussion, Remus and Harry politely listened in, and Sirius and Ron sulked in their corners. The food arrived in no time.

Severus had a whale of a time trying to grip the noodles and bringing them to his mouth. He especially enjoyed it when he got one end of the noodle in but the rest of it hung out. That way, he could suck it in and watch the noodle wiggle around on his way into his mouth. Ginny had a blast taking pictures of it all with the muggle digital camera Harry bought her earlier that day.

"You like noodles, huh, Henry?" Ginny smiled. Sev gave her a toothless grin, a noodle clamped tightly between his gums. The teen took a picture.

"Coo!" Teddy, who was sitting upright in his sling, saw Severus partaking of the meal and decided he wanted to join in as well. Thus, he made a grab for the spaghetti hanging off of Tonks' fork. "Ah!"

"Oh! Whoa! Whoa!" Remus chuckled, grabbing onto Teddy's little hand. "You're not old enough for that, big guy!"

"AH!" Teddy whined.

"Henry's five months old, sweet. You're only two." Tonks added, keeping her fork out of Teddy's reach. Her words, of course, meant absolutely nothing to Teddy. He saw his friend eating some noodles, he wanted to eat noodles as well. When mummy took the noodles away from him, he showed his displeasure the only way he knew how—he cried.

Sev looked up from his noodles when he heard Teddy crying and turned to Harry questioningly. "He saw you eating noodles, now he wants to eat noodles too, cub."

"Peb-by?"

"He can't eat noodles yet, love. He's only two months old." Ginny added.

"Oh." Sev's shoulders fell. Then an idea came to him and his face lit up once again. "Mo moodoo! Mek!" He pointed to his plate of noodles and signed 'no', then pointed to his diaper bag and signed 'drink'.

"Oh, there! Look, Teddy, Henry wants to drink milk now. So you drink milk now too, okay?" Ginny made a show of handing Sev his bottle. As the infant started drinking it, and little metamorphamagus saw that his friend was now drinking milk, and mummy held a bottle in front of his mouth, Teddy's cries quieted and he opened his mouth to accept the peace offering his mummy was giving him.

"There we go!"

"I'm proud of you, Sev." Harry whispered in the infant's ear before giving him a kiss on the head.

Across the table, Sirius' ears perked up imperceptibly and he frowned. _Did he just call that child…? No, it can't be._ Sitting back in his seat, the animagus peered across the table to study his godson, the girlfriend, and the kid. To the outside observer, they appeared to be a family unit; a pair of teenagers who married early and recently bore a child. The rings on their fingers fooled many, though they rested on the wrong hands. The corny shirts that read 'Big Fish' and 'Small Fry' definitely contributed to that assumption; as did the actual breastfeeding Ginny did a while ago. Yet Sirius wasn't fooled. He had visited his godson at least once a week since Victory Day. Nothing struck him as out of the ordinary until last week.

_So the kid's been in the picture since last week._ Sirius deduced. _Remus has obviously known about it, Tonks as well. I had the feeling they were all conspiring to keep us from Harry. The kid must've been why. _What Sirius didn't know was why Harry wanted to keep the kid away from him. Remus had known about it. What was the difference between him and Remus? Then there was also the fact that Harry didn't want to tell Ron or Hermione about it either. All _three_ of them had been chasing after Harry for the past week and a half. _Why wouldn't Harry want to tell his best friends about this kid? _Sirius could maybe understand not telling him, but why not his best friends? Something smelled fishy here, and he was definitely going to find out what it was.

"Hey, did you guys see that car crash earlier today at the intersection of Oxford and Regent, by H&M?" Hermione asked.

"See it?!" Ginny scoffed. "That car was careening towards us!"

"What?!" Ron squeaked. "That was _you_?!" The garlic bread he was chewing fell out of his mouth. "That couple with the baby I saw today was you two?!"

"You saw us a while ago?" Ginny's eyebrows furrowed.

"We were at the intersection when the car crash occurred." Hermione explained.

"At the entrance to the underground." Sirius elaborated.

"Yes. Ron said he saw the blue car swerving and heading towards a couple with a baby carriage. The lady had red hair, and the man had black hair, and they were trying to comfort—"

"A baby inside a baby sling that the guy was wearing." Harry nodded. "That was us." He inclined his head towards the infant. "Henry got a little upset because we squeezed him too hard. He had no idea that a car was coming towards us."

"Had it not been for Harry's…ahem…reflexes…" Ginny eyed their surroundings nervously, lowering her voice to a whisper "…the car would've crashed through the guardrail and killed us."

"Oh good heavens!" Hermione's eyes widened. "But the three of you obviously came out okay, right? No scratches or bruises or anything? Nothing came at you?"

Harry shook his head, mouthing 'Protego'.

"Just a little shaken, is all." Ginny elaborated.

"That's good."

"That must've been terrifying."

"We were afraid for the baby more than anything."

"Did you know we almost ran into you guys several times today?"

"What are you talking about, Ron?" Ginny raised an eyebrow.

"That baby carriage—the one with the moon and stars design—that was yours?"

Ginny pulled the folded-up pram from under the table. "You mean this one?"

"Blimey! That _was_ you!" He pointed his fork at his sister. "You were at the intersection! You went into the West One Shopping Centre today, didn't you? The Plaza, too!"

"How did _you_ know that?!" Ginny cried, a little disconcerted.

"I told you! We almost ran into you guys several times today."

"And look at that." Harry smirked. "We end up eating dinner at the same restaurant, at the same time, with the same hostess, and in the same section." He chuckled. "Life has a sense of humor."

"Hello! Is everyone ready for dessert?" The bubbly hostess asked, bouncing behind Harry.

"Ah! Ah! Ah!" Sev bounced in his high chair as well, looking up at Harry with an expression that read _Please, please, __please__, may I have some dessert? _

Harry gave him a mysterious half-smile and narrowed his eyes playfully. "Sweetheart, you want anything?"

"Order for me, love."

"A _Torta de Mela Rustica_ for _mio amore_ and…" His eyes narrowed even further. Sev cranked up the pleading look by several notches. Harry chuckled. "…a _Créme Caramel_ for myself and the little fish here." Sev squealed and began bouncing in his seat. Teddy, next to him, imitated the noise.

"Oh! I swear, this is my favorite table of the night. We have two young gentlemen here who are just angels!" She complimented both Harry and Ginny and Remus and Tonks on their little ones before taking everyone else's dessert order and assuring them they would only take a few minutes.

"Ankoo!" Sev giggled, signing 'Thank you'.

"You're very welcome."

"I thought he was grounded." Remus smirked.

"He was…until half an hour ago." Harry nodded. "A full three days."

"Must've been some kick."

"It was." The look on Harry's face spoke volumes.

Dessert came and went and Sev enjoyed every second of it. He _loved_ dessert. Absolutely _loved_ it! That grounding was pure torture, it was! Sev swore to himself, as Harry fed him some crème caramel, that he was never, _ever_, _ever_ going to do something that would earn him a grounding ever again! Or a spanking either. He was going to be a good boy from now until the day he died. Harry was never going to need to stick him in the corner, or ground him, or spank him ever, ever again! Yup, Sev was going to be an _angel_ from now on.

"Hey, Sirius!" Harry addressed his godfather, startling him out of his thoughts.

"Huh?"

"Remember that garage you told me you were going to build for your motorcycle?"

"Yeah?"

"Have you built it yet?"

"Finished it just last week, actually." The animagus nodded, "I was going to show it to you after we helped Remus move in, but I couldn't find you."

"Can it fit an SUV?" Harry asked, giving him a mysterious smile.

"I made it…charmingly spacious." Sirius' eyes twinkled, "It can fit almost anything. Why?"

Harry smirked. "Would you guys like a ride?"

Everyone's head turned towards him. "You have a car?" Ron squeaked.

After the check was ordered and paid, and the bubbly waitress tipped generously, Harry and Ginny led the group back to the car park and their SUV.

"Bloody hell!"

"Ron!"

"When'd you get a car, Harry?"

"When'd you get a license?" Hermione interjected, her voice shriller than Ron's.

"The license I got right before I turned sixteen." Harry used the remote to shut off the car alarm and unlock the vehicle. "The car I got about three weeks ago, when I first started working at Godric's Hollow." Harry lifted Sev out of the pram and handed him to Ginny. After folding up the baby carriage, he placed it inside the car and quickly transfigured it into another car seat for Teddy. "Here you go, buddy."

Harry let Sirius, Remus, and Ron climb into the third-row seats first before clicking the second-row seat back into place and buckling Teddy's car seat next to Sev's. Tonks and Ginny were going to sit next to them, respectively (with the help of some spatial charms, of course). Hermione would ride shotgun.

"Whoa! What's all this?" Sirius asked, after he leaned back and his head bopped against a stack of boxes.

"IKEA." Harry explained, showing Tonks how to strap Teddy in, using Sev as an example.

"So _that's_ what Merlin was talking about when he said you went to an IKEA!" Sirius realized. Turning around, he kneeled on the backseat and snooped inside each of the bags, seeing what he could find.

"Padfoot, what _are_ you doing?" Remus rolled his eyes.

"Goodness, Ginny, I thought The Den already had plenty of furniture." Hermione commented as she peered towards the back of the SUV.

"Furniture, yes. _Enough_ furniture to compliment the space, no."

"Alright!" Harry declared, jumping into the driver's seat and shutting the door. "Is everyone strapped in? Seatbelts, please."

"Yeah, Padfoot!"

"Shut up, Moony!"

As Sirius buckled his seatbelt, he noticed that the infant "Henry" was staring at him. Frowning, Sirius met "Henry's" eyes and stared back. The car started moving, yet the two boys refused to break eye contact. "Henry's" eyes narrowed at him. Sirius' eyes narrowed in return. Harry yelled at someone out the window, muttering something about babies on board. Neither Sirius nor "Henry" blinked. Remus cleared his throat…loudly…several times. No effect. "Henry" scowled at Sirius; Sirius scowled right back. "Henry" sneered at Sirius; Sirius bared his teeth in return. "Henry" growled at Sirius; Sirius growled in response.

"What's going on back there?" Harry exclaimed, not liking what he was seeing in the rear view mirror.

"Henry" blew raspberries at Sirius.

Sirius blinked.

"Henry" sneered.

"You spit on me!" Sirius cried, pointing an indignant finger at "Henry".

"Hey! Stop it! The both of you!" Harry admonished from the front seat.

"Henry" blew more powerful raspberries at Sirius.

Both Remus and Ron dodged out of the way.

"That's not nice!" Sirius pointed an admonishing finger at the baby.

"Henry" kicked at it, but Sirius pulled away just in time.

"I said _stop_—"

"Did you just try to kick me?!" Sirius' face replaced his finger as he tried to stare the baby down.

"Henry" pulled back to kick again, but froze at Harry's voice.

"**SIRIUS**!** SEVERUS**! Do _**not**_ make me pull this car over!"

Everyone's head shot towards the driver.

"Did you just say Snivellus?"

WHACK!

"_**OW!**_" Sirius grabbed his nose and fell back against the boxes. "Jeez!"

"Oh my god!"

"Sirius, are you alright?"

"Padfoot, it's bleeding!"

Sev giggled.

Before anyone could do anything further, the car lurched to the side and came to a complete stop. Without a word, Harry parked the car, shut off the engine, climbed out, slammed the door behind him, and walked away from the car.

Silence reigned inside the vehicle.

Sev's breaths suddenly started coming in small pants. "Haweh?" He squeaked, looking at Ginny worriedly. "Haweh?!"

Ginny leaned against the door and rubbed her eyes wearily.

"HAWEH!" Sev screamed at the top of his lungs, seemingly getting rid of all the breath in his body. His face screwed up, his ears turned red, and with his following gasp of air came his most agonizing cry. "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

Ginny sighed. "Sev…" The baby began kicking and bucking in his car seat, hindering her efforts to untie him. "Sev…"

"HAWEH!" He wailed.

"Severus…" The teen groaned. Finally, when she was able to get his belt off, she lifted the weeping baby into her arms and turned him to face the car window. "Look, Sev! Look, look, look! Look, love!" Ginny pointed towards a park bench a mere twenty-five feet away from the SUV. On it sat Harry, hunched over with his head buried in his hands. "He's right there, sweetheart. You see him?"

Sev's cries immediately died to whimpers and he instinctively began to smack the car window. "Haweh!" He cried, slapping with all his might. "HAWEH!" His voice cracked and he sniffed. Why wasn't Harry turning around? Why wasn't he moving?! "Haweh…" Sev's window-slapping suddenly died down as the second wave of water works began to assert itself. "Ah…" Sev began drooling everywhere as the tears in his eyes blurred his vision. "Haweh…" He moaned and buried his face in Ginny's chest.

"Oh, angel…" Ginny hugged him close and began rocking him back and forth. "Shhh now, Sev. Shhh now…"

"Haweh…!"

"I know, Severus. I know…"

Suddenly, a whirring noise filled the air and everyone looked around for its source. Then, a breeze blew by Ginny's neck and made her realize her window had just been rolled down.

"What's all this now?" Harry began, leaning against the window frame.

Sev immediately pushed up against Ginny's chest and, upon seeing Harry, brightened up like the sun. "Haweh!"

"Ah…crocodile tears…" Harry said in a singsong voice. Pushing himself upright, he held out his hands and Sev instantly dived into them. "Or maybe real ones…" Harry lifted him through the window and wrapped him in his arms. Then he walked back and retook his seat on the park bench, leaning back to let Severus cuddle against his chest as he admired the view of the park. They sat that way, in silence, for the next five minutes.

Meanwhile, in the car, Sirius and Ron were trying to make sense of what just happened.

"That was Severus Snape, wasn't it?" Hermione asked, drawing shocked looks from both boys.

"SNAPE?!" They both exclaimed simultaneously.

"Yes, it was." Ginny nodded. She rolled up the window, but kept her eyes on Harry and Sev.

"WHAT?!"

"Severus Snape? As in Greasy-Haired-Git-Bat-of-the-Dungeons SNAPE?!"

Ginny whirled on her brother, her eyes blazing with fury. "_**SHUT UP**_, RON!" All three men in the backseat flinched. "You know _nothing_ about this situation, you know _nothing_ about the past week and a half, and you know _nothing_ about Severus. Thus, you are in _no_ position to start judging!"

"You breastfed him?!" Ron squawked.

"What?!"

"You breastfed Snape?!" Sirius gagged.

"Now you listen to me and you listen well!" She pointed an authoritative finger in both their faces. "YOU!" She pointed at Ron and her brother flinched back. "My body is my own. I have a right to it. It is _my_ choice to do what I want with it!" Her snarling face replaced her finger. "DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?!" Then her voice lowered to a threatening growl. "If you breathe _one_ word about _any_ of this to mum and dad, I swear to you bat-bogies will chase you down 'til the end of your days. You won't even be able to escape them in your dreams. Do I make myself perfectly clear? And if you think I'm joking, try me!" Ginny had gotten in Ron's face, making him shrink against the boxes.

Ron gulped. "Wh—Wh—What about—Th—They should know…!" The redhead squeaked.

"They'll know when I tell them. _You_ will have no part in that conversation. Do we understand each other?"

Ron nodded shakily.

"And YOU!" She whirled on Sirius, making him flinch back as well. "You have had it against Severus since the beginning and why? WHY?!" Sirius jumped back against the wall of boxes and Ginny got in his face. "Because he wanted to be in Slytherin and you wanted to be in Gryffindor. Well guess what. _That_ reason is _childish_! The rivalry between the both of you started for a _childish_ reason and it's continued throughout all these years because of both of your damn prides!" Her voice lowered to a hiss. "I don't know if you've noticed, Sirius, but you are an _adult_ now!" Remus snorted in the background. "You should start ACTING LIKE ONE!" She pointed out the window. "Harry was able to talk Severus into tolerating you—"

"Tolerating me?!" The animagus boomed. "He broke my nose!"

Ginny pointed her wand at him, making him cringe. "_Episky_!"

SNAP!

"AH!" Sirius grabbed his nose and doubled over.

"There! It's not broken anymore!" Ginny yelled into his back. "And don't you mind about Severus. He was in the wrong and he knows it. Harry will deal with him. I am speaking to _you_!" Sirius straightened up once again, wiping the remaining blood off with his sleeve. "If Harry can learn how to tolerate Malfoy, _you_ can learn how to tolerate Severus."

"Will you stop calling him Severus!"

"Yeah!" Ron agreed.

"What I choose to call him is _none_ of your concern!"

"Why are you so protective of him all of a sudden?"

Ginny straightened up to full height and fixed both of them with a condescending glare. "Seeing as the both of you are _men_, you wouldn't understand." She replied, her voice deathly calm.

Sirius and Ron both looked like they just sucked a lemon. "Ew!" "Argh!" "Yuck!" "Gross!" "Ewwww!" "Ugh!" "Is that why you were breastfeeding him?" "UGH!!!" "Yuck!" They both pretended to shudder violently and gag some more.

Ginny fixed them with her sternest glare and stared them down. Ron and Sirius were silent within seconds. "This is not a laughing matter." She breathed, her voice so cold they could almost see her breath.

Sirius and Ron exchanged a dreaded look and the former cleared his throat nervously. "Um…are you telling me you feel as a mother to him?"

"The same way Harry feels as a father to him." Ginny's gaze pierced through Sirius, forcing him to look away. "You are poking fun at your godson's child. You should be ashamed of yourself! It'd be the same thing if you poked fun of Teddy in front of Remus and Dora."

"But that's Snape!"

"That is a _child_ with Snape's _memories_!" Ginny corrected, calm yet fierce. "You are an _adult_. Act like it!" Sirius slumped against the boxes and scowled at his jeans. "You might as well get used to it, Sirius. You as well, Ron! Like it or not, Severus Tobias Snape is Harry's ward now. And he is every bit as protective of him as Remus and Dora are of Teddy. Meaning if Severus doesn't feel safe around either of you, Harry _will not_ see you. So unless you and Severus can _make nice_…" she gave each of them a meaningful glare, "…you're never going to see Harry again."

With that, Ginny turned back around and settled down on her seat once again, leaving them to their thoughts.

Outside, Harry straightened up on the park bench and lightly tapped on the underside of Severus' trainer. He chuckled. "You know, these little feet are always getting you into trouble, huh?" Sev shifted on his chest and continued to suck his thumb. "And you're not even walking yet." He looked down at the little head, a gentle smile on his face. "How much trouble am I going to have after you actually start walking, eh?" Sev pushed up and turned worried eyes towards him. "Now, now, now, none of that." Harry repositioned him so that they could look at each other. "I'm keeping you, remember? Whether anybody likes it or not?" Sev grinned around his thumb. "No, no…I was referring to these little feet." He tapped on them once again. "And the fact that you broke Sirius' nose." The teen whispered.

Sev's eyes widened. "Ah, yes…now the incident suddenly becomes clear." Harry chuckled. "Now, I think you and I can both agree that hurting people has a warning attached to it by default. Right?" Sev gave him a puzzled look. "I don't have to warn you not to get into a fight with anyone, do I? You very well know that fighting is wrong." Severus' face screwed up and he leaned towards Harry's chest, wanting to hear that comforting heartbeat once again.

Harry sighed and allowed him his comfort. "Or maybe you don't…" He murmured to himself, rubbing Sev's back soothingly. Severus' mind was an intricate puzzle for Harry. He knew Snape had a sense of right and wrong, but that sense could have been different from Harry's, considering the man's history. Plus, the fact that Snape's old neural pathways were nonexistent in this miniature version added a whole other dimension to this brain teaser. Sev probably _did_ have a warped-up sense of right and wrong, but his little mind couldn't process it at the moment. Meaning, he wasn't _entirely_ at fault for what just happened in the car. Yet…he _somewhat_ was.

The complexity of it all was giving Harry a headache.

"Alright, cub." He decided, nudging the infant to get his attention once more. "How's this—one swat, twenty minutes time-out, no grounding?"

Sev's eyes widened in surprise. He had expected something a lot more severe than that! He had expected maybe three swats and _some_ grounding, but none at all! Severus was getting away with a slap on the wrist!

"Listen to me, Severus." The child's eyes snapped towards him. "That mind of yours is a really difficult thing to figure out, so this is my way of giving it the benefit of the doubt. Be warned: if you get into another fight again—with _anybody_—I will not be this lenient next time. Do we understand each other?" Sev nodded eagerly. "Now when we get back to Grimmauld Place, I'll have Ginny take you into my room. You will do your time-out with her while I have a discussion with Mr. Black and Mr. Weasley. You will be an _angel_ in that corner. Do you understand me?"

Sev signed 'yes'. "Yep, ehw."

"You will also apologize to Sirius."

Sev scowled at him.

"None of that!" Harry pointed a warning finger at him. "No cub of mine is going to go around breaking people's noses just because someone called him a bad name. If Sirius is acting immature, I expect you to be the better man and walk away. One, it annoys him like hell, and two, imagine his humiliation when someone points out he got shown up by a baby."

Sev giggled.

"Exactly!" Harry smirked. "Can you imagine? The bigger man of the pair of you is the infant, and the infant is the big guy. Oh, he'd be red in the face." Sev collapsed against his chest in a fit of giggles. Harry let him ride it out, running his fingers through his baby hair affectionately. When he finally calmed down, Harry gave him a gentle smile. "So are you going to apologize?"

Sev nodded against his chest.

"That's my big man." Harry kissed him on top of the head and then turned back to admire the landscaping. The pair of them just sat like that for another minute or two.

Then, with a sigh, Harry stood Sev up on his lap and pointed to his left. "Look at that tree, Sev. Isn't it nice?"

"Huh?"

SMACK!"

"AH!" Sev jumped, glancing back and scowling at Harry.

The teen smirked. "That was your spanking. Quick, wasn't it? And look at those dry eyes. You took that like a man. I'm proud of you." Sev stuck out his tongue at him. Harry chuckled. Wrapping the infant in his arms, Harry gave him a kiss on the forehead before standing and cancelling the _Muffliato_ he applied earlier. "Now for the hardest part, eh?" They reached the car just as Ginny climbed out.

"I had a little talk with Sirius and Ron, just so you know." She whispered to them.

Harry smirked and Sev's eyes widened. "Thank you, sweetheart." The teen gave her a kiss on the cheek before ducking into the backseat.

"Severus has something he wants to say to you, Sirius." Harry started.

The surprised animagus turned to the infant.

"OWY!" Sev snapped before promptly scowling and turning away.

"Sev…" Harry warned.

The infant sighed and pouted. Turning back towards Sirius, he met the man's eyes and repeated in a calmer voice, "Owy."

"Translation, 'Sorry'." He turned to the baby, "For…?"

"Kick…ooo."

"Kicking you."

"Sirius, don't you think you have something to say to Severus as well?" Remus spoke up.

"What are you talking about, Moony?" The animagus scowled.

Remus elbowed Sirius in the ribs—hard.

"Ahem!" Rubbing his chest, Sirius glanced at the baby through his fringe, "I'm…sorry as well." He grumbled.

"For…?" The werewolf pushed.

"For…calling you that…ri—ridiculous name."

"Excellent! Severus, offer the man your hand." The infant scowled but did as he was told. Remus nudged Sirius yet again, and the two former arch rivals shared the briefest of handshakes.

"Good! So I expect not to be bothered when I pull back onto the road." Waving a hand, Harry reversed the direction of Sev's car seat to face the front seat rather than the back. "And that's just in case." He strapped the child in, allowed Ginny to retake her seat, started the car, and pulled back onto the road.

* * *

**Next up, Harry has a word with Sirius and Ron regarding Severus, and Sirius does something rather...un-Sirius-like.**

**Well, I got the most REVIEWs I've ever gotten last chapter! A really big THANK YOU to all those who dropped by and let me know what you thought! It's always wonderful to know that this story is being read. :-) I always appreciate level-headed opinions so, as per usual, don't be a stranger! Let me know you're there. :-)**


	18. Clarity

"Meh po dad ah back! Meh po dad ah back! Meh po dad ah back!" Severus kept chanting it as he played with his baby snake and lion cub. "Meh po dad ah back! Peb-by! Meh po dad ah back!"

"Coo!"

"Meh po dad ah back!"

"Coo!"

"Meh po dad ah back!"

"So how long have you known, Hermione?" Ginny asked.

"Well…your quarters were the first indication. I know you, Harry. Even though Teddy's your godson, I highly doubt you'd be _that_ excessive." Harry chuckled next to her. "So I knew there was something going on there. In addition to Ginny carrying the diaper bag out the door…" Ginny chuckled, "…there was the dreamcatcher. In order for a dreamcatcher to work effectively, it has to be stationed above the bed where the protected generally sleeps. If that dreamcatcher was meant for Teddy, it would have to have been in Remus' quarters. But it wasn't. It was in yours. So I knew there was another baby involved here. The question was who was the baby? And why were the three of you avoiding us?"

"And…"

"And when we ran around the school looking for you, I stumbled across something interesting in the hospital wing."

"Let me guess…"

"Professor Snape was no longer there. I asked Madame Pomfrey what happened, of course. She said that he woke up, got well, and walked out. A bit hard to believe, that was. Professor Snape was in a coma. I would've thought Madame Pomfrey would keep him an extra week or two after waking up to make sure everything was fine. Then there was lunch and Professor Slughorn slipped up and nearly said 'Severus' after 'Harry and Ginny'. The Marauders' Map, which we used to try to find you, didn't show Professor Snape anywhere on there—not even in his quarters. _Then_ Ginny made me suspicious when she asked if there was a third person that Slughorn was supposed to be asking for. Then there's the fact that you and she kept going back and forth to the master bedroom when you finally showed up last week. And finally, the _Daily Prophet_ has been following an interesting story about a man named Aidan Elson, who allegedly invented a potion that would regress a person to infancy. I thought the concept was rather interesting and actually remember a man selling the very same potion, in lieu of the very same man, to Madame Pomfrey a few days after Victory Day. I was in the room when she bought it, you see. I remember she and I went over the pros and cons of such a potion together after the salesman left."

"You were there when Pomfrey bought the aging potion?" Ginny asked.

"I wanted to ask her if there was anything I could do to help, as well as get information on the snakebite that Professor Snape suffered, since I wanted to stock the infirmary with the anti-venom."

"So you knew we had a de-aging potion." Harry pushed her to continue.

"Yes." Hermione nodded. "I also knew exactly how many vials Madame Pomfrey bought, _and_ where she stored them on the shelves, _and_ what used to be stored there before, _and_ what said potion looked and smelled like."

"How the blazes did you know all that?!" Ron squeaked.

"She told me, Ronald!" Hermione rolled her eyes. "As we were shelving the vials, she kept saying how the de-aging potion looked and smelled exactly like the painless cyanide draught that she used to store there before. When we passed by the infirmary last week, the door to her stores was open."

"And let me guess…"

"One vial of the controversial de-aging potion was missing." Hermione smiled, looking rather proud of herself. "Coincidence? I think not!"

"Sirius, how do you get into your garage?"

"You're going to have to go around back. It'll open for you magically."

"So what were your conclusions, Mrs. Sherlock Holmes?" Tonks raised an eyebrow.

"I figured Professor Snape woke up from his coma and tried to kill himself with the painless cyanide draught, only to realize too late that what he was really consuming was a permanent de-aging potion." Harry pulled into the garage. "Dumbledore figured Harry was the only person he could trust who had the stamina to raise a child. He threw in the bigger quarters to sweeten the deal, and here we are! Plus, even if the pair of you was taking care of a baby, you wouldn't have avoided the three of us unless you thought it was absolutely necessary. Considering Snape and Sirius have a history, it was only logical that the child was Severus Snape."

Harry waved the garage door closed and shut off the engine. "Congratulations, Miss Granger, you are completely and utterly correct."

"I thought so." Hermione turned in her seat to smile at Severus. "Hello, Mr. Snape! You can call me Hermione." She offered him her hand.

Sev peered at her through wide eyes. "Mimi…Meh po dad a back!"

Harry snorted and Ginny laughed. "Come on, love, let's get you out of this." She demonstrated with Sev so that Tonks could get the gist.

"Meh po dad a back!"

"Yes, you are, sweetheart." She lifted the infant out of the car seat and gave him a kiss on the cheek as she climbed out.

"What does that mean?"

"I'll tell you later."

"Ginny!" Harry called back and lowered his voice to a whisper, "Hey, could you take Sev up to my room? He needs to take a time-out."

"Okay." She nodded.

"Twenty minutes. Just stick a chair in the corner. Or a pillow—that's even better."

"Okay. It's for kicking Sirius, right?"

"Uh-huh." As the girls went upstairs with the infants, Harry helped Ron, Sirius, and Remus out of the car. "Hey…can I talk to the pair of you alone?" He asking, pointing to Ron and Sirius.

"I'll be upstairs." Remus filled in. "Making tea…or something."

Harry thanked him and turned to the other two.

"If this is about Snape, don't bother." Ron said. "Ginny already let us have it earlier."

"Let you have it?"

"Oh, she got pissed." Sirius shuddered at the memory. "Right scary, she was. You got some balls on you, mate, being with her."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ron frowned at Sirius.

"No offense meant, Ron. No offense meant. I was just trying to say she's a strong woman, is all. A right firecracker, she reminds me of Lily."

"Not to mention a lioness protecting her cub." Harry raised an eyebrow at them.

"Yeah…" Ron scratched the back of his neck. "About that…Look, Harry…"

"Ginny was right." Sirius continued for him. "Severus and I…" He paused, unsure about what to say. "We…never made the effort to see eye-to-eye. We…never wanted to get along; never _needed_ to, actually."

"You both belonged to the Order of the Phoenix." Harry remarked.

"I know, but…" Sirius shrugged. "We both did it out of loyalty to Dumbledore. I…I don't know much about Severus, but Dumbledore I didn't…care too much about." He met Harry's eyes, "_You_, on the other hand, I care _very much_ about."

"Ginny was telling us earlier," Ron continued, "that the pair of you are starting to see…mini-Snape…as…" Ron grimaced, "…sort of like your kid."

"Trust me, Ron, once you get to know that kid, it won't be that difficult."

"I—We know—I…" Ron sighed, "Look, Harry, Ginny made it clear to us a while ago that…we care about you…and you care about him…so…"

"So if we want to keep our relationship with you, we're going to have to form one with him." Sirius finished.

"One that works." Ron added and Sirius nodded.

Harry was finding it difficult to suppress a smile. "Ginny made all this clear?"

"Oh yeah!" "Mm-hmm."

Harry snorted. "I love that woman." He murmured to himself.

"Look, I'm sorry if I offended you earlier when I called him Snivellus." Sirius grimaced.

"Padfoot, I was expecting some kind of confrontation between the two of you, especially when you found out who he was."

"They didn't disappoint." Ron smirked. Sirius elbowed him playfully.

"One called the other one Snivellus and the other one breaks his nose." Harry shook his head. "Nope, they definitely didn't disappoint."

"Speaking of which, I hope he didn't get away scot-free." Sirius scowled.

"He didn't." Harry shook his head. "Don't worry."

"So what'd you do to him?" Ron asked eagerly.

Harry rolled his eyes. "His punishment is remaining between him, me, and Ginny."

"Oh, you mean how he's sitting in a corner, upstairs in your bedroom, serving a twenty-minute time-out?" Sirius smirked, his eyes shining as he bounced on the balls of his feet.

Harry narrowed his eyes at him. "Sirius—"

"Or how you gave him that swat in the park?"

"Padfoot—"

"You swatted _Snape_, Harry? Really?!" Ron's eyes were gleaming.

"Okay, look!" He pointed an authoritative finger at them, "I want the two of you to _stop_. Now! Because you're doing it again! That baby up there," Harry pointed towards the ceiling, "is just that—a _baby_. He's a _child_, you guys! He may have Snape's memories inside him, but he's _still_…a _**child**_." Both Sirius and Ron visibly deflated. "Imagine if Teddy could understand everything everyone says. Imagine he was born understanding English. Now imagine these two guys coming in and making fun of him; laughing at everything he does; calling him names; belittling him. And Teddy can't do anything about it because he can't talk yet, walk yet, or defend himself yet. All he can do is take it." Harry eyed Sirius and then Ron in turn. "Now tell me how the hell you would feel."

Both men sighed and exchanged guilty looks.

"Alright, how about this?" Sirius started. "An agreement—no more making fun of Snape…ever."

"Are you serious, Padfoot?" Ron raised an eyebrow.

Sirius shrugged. "Ginny was right." He grimaced. "I can be rather…childish…sometimes."

"Often." Harry argued.

"Half the time."

"All the time."

"_Most_ times!" Sirius narrowed his eyes in challenge. Harry smirked and shrugged. "Anyway…maybe it's about time I start changing _some_ things about me."

"Burying the hatchet is a good place to start." Harry smiled and then looked at Ron expectantly.

The redhead grimaced and then sighed. "Fine." He grumbled. "No more making fun of Snape ever."

"And that 'ever' starts right now." Harry offered them his hand. "Agreed?"

Sirius hesitated and then took it. "Agreed."

Ron took it reluctantly. "Agreed."

"Excellent!" Harry beamed at them and patted them both on the back, leading them towards the stairs that led into the house. "So it's now…six forty-five? I can stay until seven forty-five."

"Why so early?" Ron's eyebrows furrowed.

"Got a schedule to keep." Harry replied with a smile.

"Bedtime?" Sirius raised an eyebrow.

"Snape has a bedtime?!"

"Severus, Ron." Harry corrected. "Call him Severus."

"That's going to be weird."

"Get used to it."

"So…Severus…has a bedtime." Ron looked like he just sucked a lemon.

"Eight thirty."

"Every night? Seriously?"

"He's five months old, Ron."

"Then why does Ginny get home so late sometimes?" The rounded the corner and headed into the kitchen. "I see her come in around eleven…almost midnight sometimes."

"We'd like to spend some alone time together as well, you know."

"Can't do that with a baby around." Remus remarked, pushing a pot of tea in their direction. "Not even when they're asleep sometimes." The werewolf looked a bit weary. "They'll wake up, cry…you could swear they're on a twenty-four hour clock."

"How many times did Teddy wake up last night?" Harry asked as they all took a seat.

"Four times." Remus snorted. Ron and Sirius now began to notice the bags under his eyes. "Sev?"

"Three times." Harry groaned, rubbing his forehead. "The second time was when Ginny was at the floo. You know, he's been doing that a lot lately. Ever since we got back from Godric's Hollow, it's like he suddenly developed these psychic powers. He can just _tell_ when Ginny's about to leave. That's when he picks his moment to wake up and start crying." Remus snorted and began laughing. "Seriously! Ginny didn't want to leave."

"You never know with magic and bonds and all that. Maybe it _is_ something." Remus shrugged. "Severus is developing a deep bond with each of you."

"Maybe it's because Ginny leaves every night. Do you reckon?" Harry asked Remus. "When we were at Godric's Hollow, Sev slept through the night."

"Really?" Remus sounded surprised.

"Yeah!"

"Did you all sleep in the same room?"

"The same bed. He slept in between us." Harry nodded.

"That's probably it."

Harry sighed and shrugged, making a noncommittal noise before sipping his tea.

"Blimey!" Ron murmured. "So you two don't get _any_ alone time together?"

"Yeah, we do…sort of…maybe…" Harry answered ambiguously. "It's not, like, one consistent length of time. It's broken up throughout the day. We can do adult things…when the baby is asleep."

"Problem is you never know when the baby's going to be asleep." Remus smirked and sipped his tea.

"Jeez, I am _so_ glad I don't have a kid." Sirius muttered.

"I'm with you there." Ron agreed.

"Yeah, but neither do you have a girlfriend, Padfoot." Remus pointed out.

"Yeah, those two cancel out." The men shared a laugh.

A gasp rang through the room. "Oh, there they are!" The swinging door flew open and in trooped the ladies with the two boys. Sev was clutching Ginny and sniffling.

Harry frowned. "What's wrong?"

Ginny shook her head. "Nothing. It's just carryover from the time-out." She handed Sev to Harry, and the child immediately dove towards him.

"Is that it, Sev?"

"Mo wike mime mow!" Sev pouted.

"You're not supposed to like it, cub." Harry replied, mildly amused. "It's supposed to make you _not_ like it so you don't do anything to deserve it."

Sev groaned and buried his face in Harry's shirt. "Mo wike." He yawned

"Uh-oh." Harry croaked.

"What?"

"Somebody's sleepy." He murmured in a singsong voice.

Sev immediately pushed up against Harry's chest. "Mo…!" The infant whined. Yet, despite himself, his eyes remained firmly shut and his head began to drift sideways.

A snort resounded from Harry's right, followed closely by another one. The teen shot Ron and Sirius a dirty look, but it was lost on them as they muffled their snickers with their arms. Rolling his eyes, Harry pulled Sev close and cradled him against his chest. "Of course not."

"Wam peh…Peb…by…" And with those final words, Sev began to snore softly.

Smiling down at the infant, Harry ran his fingers through his baby hair and kissed him softly on the forehead. "You peh Peb-by tomorrow." He glanced briefly at Remus, who held a curious Teddy against his chest, and the werewolf nodded with a smirk.

Sirius' and Ron's snickering died down almost immediately after Harry gave Severus that goodnight kiss. Sirius frowned. So Snivellus got himself in a bit of a predicament, that part was funny. The fact that Sirius' godson was the one helping him out, that part was not so funny. The fact that said godson was becoming increasingly attached to the greasy git, that part was _so__ not_ funny. "Harry…" He started, feeling a bit uncomfortable with the situation. "How long is this…de-aging supposed to last anyway?"

"I thought I answered that question in the car, Padfoot." Hermione replied before Harry could. "The de-aging potion is permanent. Mr. Snape will have to grow up again the old fashioned way."

"That's such a bummer." Tonks smirked.

"Not necessarily." Harry shook his head.

"Wait a second!" Sirius straightened up in his chair. "So…_you're_ going to be taking care of him…permanently?!"

"Well…yeah." Harry frowned at Sirius. "Well, I mean…no one knows that he's been de-aged yet; and when I say 'no one' I mean the Ministry of Magic; so…I'm his guardian, yes, but his _legal_ guardian, not _yet_."

"Yet." Sirius echoed.

"What are you trying to ask?"

"Wait…" Ron sat up as well, "You're going to take care of Snape—"

"Severus!"

"Sev—er—us…You're going to take care of him…forever?" Ron looked at Harry as if he'd gone bonkers. "As in…adopt him?"

"If that's something he wants."

"But, Harry, don't you think that's a bit…"

"_What_, Ron?"

"Well—" The redhead stuttered, turning to Sirius.

"Are you sure about that, Harry?" The animagus' eyebrows furrowed.

"Look…the both of you wouldn't understand. You both hate him."

"You did too!" Ron argued.

"I _did_, yes." Harry admitted. "But I _don't_ anymore."

"What _I_ don't understand is what changed?" Sirius said. "What's the difference between then and now?"

"I didn't know his life story then, Padfoot." Harry replied, meeting his godfather's eyes. "He gave me his memories. He showed me his life story and…I—I felt…" Harry paused, not knowing how to explain it, "..._kinship_ with him."

Both Ron and Sirius gaped at him. "_Kinship_?!"

"With _Snape_!"

Harry sighed and looked away. He didn't want to meet his godfather's eyes. "The Marauders bullied him all throughout his school years. They made enemies with him when they met on the Hogwarts Express. James Potter strutted around the school like he owned the place, hexing people left and right just because he felt like it. He had a group of three who followed him around everywhere he went. They had a personal vendetta against Severus Snape. They would pick on him when they pleased. He and the Marauders would get into fights whenever they ran into each other in school. Doesn't this sound _familiar_, Ron?!" Harry practically screamed at the wall.

"Malfoy and his gang." Ron murmured after a long pause, his gaze turning inward. "Against you."

"Only his story was a bit worse."

"Worse?"

"My mother." Harry sighed. "My mother grew up in the same neighborhood as Snape. It was love at first sight for him. He finally worked up the courage to make friends with her when they were about nine. He was the one who told her she was a witch." Harry began running his fingers through Sev's hair absentmindedly. "They were best friends. She defended him from the Marauders in school. But he was in Slytherin and she was in Gryffindor. His Slytherin ties tore their friendship apart. Not even the fact that they _loved each other_ could put that back together. And then one day he lost her to James Potter." Harry took a deep breath and turned back to face a pensive Sirius and Ron. "So…just like my life…only worse." He eyed each of them in turn. "_Kinship_."

Turning away, Harry poured himself a cup of tea with his free hand. "I'm not doing it out of obligation. I'm not doing it out of pity. I'm doing it because I _want_ to." He practically slammed the teapot back down on the table. "That should be enough for both of you."

Silence reigned for a few minutes after, both Sirius and Ron uncharacteristically subdued. It was soon broken, though, by the ever-diplomatic Remus, who had decided it was time for a change in topic. "So…Harry, how goes the house?"

"Oh, it's coming along. You want to tell them, sweetheart?" Harry gestured to his girlfriend.

Ginny's report was much livelier than his could ever be. She was practically bouncing in her seat when she told them of their weekend in Godric's Hollow. Tonks nearly drooled when she described the setting and the town and the peacefulness of the area, and mentioned how it was a great place to raise a family. She told them about the farmers' market and the nice people and the church and the free barbeque in the park. Ron's ears perked up at the mention of free barbeque and before long he was back in full swing, asking about what they served, how it tasted, and a myriad of other food-related questions. Hermione rolled her eyes. Ginny then continued telling them about her plans for the house and how she was working on a surprise room with Severus.

"Oh! Is the surprise for someone?" Tonks asked, her eyes gleaming. Ginny smirked and tilted her head towards Harry. "Which means you can tell _us_ about it, right?"

Ginny laughed. "I'll tell you two about it." She pointed to Tonks and Hermione. "Then you can help me and Sev build it."

"Which remind me," Harry sat up in his chair, "Do all of you want to come over this weekend? I need help rebuilding the section of the roof that was destroyed in the blast."

"Sounds good to me." Sirius replied, straightening in his chair and speaking up once again.

"I'm in."

"I want some of that free barbeque."

"You're going to have to attend services, Ronald."

"Really?" Ron looked like he had just sucked a lemon.

"No, not really. You can just come to the barbeque." Ginny replied.

"Wicked!"

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Sweetheart? What do you think?" Tonks asked her husband.

"No complaints from me."

"Then that settles it!" Sirius smiled and looked around excitedly. "We're going back to the Hollow this weekend! Or…what have you named the house, Harry?"

"The Den."

"As in 'The Lion's Den'?" Remus chuckled. "Aptly named."

"We found that cave of yours in the grove out back." Ginny remarked. "Maybe you boys can go back there this weekend and reminisce."

"I'd appreciate it." Harry added.

Both Sirius and Remus smiled at him. "Absolutely." "It'd be my pleasure."

"Harry, are you sure you have enough guest rooms for us to stay in?" Hermione asked.

"Well half of the second floor is sealed off because it has no roof. The living room is on the first floor and that has a couch, but I don't see why you can't sleep in either of the two guest rooms we have available upstairs."

"There are also three other houses you can choose to stay in."

"Yeah, but they aren't furnished yet."

"Three?" Everyone looked at Harry questioningly.

Harry sighed. "The Den forms one corner of a square of four cottages. To the muggles, there are only three houses there. To the wizarding community, there are four. Mine is the hidden one. The other three, when I first came up there, were for sale, so I bought them." He explained. "One of the houses used to belong to the Dumbledores so I offered it back to them. Albus didn't seem like he wanted it. Aberforth didn't mind having it back. So I gave the house back to him. _That_ house is furnished and everything, but I need to do some clean-up work on it before it becomes livable again." He turned to Ginny. "Sweetheart, can you remind me to ask Abe what kind of work he wants on the house?" She nodded and he turned back to the rest of the group. "The other two houses are unfurnished and require some work, but are otherwise livable. I was going to offer one of them to the pair of you, Ron and Hermione, and the other one to the pair of you, Remus, Dora." He turned to his godfather. "Padfoot, you understand, right? You already have a house."

"Yes! Oh, yeah, yeah, absolutely!" Sirius nodded vehemently. "I don't mind in the slightest."

"We could help you redesign _this_ house, Sirius." Ginny smiled charmingly at him.

"Watch out, Princess, I might just take you up on that offer." The animagus smirked.

"Wait…you're giving us," Ron gestured to himself and Hermione, "a _house_!" His eyes were as wide as saucers. "A _house_! For _FREE_?!" He turned to his girlfriend excitedly. "Blood hell, Hermione, it's a free house!"

"I don't know, Ron."

"Wow, Harry…" Remus chuckled nervously, "That's a, uh…That's a generous…offer…"

"What's wrong sweetheart?"

Harry raised a hand to try and calm them. "Of course you don't have to decide _now_. Just…come over this weekend, check them out, check out the community, think things over. I don't want to pressure you or anything."

"If you decide you don't want the house, just let us know. It's no big deal." Ginny added. "Harry will just put an ad out in the muggle newspaper for anyone who wants to rent the place."

Sirius raised an eyebrow at them. "You want to have muggle neighbors?"

"Can you imagine _me_ putting an ad out in the _Daily Prophet_ for neighbors?" Everyone chuckled at him. "Exactly."

"We'll have to talk about it." Tonks replied, unsure of Remus' reaction.

"So will we." Hermione added.

"What are you bloody talking about?!"

"Quiet, Ronald!"

"Hermione!"

"Take your time." Harry chuckled. Sev shifted against his chest and Harry was suddenly reminded about the sleeping baby. "Oh…maybe we should go now."

"Harry…" Ginny called, her eyes twinkling at her boyfriend. "You think if I go with Ron now, he'll wake up?"

As if on cue, Sev shifted again and pushed up against Harry's chest. "Mmmmmmmmewmmmmmmmmew…!" He whined, his eyes sealed shut, but his head bobbing back and forth. "Mmmmmmmewwwwmmmmmmmewwwww." With that, he began to cry.

Harry grinned at the ceiling and everyone else at the table began laughing quietly. He looked at Remus with an 'I told you so' expression. "He's psychic, I say. Psychic!"

Ginny chuckled as she came around the table, already adjusting the baby sling across her chest.

"Oh god! You're going to breastfeed him aren't you?!" Ron looked horrified and Sirius shuddered. "You're going to breastfeed Snape!"

"Severus!"

"He is a _baby_, Ron, get over it!" Ginny snapped, helping Harry put Sev into the sling. "What would you have me do? Let him starve?"

"Well…I…" The redhead turned towards Sirius, but the animagus merely shrugged and looked the other way. "No…" With a final frustrated sigh, Ron followed Sirius' example.

Harry and Ginny exchanged a look of triumph behind their backs.

The adults talked for half an hour more as Sev and later Teddy nursed and then promptly fell back to sleep. They made arrangements to meet in Harry's quarters Saturday morning and then from there they would apparate to Godric's Hollow. Harry offered to take them in their flight-abled car so that everyone may see the landscape from above. Hermione questioned the suggestion at first, but changed her mind when Harry assured her he would disillusion it before takeoff. They all soon agreed and then Harry and Ginny stood to say their goodbyes.

"Remus, Dora, you want a ride?"

"Harry, why don't we just shrink everything and then floo back to your quarters?" Ginny suggested.

"On the other hand, we can do that." Harry smirked. He excused himself, flew downstairs to the garage, shrunk their purchases, pocketed them, shrunk the car, pocketed that, and then flew back upstairs to rejoin the group.

The group said their farewells once more and the couples, with their two sleeping charges, flooed back to Hogwarts.

* * *

**Next up, the gang spends the weekend at Godric's Hollow, where Sirius grapples with old ghosts and takes unexpected leaps in the right direction.**

**Hey all! I was supposed to update yesterday, but FFN was being uncooperative. I tried all day but the Doc Manager wouldn't convert my file. Oh well...So I'm a chapter behind in posting, but it's not really by fault. ;-P Um...oh yeah! THANK YOU ALL so much for all the wonderful REVIEWs! I got the most reviews I've ever gotten for a single chapter last chapter. Yeah! So, once again, THANK YOU all SO MUCH and please don't hesitate to drop a line. I appreciate everyone's opinion, as long as we all stay level-headed and civil. Happy Reading! :-)**


	19. Ghosts

"Hermione, it is _too_ bloody early!"

"Ron, honestly, I know for a _fact_ your mother taught you to never swear in front of a lady!"

"What lady?"

SLAP!

"OW!"

A snort resounded from behind them and Ron scowled at its source. "Shut up, Padfoot! I'm too bloody tired!"

"I'm sorry, Ron, but that was too funny." Sirius replied between laughs.

"Will you two hush up!"

"Says the lady who just slapped me!"

"Oh _now_ I'm a lady, huh?"

"You know that slap was louder than I've been this entire time!"

"You know, Ron, if you keep this up, you'll never pass Stealth and Tracking during Auror training." A muffled but familiar voice remarked from beyond the bedroom door.

Ron blushed and Hermione rolled her eyes. When Sirius felt he had calmed down enough from his laughing fit, he cleared his throat and knocked on the door. "Enter!"

The animagus popped his head in to find Harry and Ginny spooned on the bed, covered by the fluffy white comforter. "Hey there, pup! We going?"

"Just give us a few minutes." Harry whispered in reply.

"Are they decent?" Ron squeaked behind Sirius.

"Tell him he can come on in. Ginny fell back to sleep once she got here." Harry relaxed against the sheets as the door opened fully.

"AH!"

"SHHH!"

"You said they were decent!" The redhead hissed at Sirius.

"They're both wearing clothes! Decent enough for ya?" Sirius argued.

"Only _you_ would think we had sex with a baby in the room, Ronald!" Ginny remarked, not bothering to open her eyes.

"You're…spooning!"

"So?!"

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" A cry emerged from the far side of the room.

"Brilliant! You've woken up Severus." Ginny threw the covers off and scowled at her brother. "I hope you're proud of yourself."

"Whatever!" Ron rolled his eyes. "Are we going or what?"

Harry sighed and threw the covers off as well.

_

* * *

_

"Merlin's beard! It's _gorgeous_!" Tonks gasped as she peered out the window for the first time. "It's so _green_! Remus, you didn't tell me it was this beautiful."

"I've never seen if from this high up, to be honest."

"Yeah…from up here, it looks like paradise, doesn't it?" Sirius added. "Hey, I bet you I can find the house first, Moony!"

"You're on!"

Harry chuckled as he steered the car around the area. It was actually Remus who found the house first, having recognized the stream that ran through the grove of trees behind the house.

Sirius pouted childishly. "When did those houses get there?! I don't remember them ever being there."

"That's because you and James were always so busy playing around back. It's a wonder you two even knew what the front of the house looked like."

Harry landed just on the outskirts of town and decided to drive back to the house in order to lull the infants back to sleep. Ginny took it upon herself to point out all the landmarks she knew as well as mention all the goings-on around town.

"That's the park where they have the free barbeque every Sunday."

"Where?!"

"Most of the town gathers here, I reckon, every Sunday just to hang out. And they're so nice, all of them. They're so welcoming. Harry played football with them last Sunday."

"Football?"

"Oh! Did you win?"

"Football?"

"My team did, yeah."

"He was brilliant."

"What's football? It sounds interesting."

"Wait a minute, is this the same football Dean fancies playing?"

"Yeah." And the majority of the ride to the house was taken up explaining the rules of the game as well as the way it has diversified across borderlines. "Hermione, I didn't peg you as a football fan."

"Well…I—I'm not." The brunette stuttered.

Harry narrowed his eyes at her and smirked. "Mm-hmm…"

"So…do you have wards around you property, Harry?" Hermione asked, quickly changing the subject.

Harry snorted and turned back towards the road. "Yeah, I set them up last weekend." He explained. "There are one set of wards around the outer edge of the property, which began when we crossed that stone bridge back there. Another set is around the four houses at Haven's Place, and that one encompasses the woods around back. Another set is just around my house in particular, which includes the garden, and that one is laced with a Fidelius Charm, which would activate at my will."

"Who's the Secret-Keeper?"

"Me." They pulled up the front of the house. "The final one is around the house itself and _that's_ laced with a second Fidelius-like Charm—one of my own design—as well as numerous other protections and spells and whatnot." He shut off the engine. "And _all of them_ are connected to me."

"Which means…?"

"Not even a _bug_ can cross my wards without my knowledge, not even a _microscopic_ one. If Voldemort himself wished to rise again—which would be impossible—and kill my family, he'd have a hell of a time trying to cross even the _first_ set of wards. _That_ set of wards is powerful enough, and they all increase in intensity as you go in."

"Damn, you're paranoid!" Sirius snickered.

"Damn straight I am." Harry snorted and jumped out of the car. He and Hermione helped Tonks and Ginny, and their sleeping charges, out before letting the guys out the back. He let everyone into the house and showed them around the second floor and to their rooms, since he had to put both Sev and Teddy to bed anyway. After some prodding, Ron and Hermione decided to share the corner guestroom, Remus, Tonks, and Teddy would take the room across the hall, and Sirius would sleep on the couch downstairs.

"Or I can sleep in my dog form in the middle of the hallway." The animagus smirked.

"Sirius, I just cleaned the carpet last weekend. I don't want dog fur everywhere!" Ginny scowled, much to Sirius' amusement.

As everyone unpacked whatever little they brought, Ginny laid Severus down on the master bed and nestled him in pillows. They decided to forego bringing Sev's crib or playpen, since Harry noticed the infant slept through the night whenever he slept in bed with them. The teenager volunteered to watch the two sleeping infants while Harry took everyone on a quick tour of the livable areas of the house.

Despite having practically lived here before, Harry noted both Sirius and Remus studied every corner of the house as if they've never been here.

"Do things seem new to you two?" Harry asked them. "I mean…you've seen this house before…everything—"

"Well, actually…" Sirius exchanged a look with Remus.

"_Everything_ sort of…seems new." The werewolf replied.

"Like the furniture…that wall." Sirius pointed to the new wall.

"Well the wall _is_ new." Harry remarked, "But the furniture is all from before."

"Oh, yeah…we know. It's just…it…_feels_…different."

"Different?" Harry's eyebrows furrowed.

"A—A good kind of different!" Remus assured him. "What Padfoot is trying to say is that the house has a different…uh…"

"Aura?"

"Yes! Thank you, darling. Everything has a different aura now. It's—"

"That's what's new." Sirius nodded.

"Exactly."

"Ah." Harry nodded. He could understand auras.

After the quick tour concluded, Ginny pulled the group aside and explained the plans she and Harry agreed on for the house. She left out her plans for the secret room, of course. She decided to only let Hermione and Tonks see those particular blueprints. She made doubly sure to emphasize to the boys just how much reinforcement was needed for the roof. When she was absolutely sure they understood just what was needed, she shooed the men out the door and locked them out of the master bedroom so that she would be able to go over her secret plans with the girls.

"Well…I guess we're not needed." Harry mumbled at the door before turning back to his companions. "Would you guys like to get straight to work on the roof or…" He eyed Sirius and Remus carefully, "…would you like to, uh…see your special cave again."

The two old friends exchanged a look and Sirius cleared his throat. "Ahem! Well, it's uh…_your_ special cave now, actually—"

"No." Harry replied before he could finish, "It's still yours. It's just as you left it and…" The teenager didn't know how to put his feelings into words. Technically, the house was his now and the cave, as it was on the property, was his as well. However, claiming it as his felt…wrong…to Harry. Sirius and Remus grew up playing in that cave along with his father. That special place was one of the few things they had left of him. He didn't want to take that away from them. "Just…I'd appreciate it if you just came over with me. I don't…really want to move anything…ever. I just…" _Want to hear stories about him. Want to feel a connection to him. Want to get to know him—good, bad, and ugly. _

"Sure, pup." Sirius nodded, eager yet reverent. "Let's go over right now, why don't we?"

"Uh…you guys go ahead." Ron cleared his throat awkwardly. "I think I'll…either check out the other three houses…or sleep. Harry, you don't mind, do you, mate?"

"No, absolutely not! The wards around each of them should recognize you. Just touch the handle and they'll all open."

"Got it."

"Shall we?" Remus gestured towards the staircase.

The walk to the cave was made in silence, each man lost in his thoughts. Once they reached the cave opening, it was Sirius who stepped up first. "My god…" He approached the cave very much like Harry approached his parents' graves last weekend—awed and reverent; this was sacred ground for him. The only sounds that filled the air were the babbling of the brook and the crunch of dried leaves as Sirius made his way inside.

Sirius could feel a large lump forming in his throat. It was getting harder and harder to swallow. The walk over here had brought back so many ghosts from his past. Squeals of laughter echoed in his ears as they passed a familiar tree. _"Come along, Sirius! It's not much farther. You're going to like it, I promise!"_ The animagus could swear he saw, from the corner of his eye, two blurs of light rush by him—one with messy black hair and the other with curly brown locks. He blinked and the blurs had vanished. The moment the sight of the brook reached his eyes, he saw the ghosts of two boys splashing each other from opposite banks. He blinked and they too were gone. Then there was the cave.

"Oh, Prongs…" Sirius breathed, taking in the state of their secret hideout. The sleeping bags were just as they left them all those years ago. The Gryffindor colors were still there, his posters still decorated the walls, and the candy and junk food still littered the ground—just as they left it. "How long's it been, you reckon, Moony?" Sirius croaked. He sounded on the verge of tears.

"Over twenty years, Padfoot." Remus replied, his voice just as soft and deferential. He picked up an empty chocolate frog box from one of the sleeping bags and smiled at it before taking a seat on the bag itself.

"Has it really been that long?" Sirius whispered, fingering a photo of him, Remus, and James taken in this very cave that one of them stuck onto the wall.

"Summer before seventh year—that was the last time we were all here together." Remus watched as Sirius sighed and took a seat on his own old sleeping bag and leaned back against the wall, his eyes shut.

"Lily never came here?"

"Never got the chance to, I don't think." Remus shook his head sadly. "Everything just happened too quickly after we graduated. I don't think James ever got the chance to take her here."

The age lines around Sirius' face really began showing then, and when he spoke his voice sounded weary. "It's a shame. She'd have loved this place."

A rustling noise from the direction of James' old sleeping bag had Sirius jerking his eyes open and looking towards its source. For a moment, he thought he saw James sitting there, just like he used to—with his back against the wall, one leg stretched out, the other bent at the knee, and a cocky smirk plastered onto his face. His glasses were askew, but his eyes were twinkling as he smiled at Sirius. _"What's on your mind, Padfoot?"_

_Prongs?_ Sirius' breath hitched in his throat and his eyes watered so quickly he had to shut them before any tears began to fall.

"Sirius?" The voice repeated in concern. Yet now it sounded a little different. When the animagus opened his eyes once again, James' chocolate browns were replaced with Lily's emeralds. It had been Harry he had been looking at. Harry, not James.

_Damn it! What is wrong with me?!_ Sirius cleared his throat and quickly swiped at his eyes. "Sorry, pup…" He took a deep breath to try to calm his emotions. "I guess coming here was harder than I thou—" His voice cracked at the last word and he quickly cleared his throat several more times.

"Sirius, it's okay to let it out, you know?"

"I know. I know." His godfather nodded, waving him off.

"Why don't you both tell me about him?" Harry suggested, hugging his knee to his chest. "I'd love to hear about him. Both of them, really. Anything at all."

"Are you sure you still want to hear about it?" Remus asked, giving Harry a bemused smile. "I mean…knowing what we did to Severus and all?"

"What you did to Sev you did when you were…" Harry cocked his head one way and then the other, internally debating which word he should use, "…stupid."

Sirius' eyes shot open and he stared at Harry for a second before turning to Remus. "Wow, he doesn't beat around the bush, does he?"

"I don't consider youth an excuse." Harry smirked.

"He's harsh."

"He's right." Remus raised an eyebrow at the animagus.

"I still can't believe he was in love with Lily."

"The feeling was entirely mutual." Harry interjected.

"How do you _know_, Harry?"

"_Trust me_, Sirius. I _do_!" His godson's tone of voice made it abundantly clear to both men that _that_ particular line of conversation was closed.

The animagus' shoulders sagged and he sighed. "Look…if it's any consolation, I…don't particularly feel proud of that point in my life."

"Nor do I." Remus added.

"Nor would your father had he been here." Sirius threw in.

"Well I'm not particularly proud of any of you either." Harry replied, "_But_…it was one choice out of…so many more." His gaze moved from one to the other and back. "It was one story out of…a lot of others. I mean…just because I helped Fred and George with a few pranks doesn't mean I'm a prankster and I love pranking. My mom fell in love with my dad, and if I'm anything like her, and you two tell me I am, then I know she fell in love with him for a reason. He was second tier to Severus Snape, true, but there has to be a reason for that."

Sirius snorted. "James would be rolling in his grave if he found out he was only second tier."

"Who did she fall in love with? I want to get to know _him_—good, bad, and ugly."

Sirius snickered. "Well your father was certainly all three."

"Padfoot!"

"Except for the ugly part. I have it on semi-good authority that he was rather dashing. Of course, that's second to _me_."

"You sound like Gilderoy Lockhart."

"I'm kidding, Moony!" The two friends laughed at each other and Harry laughed at their antics.

"There's more to a person than what they did as a teenager." Harry gestured towards the both of them. "You both turned out okay. Now I want to know about my dad."

The two old friends exchanged wistful smiles.

"To be honest with you," Remus started, "because I know Sirius isn't going to say it, you had us down pat back in Grimmauld Place on Wednesday. James was very much like Draco Malfoy and we were very much like his gang." The werewolf grimaced. "Each of us had our reasons for hanging out with him."

"But your father had some redeeming qualities too!" Sirius threw in. "Did you know it was his idea to become animagi in order to keep Remus company whenever he transformed?"

"It was a stupid idea! I believe that's one of the things Harry meant when he said 'stupid'." Remus scowled at his friend.

"It was selfless, Moony!" Sirius argued. "And we all know James had that in spades when he wanted to."

"It was not _entirely_ selfless, Sirius."

"Maybe not, but I didn't see you protesting so readily at the time."

"I was 'stupid' at the time, remember?"

Sirius rolled his eyes and turned back to his godson. "Regardless of how we all acted at school, _here_ it was entirely different."

Remus nodded in agreement. "Yeah, _here_ your grandpa wouldn't stand for James having an attitude."

"Or any of us for that matter." Sirius smirked.

"Here, James wasn't the king of the school. He didn't strut around. He didn't hex people. Here, James was James, not James-the-showoff, just _James_—the man your mother fell in love with."

"This was our haven, Harry." Sirius smiled at his godson but Harry could see he was a thousand miles away. "Our Haven Place."

"The road was aptly named." Remus chuckled. "This home, this cave, this town, this whole _place_ houses some of the best memories of our lives."

Harry smiled and leaned forward, eyeing each of them intently. "Tell me about them."

And they did. There were too many stories to tell, of course, so the two old friends merely stuck to the more memorable ones. They spent a good hour and a half in that cave, telling Harry one story after another. The teenager heard tales of how his father and his two best friends used to camp out in the woods during those warm summer nights, telling each other ghost stories around a magical campfire. When the weather was clear, and the stars were out, they would sometimes sleep in the fields making up stories about the different constellations. Sirius told Harry about how James was a model member of the wizarding community here at Godric's Hollow. He was always helping out his mother's friends with errands here and there.

"To be honest, Harry, seeing James while he was here and seeing James while he was at Hogwarts almost makes you feel like they were two different people." The animagus explained. "I think his Hogwarts personality was something he developed when he left home because he could; and then it kind of stuck throughout the years, becoming a reputation he always wanted to maintain."

"That was until he became serious about your mother." Remus added.

"Exactly! James allowed your mother and no one else to deflate his ego to a manageable size." Sirius chuckled. "He really loved her."

By the time Ginny found them in the cave, Harry felt like he had a more complete picture of his father—good side and bad—and what he realized was that James Potter was nothing more than a regular man. He was not perfect. He was not an angel. He was not a bad guy, either, though. He had his good traits and his bad. He did things he eventually regretted, but worked to atone for his sins. He had some dark moments as well as some shining ones. He made his mistakes and then learned from them. He was a regular, flawed human being—just like Harry. The realization brought a smile to the teenager's face.

"Yoohoo! Excuse me!" A beautiful voice sang from just beyond the cave entrance.

"Merlin's beard! This place is just magnificent!" Another familiar voice exclaimed from beside the first.

"I know. Isn't it?"

All three men grinned.

"Harry?"

"Come on in, sweetheart." Harry replied.

"Remus? Are you in there, love?"

"Yes, I'm in here too."

Ginny ducked inside the entrance and her eyes immediately found Harry's. "Look who decided to wake up and look for you." She nudged the infant in her arms. Severus pushed up against her chest and rubbed his eyes with a little fist, yawning.

The moment he saw Harry, his eyes lit up. "A ba!" And he dove towards the teenager.

"WHOA!"

"WHOA!"

"Hey!"

Ginny caught the infant before he could fall, but both Harry and Sirius were on their feet in an instant, reaching out to try to catch the baby.

"Ah. Ah. Ahhhhhhhh!" Severus began crying when he realized he was still in Ginny's arms.

"Easy there, cub. Hold on!" Harry took the infant in his arms and both Ginny and Sirius helped support his back while Harry adjusted his hold. "He's fine." He nodded at Ginny and then his godfather. "Thanks, Padfoot."

"Yeah." The animagus nodded and then turned back to Remus. The werewolf was smirking at him. Sirius frowned, "What?!"

"Nothing!" Remus turned away quickly and focused on Tonks and Teddy.

"What are you laughing at?"

"I'm not laughing at anything."

"You're laughing at something."

"No, I'm not."

"Wow! This place is pretty! Was this your secret hideout, sweetheart?"

"It sure was."

"Sirius? Remus? Would you two mind terribly if we cleaned up the half-eaten chocolate bars, at least?" Ginny asked.

"Oh no!"  
"Absolutely!"  
"Go right ahead."  
"Be our guest."  
"In fact, we'll help."

With Remus conjuring a trash bag, Sirius waved his wand and all the half-eaten food was swept up and quickly cleaned away.

"Thank you! The rest can definitely stay where they are."

"Much obliged, madam." Sirius mock-bowed to a grinning Ginny before sweeping his arm out in a 'ladies first' gesture.

The group trekked back to the house, but decided to forego the back door and took the side gate to reach the front yard. Tonks expressed an interest in touring the house Harry was offering them, so the group met up with Ron and Hermione in front of Harry's house and the teenager took them on a tour of the houses next door and across the way.

"These two houses are unfurnished. However, that house in the corner _is_ furnished, but I'm giving that back to Aberforth Dumbledore, as that used to be his family's house when they lived here almost a century ago."

"Dumbledore?" Sirius raised his eyebrows. "As in—"

"Albus' brother." Harry nodded. "He's the owner of the Hog's Head. When I offered to give the house back to him, he accepted."

"Albus didn't?" Remus sounded intrigued.

"Too many bad memories. Although…I really think it should be Aberforth who should be complaining, but he wants the house _back_, so…"

"What sort of bad memories?"

"That's between me and Dumbledore." Harry waved his hand and opened the door to the house across from his and next to Dumbledore's. "If he wants to tell you, he will. It's not my story to tell. Suffice to say, I am not letting anyone in that house until I go through it with a fine tooth comb and get rid of anything…not supposed to be there."

"Harry, you shouldn't have said that. You made Sirius curious."

"I'm not the only one who's curious now. Am I, Moony?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

Harry snorted and led the group through both empty houses. It was going to be up to each of the couples to choose their desired house, _if_ they wanted a house. Ginny was subtly pushing both couples in the right direction by pointing out the features of each dwelling and listing their advantages. In addition to that, she listed the advantages of living in Godric's Hollow in general. Sirius joined in the effort as well by nagging both Remus and Hermione to accept the offer. He could already tell Ron and Tonks both wanted to say yes. Harry called a halt to the tour when he noticed Remus' face contort in annoyance.

"Come on, Padfoot. Let's let them decide for themselves, eh?" After making sure Severus was secure in his arms, Harry put an arm around his godfather's shoulders and steered him towards the door. "How about we tackle that roof now? What do you say?" Remus threw the teenager a grateful look and went to help his wife with Teddy.

It didn't take Ginny much effort to convince the girls to come with her to the farmer's market while the guys fixed the roof. What _did_ take much effort, however, was convincing Severus to come with them as well.

"Haweh!"

"Come on, cub. There won't be much to see here. We'll be working on the roof the entire time. You'll get bored."

"Fff-pay hehw!"—'S-T-A-Y'

"You won't even be able to go around in your walker. We'll be on the second floor the whole time."

"Fff-pay!"—'S-T-A-Y'

"Come on, love, we'll take you in the buggy!"

"Haweh!" Sev hugged Harry around the neck and buried his face in his shoulder.

"You'll be riding right next to Teddy. Don't you want to play with Teddy?"

"HAWEH!"

"Severus—"

"HAWEH!!!" Severus screamed at the top of his lungs and then began to cry on the teenager's shoulder.

"Clingy little runt, isn't he?"

SLAP!

"OW!" Sirius rubbed his stinging shoulder vigorously as he shot Ginny an indignant look. "I was only joking!"

"Not funny!" The teenage girl sent Sirius a glare that made the animagus cringe.

A snort resounded from behind and Sirius scowled at its source. "Shut up, Moony!" That only made the werewolf and his wife laugh all the harder.

Ginny snuck up behind Harry and encircled his waist from behind. "Come on, love…" She breathed gently in his ear—and thus Severus'—making sure to infuse her voice with just a bit of white magic. Sev immediately began to calm down. "Come on…Don't you want to start working on your room? Sev's room? I thought you were excited about it, sweet?"

"Hey! How 'bout that? Designing your own room! You feel up to it, cub?"

The crying ceased entirely and Sev lifted his head slightly off of Harry's shoulder to peek up at Ginny. "Woom?"

"Exactly!" Ginny gave him a gentle smile. "We just have to go out for a few hours, let the boys clean up this mess, build a roof…then we can start working on your room." She winked at him.

"Ah! Wawawawawawooooo!" Another tiny voice squealed from the other side of the room.

"Teddy wants you to come with us, Severus." Tonks laughed, bouncing a jolly Teddy in her arms.

Harry grinned at his godson. "There! Teddy's excited about going. You could point out all the nice vendors to him."

Sev immediately pushed up off his chest at the suggestion. "Peb-by?"

"Four hours, tops. After that, the room's yours."

"Fama-maka!" Sev dove towards Ginny.

"Whoa! There we go!" Harry chuckled.

_

* * *

_

After the ladies and the infants departed, Harry led Sirius, Remus, and Ron past the false wall and to the damaged part of the house for the first time. As before, in the cave, Sirius was the first to visibly react to the destruction.

"Oh my god…" He breathed, seemingly frozen to the spot. His eyes roamed about the area, taking in the burnt and decaying debris, the rotting leaves and tree branches, and the weather-beaten baby toys scattered about. Then just as suddenly as he froze, he moved, speed-walking to the nursery and pausing in the middle of the room to look around.

"Padfoot?" Remus questioned cautiously from the doorway.

"Sirius, are you alright?" Harry eyed his godfather in concern. He was a bit taken aback when those two dark eyes immediately snapped to meet his, and even more shocked when he realized they were glistening with unshed tears.

"I—I…" Sirius quickly turned away, diverting his eyes towards the remnants of a wall beside Harry. He took a deep breath. Then another. Then another. Then finally he swallowed and turned back to his godson with a look of uncertainty. "The last time I was here…the place was in flames…and I was holding you…and I didn't know what to do—" He choked on his last words and spun away, wiping away his rebellious tears with his sleeve.

Harry took a deep breath and approached his godfather as one would approach a beaten puppy. "Sirius—"

"Just give me a minute, pup."

With a wave of a hand, Harry summoned a chair from the dining room and faced it towards the panoramic view of the landscape. After helping his godfather take a seat, he summoned a chair for himself and sat beside him. Together, godfather and godson sat, admiring the view of the landscape, as the former worked on drying the errant tears that managed to escape his tight defenses. "That's why I want to rebuild this place, you know." Harry began, laying a comforting hand on Sirius' shoulder and squeezing gently. "This place reminds me the most of my parents." He eyed the view before them. "This town as well. I'm sure for you it's been doing that and more, hasn't it?"

"A bit." The animagus' voice was still a little raspy.

"But the _one_ thing I couldn't get over," the teen continued, "was the fact that this place was a _ruin_! The place was in _shambles_ when I came here a few months ago. There, of course, was this mess." He gestured around them. "Then the windows were broken, you had doors falling off their hinges, there were weeds growing all over the yards. If this was meant to be some sort of memorial, they did a piss-poor job of making it seem that way, didn't they?" His godfather snorted despite himself. "A plaque. That's it?! 'It was preserved in its ruined state as monument to the Potters and as a reminder of the violence that tore apart their family'. Bullocks! People were probably too afraid to clean up the mess. And why would you need a reminder of _violence_?! This is not a monument to my parents! It's a reminder that they're dead!" Harry scowled and Sirius' head snapped towards him as he realized his godson was right.

"_That's_ why we need to rebuild this house." The teenager whispered, his eyes shining with excitement. "We need _good_ reminders of Lily and James; not bad ones! Eh?"

"I agree." Sirius smiled at his godson.

"Come on, Padfoot," Harry stood up and offered the older man a hand, "Let's turn this piss-poor monument of my parents' deaths into something that celebrates their lives instead."

Sirius chuckled and took the hand, hooking an arm around the back of Harry's neck once he stood up. "You know, pup, you remind me so much of your parents sometimes, it's scary."

"I take that as, ugh…a compliment." Harry grumbled good-naturedly, trying to escape Sirius' hold.

"Nope! Not letting go." The animagus taunted.

"Padfoot—OOF!"

Sirius pulled Harry into a rib-crushing hug and gave him a discreet kiss on top of the head. "I love you, Harry. You know that, right?"

"I love you too, Sirius." The teenager whispered in return.

With a final squeeze, Sirius released his godson, but not before ruffling his hair playfully. "So…Ron! Moony!" He called to the two men who had retreated to the 'room' across the hall to give them some privacy. "Are we going to raise their roof or what?"

"Is the mushy stuff done with?" Ron grimaced.

"Yeah, yeah. The mushy stuff's done with." Harry chuckled, smoothing down his hair.

Neither Sirius, nor Remus, nor Ron had any experience with construction spells so Harry had to walk them through the entire process, which took the better part of half an hour. The complexity of it kept tripping up both Ron and Sirius. Remus, as usual, was a quick-study. Once everyone became familiar with the process, Moony suggested the first step should be to clear the ground of debris. Harry agreed whole-heartedly and the four set off tearing down the remaining walls and doorways and making sure that none of the furniture was bolted down. When everything was finally loose, Harry banished every sliver of wood and chip of rock down to the backyard with the flick of a wrist. When everything was through, the four men stood on an expanse of bare floor that stretched from the false wall to the edge of the house.

"I think you should put a cushioning charm at the bottom, Harry." Ron suggested, eyeing the edges of the platform uneasily. "Um…just in case one of us falls off or something."

"Why should one of us fall off?" Sirius smirked.

"Don't worry, Ron. I already put a cushioning charm around the edges." Remus assured the redhead.

"Oh, Moony! You take the fun out of everything." Sirius smirked, shoving Ron ever so lightly.

"It's not a joke, Padfoot!" The teenager snarled at the animagus.

"Calm down, Ron."

"Why don't we set about building the walls next? What say you?" Harry asked, totally ignoring the exchange.

"I agree. I'll take this side." Remus stated, heading to the spot where one of the longer walls should be.

"Right. I'll take this one. And Sirius? Ron? You both can take the short wall, okay?" Harry pointed to the side of the house.

Both Sirius and Ron looked affronted. "We're not invalids, Harry."

"Yeah!"

"Did I say you were? I just noticed that it takes the pair of you longer to make a wall than it takes Remus or me. So I figure if you two make that wall at your own pace it'll be done by the time we are."

Sirius scoffed. Ron rolled his eyes. Remus snorted. Then they all turned their backs on him.

"What?!"

Harry was indeed right. By the time he and Remus were done making their walls forty-five minutes later, Ron and Sirius finished with theirs. The teenager threw them a smug look and they both shoved him back into Remus. Harry rolled his eyes.

"Harry…" Sirius called, looking around curiously, "…perhaps you should have taken some pictures of the area first, or—"

"We did." Harry nodded. "I took extensive photographs with both a magical and a muggle camera when I first came back here a month ago. In fact, I've been detailing the evolution of this house from being a wreck to…well, being a house again. Ginny, as well, took quite a few pictures when she came here last week."

"I reckon she took quite a few more than quite a few." Ron murmured. "Knowing Ginny."

Harry snorted and directed them back to the task at hand. Working together, the boys managed to rebuild the missing half of the roof, as well as the missing walls, in just about two and a half hours. They had a few issues getting started—mainly due to Sirius and Ron—but once they all fell into a rhythm, they worked quickly and efficiently. By the time they were done, the master bath and Harry's old nursery, as well as the two rooms across the hall, were whole and habitable once again. Harry reminded them that Ginny was working on a project for the attic so the walls needed to be super reinforced. The teenager instructed the rest of them on reinforcement procedures and, working together, the men were able to finish everything in a little over an hour. The minute Harry collapsed the false wall, opening the entire second floor for the first time in seventeen years, the sound of a slamming door echoed up the stairs.

"Looks like we finished just in time." Remus remarked as he leaned against the new window at the end of the hall.

"Boys? We're home!" Tonks sang from the first floor landing.

"HAWEH!"

"AH! AH! AH! AH! Haaaaa…" Childish giggles echoed up the stairs, followed shortly by the sound of footsteps.

"Hawehhhhhhhhh!"

"Was that singing?" Sirius snorted. Remus shoved him lightly on the shoulder.

"We're up here ladies."

A shock of pink hair preceded a gasp of surprise. "Merlin's beard! Look at that!" The footsteps double timed the rest of the way up and before long all three ladies and two babies stood at the end of the hallway, gaping in astonishment.

"It's so big!"

"It's gorgeous!"

"Wow, you boys were certainly busy."

"HAWEH! Babooooooo…" Sev bounced in Ginny's arms and waved at Harry. The bright yellow happy face balloon, attached to his wrist, bobbed along with his hand. "BABOOOOO!!!"

Harry grinned at the infant. "You got a balloon?!"

"UH-HUH!" Sev kept bouncing his balloon but began reaching for Harry. "Up! BABOOOOM! UP!"

The teenager chuckled and took the baby in his arms, discreetly planting a kiss on his forehead as he adjusted him. "How'd you get the balloon?"

"Baboooooom." Sev grinned up at the yellow smiley face and continued to jerk it up and down.

"Oh my word! Look at all this. It's absolutely amazing!" The ladies went through each of the four rooms and raved about the craftsmanship. As Ron basked in Hermione's praises and Remus answered the million and a half questions Tonks was asking him, Harry took Sev into his newly-built bedroom.

"Look, baby boy," he murmured softly, "this is your room."

Sev looked down from his balloon to study the space around him. The room was a fairly decent size; a little bit smaller than the master bedroom, yet a little bit larger than the room across the hall, Sev noted with satisfaction. The setting sun shone in through the new windows and made the alabaster walls and the hardwood floor glow in its light.

"You've got an amazing view." Harry walked over to one of the windows. "You can see the green fields and the forest and the town. It's absolutely beautiful down here, don't you think."

A breeze blew in through the open window and drifted through Sev's baby hair, making the infant sit up and gasp. "Whaaaaaayyyy!" He grinned toothlessly at Harry.

"White?" The teenager's eyes twinkled with delight.

"Whaaaaaaayyyy!" Sev began bouncing up and down excitedly.

A grin was beginning to spread across Harry's face. "You feel it, don't you?"

"Wiwi…" Sev stopped moving, closed his eyes, and grinned up at the ceiling. The cool breeze blew in through the open window once more and wrapped itself around the man and boy. "Wiwi…"

"There she is…" Harry whispered into Sev's ear.

"Wiwi…"

"You feel her, don't you, cub?"

_Feel_ her? Severus could more than _feel_ her. Severus could see her, could _smell_ her! Lily was right here—in this room—and she felt so _alive_! The feel of his beloved's magic all around him made Sev's body tingle all over with the sensation of white magic.

He felt Harry give him a kiss on the forehead. "You're doing it, cub! All by yourself. I'm really proud of you, Sev." A wave of pure joy rushed through Severus at Harry's words. Someone was proud of him. _Proud_…of _him_! The grin on the infant's face grew even bigger.

As Sev basked in the glow of Lily's lingering magic, Harry made sure to pull his magical presence back so as to not disturb the infant in his exploration of his newfound magical abilities. A flash of movement caught the teenager's eye and Harry turned to find his godfather leaning against the doorframe. For the first time since everything came out, Sirius did not look at the pair of them with a smirk or a frown or a scowl or a grimace. Instead, the animagus stared at them now with an expression that Harry could only define as wistful.

"How long have you been standing there?" The teen murmured, knowing his godfather could hear him perfectly.

Sirius didn't reply for a long moment, and Harry began to question whether his godfather was actually here or a thousand miles away. Then, as if speaking through a lump in his throat, the animagus replied in a raspy voice, "Whole time."

Harry's eyebrows furrowed in concern. "Padfoot?"

Sirius waved him off. "It's just you…standing there…" The animagus ran a hand through his frizzy hair as he inhaled rather sharply. "For a minute there, I thought I was looking at your father…" Severus shifted in Harry's arms, and Sirius' attention turned to infant, "…or your grandfather…" Baby Snape was still turned away from him, but he now rested comfortably against Harry's chest, as opposed to his rather rigid stance just moments before. Sirius watched as his former arch-rival stuck his thumb in his mouth and shifted to find an even more comfortable position in Harry's arms. Somewhere in the childish corners of Sirius' mind, he registered the pangs of envy that were beginning to make themselves known. Those childish emotions were muted, however, overshadowed by the arguments of his more reasonable adult mind. "He doesn't know how lucky he is." He murmured, continuing to study the child in Harry's arms. "Not yet. But I hope to Merlin he realizes it soon."

Sirius looked up to meet his godson's eyes. "I'd have given anything."

Harry knew what he meant. Sirius would've given anything to have a father like him. He'd have given anything to have a mother like Ginny. He'd have given anything to be loved by a family. Sirius would've given anything to be in Severus' position right now.

"You got it eventually, Padfoot." Harry reasoned. "And you still have it to this day." The teen gestured towards the infant. "Sev _never_ got it."

Sirius' eyes dropped down to briefly study the infant once more. "I know." He murmured. A comfortable silence settled around them for a moment as Sirius was once again lost in thought. Then, all of a sudden, godfather and godson locked eyes. "But he's got it now…And if I have anything to say about it, he'll have it for the rest of his life."

Harry's eyes widened in surprise and a smile began tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Run that by me again, Padfoot?"

Sirius rolled his eyes and pushed off the doorframe. "Just take care of your cub, pup!" He replied over his shoulder.

"You realized you're mixing two different species of canine!" Harry called back, a grin lighting his face.

"Whatever!"

"Translation: 'Welcome to the pack, Severus!'"

The oblivious infant looked up at him curiously. "Uh?"

"Never mind." The teenager smiled. "So…where did you get the balloon?"

"Baboooooom!"

* * *

**Ah, so Sirius is definitely coming around. Now...what about Severus?**

Next up, breakthrough! Well...sort of. Padfoot and the cub come to an...understanding of sorts.

**Once again, I would like to THANK everyone who left a REVIEW and those who ADDed as well. You have my unending gratitude. :-) As always, don't hesitate to keep it up. To all my regular reviewers, you are the greatest people on earth! :-)**


	20. Padfoot and the Pup's Cub

_CLANG! CLANK! BANG! CLANK! CLANG! _"Oh my god! I am _so_ sorry, Ginny!"

"No, no, let me—"

_BANG! CLANK! CLANK! SPLAT!_ "That was an accident! Shoot!"

"Tonks—"

_CLANG! CLANG! BANG! _

Sev giggled and bounced in his walker.

Sirius, Remus, and Ron were all collapsed on the sofa, while Harry had taken over one of the leather easy chairs. Before the banging started, all four men were resting with their eyes closed, but now each of them were wide awake, albeit none of them had moved a muscle. They had all now gotten to know Tonks to the point where loud crashing noises in her vicinity no longer startled them.

"Boom, boom, boom!" Sev laughed and bounced. "Boom, boom, boom!"

"Boom, boom, boom…" Harry echoed wearily. Summoning a bib from the bedroom with a wave of a hand, Harry loosely tied it around the infant's neck before wiping up the spilt drool.

_CLANG! CLANK! CLANG! CLANG! BANG! _"Sorry…"

Sev squealed and bounced some more. "Boom, boom, boom!" He then sped towards the backdoor.

Harry rubbed a hand across his eyes. "Boom, boom—Hey! Where are you going, young man?!" He called, realizing which direction Sev was running. The baby acted like he didn't hear him. "Severus, stop!" The thundering of the walker's wheels suddenly ground to a halt. "The backyard's off-limits for now, cub. All the junk that used to be upstairs ended up down there and I don't want anyone near there until everything's clear."

"Back-back! Back-back!" Severus whined. He wanted to go outside!

"You were just outside for most of the day. Aren't you tired of outside?"

"Back-back! Back-back!"

"I said 'No'." Harry replied, sitting up straight and adding a stern note to his tone.

Sev immediately began to pout. "Back-back?" He looked at the back door sadly. When he glanced towards Harry, though, he noted with some frustration that the stern look didn't waver. "Back-back?" He threw in a dose of puppy-dog eyes.

"Are you going to make me repeat myself?"

_BANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANK! CLANK! SPLAT!_ "Dora, for Merlin's sake!"

"Boom, boom, boom!" Sev squealed in delight and took off towards the dining room door, presumably heading towards the kitchen.

Harry sighed and collapsed back against the leather cushion, burying a face in a hand.

"Well…if anything, his sense of humor has definitely improved." Ron commented, still not having moved from his position.

"I agree." Sirius murmured.

_BANG! SPLAT!_ "Bugger!"

"Dora!"

Childish squeals of laughter emanated from the kitchen.

"It's not _that_ funny, Severus!"

With a sigh of frustration, Harry sat up in his chair once again. The three other men remained as still as statues, but watched him from the corners of their eyes as the teenager waved a hand and a peach-colored rose came flying in through an open window. "Sev, could you come in here for a second, please?" Once again, the thunder of wheels filled the air before the swinging door burst open and a baby in a blue walker came barreling through.

"Uh-huh?"

Harry handed him the thornless rose and whispered something in his ear. The baby giggled, nodded, and barreled right back through the same door before it even stopped swinging from the last impact. All three couch men eyed Harry curiously.

"What?"

Giggles, high-pitched female laughter and cooing suddenly emanated from the kitchen, making Remus, Ron, and Sirius increase the intensity of their looks.

Still, the teenager chose to play the innocence card. "What?!" He shrugged.

"What was that, pup?" Sirius raised a curious eyebrow.

Harry stood up and ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know what you're talking about." Turning his back on them, Harry pushed open the swinging door and was gone.

Sirius, Remus, and Ron—all still slumped on the sofa—turned their heads and exchanged looks of perplexity with each other. All of a sudden, what sounded like an oldies song began blaring through the wall.

_A boy went back to Napoli  
Because he missed the scenery  
The native dances and the charming songs  
But wait a minute! Something's wrong! Cause…now…it's…_

Tonks and Hermione burst into the living room via the swinging door.

_Hey, mambo! Mambo italiano!  
Hey, mambo! Mambo italiano  
Go, go, go you mixed up sicialiano  
All you calabraise-a do the mambo like a crazy with a…_

"What's wrong?" Remus questioned. All three men suddenly sat up on the sofa.

_Hey mambo, don't wanna tarantella  
Hey mambo, no more a mozzarella  
Hey mambo! Mambo italiano!  
Try an enchilada with da fish a bac a lab and then a…_

"Nothing." Tonks smirked. "We just felt like…we weren't really needed anymore."

"Bloody hell." Sirius stood up and marched towards the swinging door. "Now I'm curious."

_Hey goombah, I love a how you dance a rhumbah  
But take a some advice paisano  
Learn how to mambo  
If you gonna be a square  
You ain't a gonna go nowhere…_

"Sirius, no!" Hermione hissed.

Remus merely picked up Teddy and followed Ron and Sirius to the dining room. He noted with some amusement that the girls 'begrudgingly' followed him in as well.

Sirius was parked next to the swinging door, peering in through the infinitesimal crack. "Psst! Severus!" The animagus hissed as quietly as he could. "Back up just a little bit. Yeah…lean against the door. Just a tiny bit."

A corner of Sev's blue walker came into view and the kitchen door was propped open enough for all five of them (and the baby) to peer through.

_Hey mambo! mambo italiano!  
Hey mambo! mambo italiano!  
Go, go, Joe, shake like a Giovanno  
Hello kess-a-deetch-a you getta happy in the feets a  
When you mambo italiano!_

Harry and Ginny were doing the mambo right in the middle of the busy kitchen! He had a cooking spoon in one hand and Ginny's hand in the other. She wore the peach rose on her ear, held a small wooden bowl in one hand, and was waving her wand with the other. All around them, dinner was making itself as they danced. Salad was being tossed on the counter as Harry whirled her around. The ingredients were being chopped as Ginny swayed and shimmied. The soup was being stirred, the dishes were being washed, and the pudding was being mixed all the while Harry was swinging Ginny around, encircling her in his arms, laying his chin on her shoulder, and singing into her ear as they swayed to the music.

_And a hey ja drool you don't a have to go to school  
Just make-a wid da beat bambino  
It's a like a vino  
Kid you good a lookin' but you don't a-know what's cookin' till you…_

With another wave of her wand, Ginny had the final ingredients added to dinner before ordering everything to either present themselves on the kitchen island or pile themselves in the sink.

_Hey mambo, Mambo italiano  
Hey mambo, Mambo italiano  
Ho, ho, ho, you mixed up Siciliano  
Hello kess-a-deetch-a you getta happy in the feets a  
When you mambo italiano!_

Harry dipped Ginny like a pro and gave her a long, sweet kiss.

"Oh my god! Why don't _you_ ever do that for me, Ronald!" Hermione cuffed her boyfriend lightly on the arm.

"You're not that romantic!" The redhead scoffed. "Are you?"

"Shhh!" Tonks hissed. "They're saying something."

"We should go call them for dinner." They heard Harry say. "Knowing how tired those three are, it'll take them forever to get off the couch."

Several things happened all at once. Harry and Ginny began turning towards the swinging door, Severus moved his walker to close said door, and the five overly-curious adults began hushing themselves and frantically shooed each other back into the living room. Tonks took Teddy from Remus and sat down on Harry's easy chair. Hermione took the leather easy chair next to it.

When the three men settled on the couch, they realized they had sat themselves in the wrong order. Getting up, they reordered themselves only to realize they had once again sat in the wrong order.

"Guys!" Harry's voice was coming closer.

"Quick!" Tonks hissed.

Ron jumped over Sirius' lap to fix their ordering and accidentally crushed a rather sensitive part of his male anatomy, making the animagus squeal under his breath. Tonks burst out laughing just as the three men resumed their previous positions and the swinging door flew open. "Hey guys, dinner's ready!"

Sirius let out a strangled cough and then a growl.

Ron blushed.

Remus began chuckling at the ceiling.

Hermione rolled her eyes.

And Tonks began laughing anew.

"O—kay…?" Harry eyed them all with a raised eyebrow. "Well…when you're ready to eat, come into the dining room, okay? Padfoot, are you alright?"

Sirius cleared his throat several times, forcefully, before letting out a strangled, "Fine."

Severus burst into the room just as Harry mumbled an, "Okay," and walked back into the dining room.

"I'm sorry, Sirius! I didn't mean to crush you in the…down there. I'm sorry!" Ron pleaded.

Severus burst into laughter at hearing Ron's declaration. Teddy followed suit, making both Tonks and Remus join in as well. Hermione began laughing at the situation in general.

Sirius scowled. "Great! Yeah! Laugh it up. I'm glad you're amused." He growled.

_

* * *

_

As Ron and Remus stared intently at the wizard's chess board in front of them, and Tonks and Hermione engaged in an animated conversation about something or another, a big black dog sat staring at the closed bathroom door, his tail wagging happily, and his ears perked up at the avid laughter emanating from within.

_WOOF!_

The booming bark had everyone in the room turning towards the large canine.

"Padfoot, honestly!" Ginny chided as she came down the stairs carrying a bunch of towels. The dog turned towards her, his tongue hanging out of his mouth. _WOOF!_

Ginny stopped right behind the dog and rolled her eyes. "Excuse me, please." Padfoot merely stood up and started scratching the bathroom door, whining. "Sirius, no!" Ginny put her leg between the dog and the door and began pushing Padfoot back. "They're taking a shower, for Merlin's sake!" Ginny pried open the door and squeezed in through the small opening, making sure to block Padfoot as she did so. When she was finally in, the teenager stuck her head back out and narrowed her eyes at the scruffy canine. "You know…you could do with a proper grooming."

Padfoot whined and backed a good ten feet away from the door.

Ginny snorted and muttered, "Didn't think so," before slamming the door.

_WOOF!_ Whine. _WOOF!_ The dog began scratching at the door once again.

"Sirius, come off of it, will you?" Remus rolled his eyes.

The animagus merely lay down in front of the door, continuing to watch it intently. His ears perked up once again at another squeal of laughter.

"_Da…da! Hahahahaha! Ooooooh…BA!" _

"_You like the shower, don't you, love?" _

"_He likes the shower." _

"_Smile! Smile! I'm taking your picture, Sev. Smile for me, baby." _

"_Show her those gummy reds!" _

"_Hahahahaha!" _

"_No! Tell Harry your teeth are coming in. Say 'Harry'." _

"_Haweh!" _

"'_My teeth are coming in.'" _

"_Mah beep boo boo. HA!" _

_Harry and Ginny's laughter echoed through the door. _

Padfoot whined, stood up, and began scratching the door once more.

"Padfoot, they're not going to let you in." Remus said, exasperated.

"I don't even know why _Ginny's_ in there." Ron murmured immediately after.

Their words merely made the dog stop his scratching and whining. The door-watching continued relentlessly.

When the bathroom door opened some twenty minutes later, a towel-clad Harry carrying a towel-wrapped Severus looked down to find a big black dog staring up at him intently.

"How long have you been sitting here, Padfoot?"

_WOOF!_

"The entire time." Ginny muttered behind her boyfriend.

Severus blew raspberries down at the dog.

"Sev! That's rude." Harry rebuked sternly, and the infant burrowed back into his towel. The teenager turned back to the dog. "Come along then, old boy." Harry gestured towards the staircase.

_WOOF!_ Padfoot barked up at them happily before running up the stairs and opening the master bedroom with his paws. Running over to the side of the bed, the dog grasped the side of the comforter with his teeth and folded it over. He then ran to the other side of the bed and folded it over on that side as well. Hopping up onto the footboard of the bed, Padfoot pulled at the edge of the comforter so that the middle was even with the sides. After climbing back down, Padfoot briefly turned back into Sirius, banished all the dog hair from the furniture with a wave of his wand, and then transformed back into his animagus form.

_WOOF! _

"Here we are!" Harry said as he entered the room. "Thank you, old boy!" He smiled down at his godfather, who barked in acknowledgement, before setting Sev down onto the bed. "Alright…now where did Ginny put those clothes?"

As Harry searched through the wardrobe in the corner, Sev pushed himself up into a sitting position while Padfoot sat by the edge of the bed and laid his chin on the mattress. Dog and baby locked eyes.

Severus wanted to scowl at the mutt. He wanted to blow raspberries at him, throw something at him, hit him, kick him, do _something_ to the stupid dog that was staring him in the face right now. Yet Sev knew he couldn't do it. For one, Harry would no doubt discipline him in some way once he found out. Sev had no desire to stare at the corner for any length of time, nor have his bum smacked, nor have any of his privileges taken away. He also had no desire to feel the abnormal amount of guilt associated with the disappointed look Harry deemed fit to grace him with every time he got in trouble. Nope, Severus definitely did _not_ want any of that right now. Secondly, Severus noticed that all the mutt was doing was studying him. He wasn't doing anything to provoke an argument. He wasn't even frowning, for Merlin's sake! For the first time in his life, Sirius Bloody Black was not shooting any looks of hostility or contempt in his direction.

Severus was instantly suspicious. _Perhaps I should back away from him just in case._ Flopping down on his stomach, Sev pushed himself backwards on the bed. The mutt stood up immediately and disappeared from view. Severus froze. _Where did he go?! Where did he go?! _Sev felt something moving behind him and shifted to find the mutt dragging a pillow from the head to the side of the bed with his mouth. Sev gasped and rolled away.

_Woof!_ Padfoot immediately dropped and ran to the other side.

Sev rolled and rolled and rolled until he realized—in a panic—that he was dangerously close to the edge of the bed! He tried to stop himself mid-roll but found half of his body meeting empty air. He closed his eyes and braced himself for a fall…

…but the sensation never came.

Instead, Severus opened his eyes to find himself half on top of two black paws, with a cold wet nose pressing into his back. Before he could blink, the wet nose gave him a small shove and Sev found himself on his stomach in the middle of the bed once again. The infant blinked.

_Woof!_ Padfoot took another pillow and moved it from the head of the bed to the side, ensuring that the baby would not fall off on this side either. Then, going around the bed once more, the dog hopped up onto the foot of the mattress and laid himself down, making sure keep at least one eye on the shocked infant.

And Severus was indeed shocked. Had the mutt just…_saved_ him from falling? Had Sirius Bloody Black just _prevented_ him from being dropped onto his head?! Severus was having a hard time believing it. Wide-eyed, the infant studied the dog in front of him. This time, the mutt was lying down and looking at him. Still, Severus could find neither hostility nor contempt in his gaze. Instead, the dog merely looked tired. Curious, Severus pushed himself up and began inching in the dog's direction. The mutt didn't move. Sev pushed himself closer. The dog simply blinked. Soon Severus found himself within arm's-length of Padfoot's face and all the canine did was stare.

"Ah!" Sev cried.

Padfoot turned away and yawned before going back to staring at Severus. Otherwise, he didn't react.

"Ah!"

No reaction.

Sev blinked and glanced down. One of Padfoot's large paws rested near his little hand. Reaching out, Sev briefly laid his hand on the dog's paw and then turned back to face the animal. To his delight, Padfoot's head was now up and cocked as he studied Severus. The infant looked down and touched his hand to the paw once again. This time, Padfoot laid his head back down, making Severus frown. But then the paw moved, and Sev watched in fascination as Padfoot gently laid his big black paw on top of his little hand.

Severus stared at the hand and paw for the longest period of time. Then, without realizing what he was doing, Severus turned back to face the animal, and grinned.

"Hey, you two! What're you up to?" Harry walked back over to the bed, dressed in a pair of boxer shorts and with the towel over his head. Upon seeing the state of the pillows in relation to the baby, Harry reached over and scratched the dog behind the ears. "Much obliged, Padfoot."

_Woof!_

"Looks like we're just going to have to make do with shorts and nappies, cub." Harry said, laying Severus on his back so that he could put a nappy on him. "I have no idea where Ginny put all the clothes." Picking the infant up, Harry rounded the bed to lie down on his side of the mattress. "It's not that big of a deal, though. It's a bit warm out. Sleeping is much more comfortable in underwear, eh? What do you think?"

As soon as Harry settled down against the pillows, with Severus on his lap, Padfoot stood up and jumped off the bed. Harry waved a hand to get rid of the dog hair just as his canine godfather grasped the edge of the comforter between his teeth and pulled it over his godson and his ward.

"Thank you, Sirius." Harry smiled at him kindly.

_Woof!_ Padfoot briefly detoured to pull the comforter over Ginny's side of the bed before hopping back up and resuming his rest at the foot of the mattress.

"You going to sleep here, old boy?"

_Woof!_

"Alright." With the wave of a hand, Harry increased the dimensions of the king-sized bed just slightly so that Padfoot would be able to sleep comfortably without any of them kicking him. "Now…which two stories shall we hear tonight, eh?" Harry asked the infant in his arms as he summoned _The Tales of Beedle the Bard_ from the bookshelf.

As Harry flipped through the book, he began to frown. "Uh-oh."

Padfoot's ears perked up and Sev looked up at Harry worriedly. "Wha?"

"We've finished with this book." Sev glanced down at the book and then back up at Harry, perplexed. "We've read all the stories in this book."

Sev himself frowned. "Mo…"

"Yes, we have."

"Mo."

"Yes."

"Mo!"

"Then by all means," Harry turned to the table of contents, "find me a story we have yet to read in this book." The teenager waited patiently as Sev scanned the each of the titles, his frown deepening by the second.

Finally, the infant looked up at him, his eyes pleading. "Wamp owy."

"I know you want a story. All I'm saying is that we're finished reading this book. However," Harry put the book onto the nightstand and readjusted Severus in his lap, "There are lots of stories left out there, and _I_ know one that will keep you entertained for many, many nights. A thousand and one nights, to be precise."

Sev's eyes widened and his hands and feet began to bob up and down. "Wamp owy! Wamp owy!"

Harry chuckled as he laid Severus down next to him and made himself comfortable against the pillows. Padfoot, too, settled himself in a comfier position and then gave his full attention to his godson.

Harry started combing his fingers through Sev's hair as his story began, "There once was a king—a king of kings—and his name was King Shahryar. Now he had a brother and a wife as well…"

By the time Ginny entered the room half an hour later—at exactly 8:30—both Severus and Sirius were fast asleep and snoring softly. The teenager smiled indulgingly. "That must have been some story." She commented as she wiped her wet hair with her towel and stepped towards the wardrobe.

Harry snorted. "I didn't even get halfway through the first story before they were both out cold." He continued running his fingers through Sev's hair as he watched his girlfriend change into her nightgown.

"Which one was it? Aladdin?"

"Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves."

Ginny scoffed in false indignation, "I would've thought they'd have stayed up for that one."

"I know, right?" Harry chuckled, "It's, like, the most exciting one of the bunch!"

Ginny laughed and glanced back at her boyfriend, acknowledging his choice of attire for the first time. "So…couldn't find your clothes, I see." The teenager smirked and turned her back to him. Her shoulders then began to shake ever so slightly, making her boyfriend narrow his eyes at her.

"You did that on purpose, didn't you?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Sure, you don't…" Harry rolled his eyes.

"What?" Ginny flipped her hair and gazed at him over her shoulder, giving him her most charming smile. "Is it such a crime for me to want to see the goods before purchasing them?"

Harry threw his head back in silent laughter. "You've already seen the whole package, sweetheart. If there's anyone who's teasing in this room, it's you."

"Oh, you've already seen most of this package, I daresay." Ginny muttered a spell to dry her hair and another to untangle it. "But as for the rest…" She crawled into bed and under the sheets in the most seductive manner Harry had ever seen, "…you will have to wait for now, Mr. Potter."

"Whatever you say…the future Mrs. Potter."

"Oh, I like the sound of that." Ginny laid her hand on Sev's stomach and began stroking it lightly with her thumb as she grinned up at her boyfriend.

"I like the sound of that as well."

Ginny snorted. "You would…" She closed her eyes as Harry leaned in for a short, sweet kiss.

_

* * *

_

"Remus…where's Sirius?" Tonks asked, looking around the room for the missing animagus.

"I thought he…went upstairs with…Harry." The werewolf answered distractedly as he moved his rook to take Ron's knight. "Your move."

"Check." The redhead grinned smugly.

"Damn!" Remus quickly moved his bishop to take Ron's queen. "HA! Check yourself!"

"You speak too soon, my good man." Ron moved his knight. "Check_mate_!"

Remus sighed and offered Ron his hand. "I'll get you back one day, I promise." He chuckled at the redhead and then turned to his wife. "What were you saying, sweetheart?"

"Maybe we should start setting up a bedtime routine for Teddy as well." Tonks replied, veering off her original topic. "Ginny says it's working well with Severus."

"Uh…sure." Remus began helping Ron clean up the chess set. "Hey…where's Sirius?"

Tonks rolled her eyes as Hermione smirked. "That's what I was asking you a second ago, Remus."

"Oh…sorry."

"What time is it?" Ron spun around, looking for a clock.

"Around nine."

"Where're Harry and Ginny?"

"Severus' bedtime is 8:30, Ronald." Hermione rolled her eyes at her boyfriend.

"I know, but surely _they_ don't go to sleep that early."

"I'm pretty sure they're just upstairs." Tonks began rocking her son in her arms. "Sweetheart, can you help me with Teddy?" Her husband nodded and followed her up the stairs.

As they reached the upstairs landing, both adults could hear soft murmurs coming from the master bedroom. Tonks grinned to herself and stuck her head around the open door. "Knock, knock!" She whispered.

Remus peered in behind her and smirked upon sighting Padfoot. "Ah! There he is."

Harry and Ginny both chuckled at them. "Were you looking for Sirius?" She asked.

"Yeah, we were wondering where he went. It was _so_ quiet in the house all of a sudden." Tonks snickered at her own joke. "Remus said he might've come up here with you."

"He did." Harry nodded, his eyes twinkling. "Fell asleep at about the same time as this little one, too. Didn't even stay awake long enough to hear the ending of the story I was telling."

"The story you were telling doesn't _have_ an ending, not for a thousand and one nights."

"You're going to let him sleep here tonight?" Tonks raised an eyebrow at Ginny.

"As long as he cleans up his own dog hair in the morning, I'm fine with it."

"Lucky butt! He gets the big, comfy bed." Tonks pretended to pout but ended up snickering instead.

"Do you guys need anything? Is your bed big enough? Do you have enough room?" Harry made a move to get up.

"No, no! Everything's just great." Remus waved him back down.

_Woof! …Woof! …Grrr…! _The dog on the bed then began kicking in his sleep.

Tonks threw her head back in silent laughter and leaned against Remus' shoulder. The werewolf himself chuckled noiselessly as he wrapped an arm around his wife's waist.

"You're never going to let him live this down, are you?" The looks on their faces made Harry smirk.

"My cousin dreams about hunting rabbits in his sleep." Tonks' shoulders shook violently. "Absolutely not!"

After everyone had calmed down, Tonks and Remus bid the other couple goodnight before retreating into their room across the hall. Tonks was busying herself with her nightly routine—changing into her nightgown and preparing Teddy for sleep—when the sight of her husband gave her pause. Remus was leaning against the wall by the door, arms crossed, as he stared into a medium-sized mirror across the room. Tonks' eyebrows furrowed. "Sweetheart?" Remus' face was scrunched up, indicating he was deep in thought. "Remus!"

The werewolf jerked in surprise and he blinked at his wife. "I'm sorry. What were you saying, love?"

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, uh…" Remus glanced at the mirror once again. "Yes, I'm fine…"

Tonks rolled her eyes, "But…?" She raised an eyebrow in expectation.

Remus glanced over his shoulder and lowered his voice significantly. "I'm just…a bit worried about Sirius."

Tonks shot him a bewildered look as she walked closer to him, unconsciously mirroring his whispering. "Padfoot? Why?!"

"Well, look at him, Dora." Remus gestured towards the mirror across the room and it was then that Tonks noticed the reflection across its surface. Remus was watching the occupants in the other room.

"Sweetheart, just leave them be—" She tried to tug her husband away, but Remus only jerked his head towards the mirror once more.

"Look at him, Dora."

Tonks sighed and glanced at the reflection of the dog in the other room. "You know, Sirius really does make a convincing dog. That right there is the most domestic little scene that I ever did see."

Remus jumped on the comment the first chance he got. "And _that's_ why I'm worried about him."

"You're worried about him becoming a dog permanently?" Tonks raised an eyebrow.

"No, I'm worried that he's going to do something stupid sometime soon." The werewolf argued. He glanced in the mirror once again. There were Ginny and Harry, propped up on either side of a sleeping baby Severus, talking and laughing like any normal couple pillow talking. He was running his fingers through the infant's hair; she had her hand on the baby's tummy and was stroking it lightly with her thumb. The flickering candles scattered about bathed the room in a soft amber glow, which bounced off the laughter shining in Ginny's eyes and the love gleaming in Harry's. Then there was Sirius—sleeping in his dog form at the end of their bed, off away in dreamland along with the sleeping infant. Sirius was having a hard time with Severus' de-aging and Remus knew it. "Sirius is trying to nab Harry's attention, Dora. You heard him barking at the bathroom door downstairs!"

Tonks' eyebrows shot to her hairline. "Are you telling me that Sirius Black is _jealous_ of Severus Snape!"

"A bit!" Remus replied defensively. "Now he doesn't have as much of Harry's attention than he used to."

"Sirius isn't a child, Remus."

"He can _act_ like one sometimes and _that's_ what I'm worried about." Her husband hissed, pulling Dora away from the door so that the couple in the other room wouldn't see them arguing.

Tonks sighed and rolled her eyes. "You have to have more faith in your friends, Moony." She fixed him with one of her rare stern looks and put her hands on her hips. "Just because Sirius is acting a bit jealous right now doesn't mean he's going to _stay_ that way. The situation is new for him!" She argued on her cousin's behalf. "Give him a chance to get used to it. If acting like the family dog is helping him get used to it, then let him."

Remus glanced towards the door in frustration. "What if it's _not_ helping him get used to it? What if it's only encouraging him to do something impulsive, like drink one of those de-aging potions himself?!"

"Sirius _knows_ he has a special place in Harry's heart, just like _you_ do, sweetheart." Tonks pulled her husband closer and wrapped her arms around Remus' waist, bestowing him with a placating look. "Harry has a special bond with _you_ and Sirius knows it. I don't see him getting jealous of you now, do I?"

"Sirius is Harry's godfather. That makes him special."

"Exactly!" Tonks' eyes lit up as Remus fell into her trap. "Sirius knows that."

"But I'm Sirius' friend. I'm sure he doesn't mind sharing Harry with me. Severus, on the other hand—"

"—wasn't. I know, I know." Tonks nodded. "But that's where it makes sense, Moony! Right now, Sirius is probably just trying to figure out where Severus fits into all of this." The witch reasoned. "Padfoot's going to be _fine_, Remus. Just _trust_ him."

Remus sighed and finally looked down into his wife's pleading eyes. Within seconds, he relented. His shoulders sagged and he wrapped his arms around his wife's shoulders, pulling her closer. "Fine."

"You'll see, sweetheart." Tonks' eyes shone as she smiled up at her husband. "Sirius is going to surprise you on this one, I guarantee it."

Remus glanced at the mirror once more over his wife's shoulder. _I hope you're right._ He prayed silently.

* * *

**"Mambo Italiano" by Dean Martin**

Next up, Aberforth visits to talk about the house during a faculty lunch, and the staff is introduced to a Severus with a twist

NOTE: There is an adorable video on YouTube that I took inspiration from when writing this piece. Just search "Cute Dog and Baby Video." It should come up.

**I probably sound like a broken record with this last comment and everything, but still, I would like to THANK all my wonderful REVIEWers and ADDers for being...wonderful! :-) As per usual, please keep them up. I'm always interested in your thoughts. :-)**


	21. Just Like Harry

"I think Hartman's _Standard Defense Spells for the Aspiring Auror_ is a good book for first years." Remus suggested, reading the description of the text.

"I think it's a good book, I agree, but not for first years."

"Have you read it?" Remus raised an eyebrow.

"Well…yeah. Have you?"

"Not really." The werewolf handed Harry the parchment he had been reading. "But it's gotten rave reviews from other professors who've used it over the years. The Salem Witches Institute has been using it with their girls for over a century."

Harry's eyes widened as he began to scan the parchment. "The same edition?!"

"Well, no, I don't think so. I'm quite sure they update their editions whenever a new one comes out. It only makes sense." Remus cocked his head. "Why? What's wrong with it?"

"No, no, nothing's wrong with it." Harry shook his head as he handed the paper back to his friend. "I just think the spells in it are a bit complex for first years, is all. Here—" Harry waved a hand and a book came flying across the room to slam against his palm. Sev squealed in delight and began bouncing in his walker at the little display of wandless magic. "Take a look." He handed the book to Remus. "Personally, I think it's geared more towards second years than first years."

"Hmmm…" Remus grunted as he began skimming through the book, stopping every now and then to read an excerpt. "I think you're right…" The werewolf closed the book and pushed it aside when a thought hit him. He momentarily studied the teenager across from him—who was scribbling something on a piece of parchment—before turning in his seat to inspect the many bookshelves that lined the walls of said teenager's quarters. What he found, much to his surprise (though it really shouldn't have been), were rows upon rows upon rows of shelves lined with all manner of defense books, each looking worn and tattered.

The werewolf cleared his throat as he shifted in his seat. "Er…Harry?"

"Yes?"

"Where did you get all these defense books?"

The teenager raised an eyebrow at him and looked around. "Oh…here and there," he sighed. "Some of them you and Sirius have given me. Most of them are from the Room of Requirement, Diagon Alley…" He muttered something under his breath as he turned away.

"What was the last one, Harry?" Remus raised an eyebrow at him.

"Oh, nothing. Diagon Alley?"

"No, you said something after that."

"No, I didn't." Harry cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"Yes, you did."

"No, I didn't."

"I have great hearing, Harry."

"Fine! I said Knockturn Alley. Happy? Now can we go back to lesson plans? Please?"

"What in Merlin's name were you doing in Knockturn Alley?! When was this?!" Remus look scandalized.

Harry sighed in frustration and rolled his eyes. "Remus, it was a long time ago. I don't even remember when it was. Can we go back to this? Please?!" He gestured towards the parchment scattered all over the table. "I'd like to get through a rough draft of the First Years' and Second Years' lesson plans by the end of today, if you don't mind."

Remus frowned and studied Harry for a long moment. Then, when he replied, his voice was filled with sadness rather than anger, his words full of self-deprecation rather than rebuke. "You know, Harry, if it had been up to us, Sirius and I would have adopted you and raised you ourselves." Remus watched as Harry froze in his paper-shifting and averted his eyes towards the far wall. "We would've given you a proper home, a proper family. You wouldn't have had to raise yourself."

"I don't think I did a bad job of raising myself."

"No, you didn't." Remus sighed and began studying the table. "You did a rather good job, actually, considering the circumstances. I'm just saying we would've been there to help you out if it had been up to us—"

"It doesn't matter now, Remus." Harry cut him off mid-rant. "The past is past. We can't change it. You guys are here for me _now_. I have a family _now_. That's all that matters."

"Yeah, but the family you have now you're building _yourself_. No one gave it to you." Remus grimaced. "You should have been given one, Harry. You deserved one—"

"Remus, stop, please." Harry ordered gently. "We all have regrets, I know. But dwelling on them isn't going to change anything about them. Come on, Moony…" Harry laid a hand on Remus' shoulder and gave him a half-smile. "If it helps any…" Harry shifted his eyes around the room and then lowered his voice, "…You and Sirius are like fathers to me. _You_ more so than Sirius, but don't tell him I said that." Remus snorted and both men began chuckling. "I model everything I do after the two of you. So don't think for one minute that you made no impact in my life, because you _did_. It doesn't matter now that you weren't there. You left your mark where it counted, Moony."

"Ah, ah, ah, ah, ahhhhhhhhhhhh!"

Harry turned towards the living room instinctively. "Sev?"

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

Harry was on his feet and at the baby's side within seconds. "What's the matter, cub?"

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Severus opened his mouth while he cried and frantically began pointing towards his lower gums.

"Ah, Mr. Tooth's come a-calling." Harry picked the baby up and allowed the child to cry into his shirt while he washed his hands and fetched a glass of ice water. "Alright…It's okay…Time for a gum massage…" As soon as the child was settled on his lap, he dipped his fingers into the cold water and instructed the infant to open up. Severus' cries died down as soon as the soothing message began. "There…feel better now, do we?" Severus merely closed his eyes and leaned against his chest. Harry chuckled. "I take that as a yes…"

He turned back to Remus. "Now…where were we?"

Remus chuckled and began shifting through the papers on his half of the table. "You're a good man, Harry."

"I learned from the best." Harry replied, his eyes flicking towards the werewolf.

"Your father would have been proud of you. I know I am."

"That last part was all I needed to know, Moony."

Remus smiled at the parchment in his hand as the warmth from Harry's words began coursing through his body.

_

* * *

_

The Hogwarts staff, along with their significant others and respective infants, were just beginning to serve themselves lunch when the fireplace in the Great Hall flared green and out stepped a tall, burly man. Everyone immediately turned to face the newcomer.

"Where in the blazes…" The stranger turned towards the door, muttering under his breath, before spinning around the face the table. "AH! Potter! There you are."

Harry jerked at the sound of his name. "Ah…Uh…" He squinted at the approaching man and then gasped. "Abe—er—forth? ABE!" Harry squeaked before quickly rising from his seat and offering the man his hand.

The bartender took it and grumbled, "Yeah, well, who else do you know that looks like me?"

"Well—"

"Don't answer that!" The big man waved a finger at him before turning away and facing the table. He immediately froze upon spotting his brother. The two Dumbledores merely stared at each other for a long moment.

Albus, for his part, look surprised, to say the least. "Aberforth!"

"Albus." His brother droned, continuing to stare at his older brother, and making no further attempt at conversation.

"Er…what are you doing here?"

"I needed to talk to Potter." Aberforth replied shortly.

"Well…" Albus looked around the table to find the whole faculty staring at him and his brother. "Harry and the rest of us just sat down to lunch. Would you…perhaps…like to join us?"

"If I must." Aberforth waved his wand, summoning a chair from the other side of the room, and shooing Harry and Hagrid to the sides so that he could sit between them. "Hagrid, how're you doing?" He offered the half-giant his hand.

The other man took it. "Not bad, Abe, how're you?"

"Finally done fixing my damn bar after it was used as a bloody railway station!" He fixed Harry with a glare as he sat down.

"Hey, don't blame me!" Harry replied, indignant. "It wasn't _my_ idea to use your damn bar as a bloody railway station. Blame Neville! He's the one that called the cavalry in."

"Because of you!"

"Hey! _I_ didn't want to fight!" Harry argued as he served himself some mashed potatoes. "I was, like, I'm here to find some Ravenclaw's Diadem and destroy it. That's all I wanted to do! But Neville was like, no! 'This is the signal we've been waiting for. Everyone's been waiting for _you_, Harry, so we can fight!' _I_ didn't want to fight. It was _Neville_ who called the Army, who then called the Order."

"Who the bloody hell did that?!" Aberforth grumbled as he snatched the mashed potatoes from Harry's outstretched hand.

"Fred and George—the Weasley twins—were part of the DA—Dumbledore's Army—"

"Yeah, I know what it is! Hard not to notice when you turn my goddamn bar into a war room."

"We had no place to meet the first time! Besides, it was Hermione's idea."

"Go on!"

"So Fred and George were part of the Army, but their brothers Bill and Charlie were part of the Order. So when Neville let Fred and George know via the DA coins, Fred and George told Bill and Charlie, who then sent their patronuses out to the other Order members, and it all snowballed from there! And then the Death Eaters show up, and Snape gets thrown out of the castle, and I need time to find this thing, and Professor McGonagall offers to buy me that time, and bada bing, bada boom, the next thing I know, we have a full-scale battle on our hands. How is any of this my fault?!"

"_You_ were the spark that ignited the flames of rebellion!"

Silence filled the room for one long moment as Harry and Aberforth merely glared at each other.

Then all of a sudden Harry pulled back and smirked. "That was deep, mate."

"Thank you. It happens from time to time."

"Look at it this way," Harry started, handing Aberforth a platter of chicken, "You and your bar are going to go down in history as the critical entry/exit point that enabled our side to win the battle, thus winning the war."

Abe snatched the chicken platter and scowled fiercely. "Do I look like a man who wants to go down in history?!"

"Do _**I**_ look like a man who wants to go down in history?!" Harry retorted with a snort.

"Whatever." Abe dumped the chicken in Hagrid's hands without even looking, startling the half-giant.

"Some things you can't help."

Abe scoffed. "I'm here about the house!" He snarled.

"What about the house?!" Harry snarled in return.

"I heard you're gonna clean it!" Abe screamed.

"You heard right!" Harry screamed in reply.

Remus leaned in and whispered in Ginny's ear. "Is this the way they always talk?"

The teenager snorted as she fed Sev a mouthful of food. "Oh, yeah. This is a regular conversation for them."

As if snapping out of a trance, Abe looked up and leaned over to peer past Harry. "Oh! Hello, Miss Weasley." He greeted, his tone entirely pleasant and altogether different from the one he was using with Harry just moments before.

Ginny smiled at the looks of surprise she was receiving from the entire table. "Hello, Aberforth. I take it you had a pleasant day?"

Abe shrugged. "Relatively." He smiled.

Ginny chuckled. "That's good."

Abe nodded and turned back to Harry. "What parts of the house are you going to clean?!" He snarled.

Harry opened his mouth to speak but ended up laughing into his hand instead.

"That's it. I win." Abe chuckled as he dug into his lunch.

Harry sobered up quickly. "It's not over."

"Like hell it's not over, Potter. You cracked, I win."

"I did not crack."

"You cracked!"

"Did not!"

"You did so. I win. Ah, ah, ah!" He held up a finger to silence Harry's impending protest. "I _win_!"

Sev giggled at the two men's antics.

"Who's the kid?"

"Do you really wanna know?"

"Wouldn't have asked if I didn't."

"Can you keep a secret?"

Abe raised an eyebrow at him. "_Really_, Potter?! Do you _really_ have to ask? What's my _name_?!"

Harry snorted and began laughing at his plate. Beside him, Severus squealed in delight and began laughing at Aberforth in earnest.

Albus, on the other hand, scowled at his brother. "I don't appreciate the implication, Aberforth."

Abe replied in a voice completely devoid of any amusement whatsoever. "If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen, Albus."

Albus narrowed his eyes. "Let's remember just whose kitchen this would be, Aberforth."

"Gentlemen! Gentlemen, please!" Ginny raised her voice, leaning over to wave a hand between the two brothers, breaking their eye contact. "Let's not get into anything here, please. Not at the table, at least. Aberforth, you came to talk to us about the house?"

With one last genuine scowl at his brother, Aberforth turned away completely to face Ginny and Harry. "Yes, the house." His eyes wandered downward and lingered on the snickering baby.

"Abe, this is Severus Snape. Sev, this is Aberforth Dumbledore."

The bartender offered his finger to the infant, who immediately grasped it with his drool-soaked hand. "I take it we met before." The baby grinned at him and nodded. Abe shook the finger with a frown. "You're too cute to insult at this size." The infant snickered at him. "That, and I get the feeling Potter here would hex me to kingdom come and the lioness over there would tackle me to the floor and eat me." Sev's snickers soon became full-blown squeals of laughter.

"Wise choice, Aberforth." Ginny rolled her eyes.

"I value my life." The bartender turned to Harry. "So what parts of the house are you going to clean?" He asked in a normal conversational tone.

"What parts do you _want_ me to clean?"

Abe studied him for a moment as he chewed his lunch. "You're giving the house back to me, right?"

"Yes."

"Which means everything in there is mine."

Harry's eyebrows furrowed. "That would be…correct."

Aberforth immediately pulled a rolled-up parchment out of his pocket and snapped it open, startling everyone at the table. He then held up the parchment to Harry's face. "This is a map of the house. I marked out my old room and Ariana's old room." Harry raised an eyebrow and took the paper. "Leave those two rooms alone, and clean out everything else."

Ginny dropped her fork and gaped at Aberforth.

"Everything _else_?!" Harry's eyes widened at the younger Dumbledore.

"Everything else."

"As in the whole house?"

"That's what 'everything else' means!"

Ginny glanced at Albus and noticed he had stopped playing with his food and was frozen in place. "Wait…hold on a second, Abe." She interrupted. "What do you mean by 'clean out'?"

"Shred it, blast it, incinerate it, I don't care!" The bartender shrugged. "Except for those two rooms, I want everything gone."

Ginny nudged Harry and flicked her eyes towards the headmaster. Harry glanced at the pale old man and nodded his head indistinguishably before turning back to the younger brother. "How 'bout this, Abe—I sell or store the stuff rather than destroy it."

"You don't understand, Potter." Aberforth frowned, "I don't want this stuff anywhere on this _earth_ anymore."

"Don't you think that's a little overdoing it?"

"_No_, Ginny!" Abe scowled at the both of them. "Have you two even been in that house?!"

"_Yes_!" Harry hissed. "And that place is like a museum. You have lots of stuff in there that's valuable!"

"I—don't—want it!" The bartender drawled, his voice turning dangerous. "Get _rid_ of it!"

"We're not just going to get rid of your stuff, Aberforth!" Ginny argued.

Harry quickly glanced at Albus before frowning at Aberforth. "What about your brother's stuff, Abe?"

Abe slammed his cup down and pointed straight at Harry. "You said everything in that house is mine!"

"Technically!"

"Get _rid_ of it, Harry!"

"Abe, unless you have some exceptionally dark objects in your childhood home, I'm _not_ getting rid of it!"

"What if they were?"

"They're not."

"_You_ don't know that!"

"Both Ginny and I can sense magical auras, Abe. They're not!"

"Oh, and I suppose the fact that my dear older brother and his good friend _GRINDELWALD_ used most of the things in that house during their search for the _deathly hallows_ and _world domination_ means nothing to you!"

A fork clattering against the table and a sharp gasp from one of the female professors were the only sounds that permeated the air. The atmosphere in the room was suddenly so thick you could cut it with a knife. Nobody spoke, nobody moved, nobody even breathed for several long moments.

Then, suddenly, the sound of silverware scraping against china drew everyone's attention and the whole faculty watched as Albus Dumbledore—one of the greatest wizards of all time—pushed his plate away and buried his face in his hands.

Harry turned in his seat and leaned towards Ginny and Severus. "Sweetheart, I don't want you or Severus in that house until I give it the okay, alright?"

"We're not just going to incinerate his stuff, Harry." Ginny murmured in return.

"Ah!" Sev agreed.

"I know, I know." Harry unconsciously put a hand around Severus' back and squeezed Ginny's shoulder in support as he turned towards the younger Dumbledore. "Aberforth," he began, his tone low and respectful, "technically, considering I haven't handed you the 'keys' to the house yet, everything in that house is still mine."

"Goddamn it, Potter—"

"I will respect your wishes!" Harry added loudly and hastily before Abe could explode on him. The bartender narrowed his eyes at him instead. "I will respect your wishes to a _point_! If I think anything in there—dark aura or light aura—is dangerous in any way, shape, or form, I will indeed incinerate it."

"Even if you find it in my brother's room?!" The bartender fixed him with an expectant glare.

Harry grit his teeth together in frustration and turned towards Ginny. His girlfriend glared past him at the stubborn Dumbledore before huffing and turning away. The teenager glanced towards the headmaster, only to find him still buried behind his hands. Turning back to the bartender in even more frustration, he growled, "Fine! But it is up to _my_ discretion!"

Aberforth slammed the map against the table and stood up. "Done!" Throwing his napkin onto his now-empty plate, he abruptly turned from the table and began making his way towards the fireplace. "Let me know when you're done with the place!"

Harry shot a genuine cold glare at the bartender's back. "You're an irritating, stubborn son-of-a-bitch, you know that, Dumbledore?!"

"So I've been told." The burly man replied, completely unfazed. He pulled a handful of floo powder out of his pocket and threw it in the fireplace. Tongues of green flames immediately flared upwards. "See you around, Potter! I'd say goodbye to you, Miss Weasley, but you're mad at me."

"Gee! How could you tell?!" The redhead spat over her shoulder.

"I'll be in touch!" And with that, he walked into the flames and was gone.

"Can you _believe_ that man?!" Ginny growled in Tonks' direction, making the metamorphamagus flinch back playfully. "No consideration for his brother whatsoever!"

"Are you alright, Professor?" Harry's eyebrows furrowed at the old man.

"I'm fine, Harry." The Headmaster answered behind his hands.

"You'd think they weren't related, that they were mortal enemies, the way he treats him!" Ginny continued to rant.

"Miss Weasley—"

"Blaming a man for a mistake he made as a teenager. It's absolutely ridiculous! That grudge is over a _hundred_ years old. Do you see now why I wanted you to learn to let go of your grudge with Sirius, Severus?"

The baby's eyes widened and he nodded complacently at her before glancing questioningly at Harry. His caretaker took one glance the redhead and sighed, lifting Severus out of his high chair and placing him on his lap, a good distance away from his raving lunatic of a girlfriend.

"It's bollocks is what it is! Can you believe he wants us to incinerate most of the house? His _childhood_ house! What kind of…" The rest of Ginny's rant was garbled as Harry placed his hands firmly on top of Sev's ears. After all, they were trying to teach him not to resort to such language. He already heard Harry swear once today. It would do no good if he suddenly heard Ginny dissolve into a string of curses.

"Miss Weasley, please—"

"He has no right to treat his own brother like dirt—"

"Ginny!" Professor Dumbledore resorted to calling her by her first name in order to get her attention.

"I'm sorry. What were you saying, sir?"

"Although your anger on my behalf is both admirable and appreciated, Miss Weasley, I'm afraid my brother's anger at me is deep-seated and valid."

"Aberforth is entirely capable of forgiving you, sir, he just refuses to out of sheer principle. It's _childish_ and _that's_ what's infuriating me."

"Professor," Harry broke in, "I meant every word I said to Aberforth, _however_…I've been inside your childhood home, sir, and almost nothing in that house qualifies for the incinerator." Dumbledore turned towards him, a spark of hope gleaming in his eyes. "It's mostly pictures, old clothes, photo albums—that sort of thing." Harry reached into his pocket with his free hand and pulled out an old, folded up photograph, handing it to the headmaster.

Dumbledore unfolded it and gasped, his hand flying to cover his mouth. Unshed tears immediately began glistening in his eyes.

Both McGonagall and Slughorn peered over Albus' shoulder curiously, their eyes widening as soon as they glimpsed the picture. "Is that your father, Albus?" McGonagall asked, pointing to a figure in the picture.

"Yes." The old man choked out, swallowing past the lump in his throat.

"And that little boy must be you!" Slughorn added, chuckling as he pointed elsewhere on the photograph. "How old were you there, Albus? Two? Three?"

Dumbledore didn't answer. Instead, his glistening eyes slowly traveled upward, past the borders of the photograph, to meet Harry's steady gaze. "Thank you." He murmured. His voice cracked halfway through and a single, errant tear managed to slip past his defenses and slide down his face.

"I'll see that you get your things." Harry promised, his voice soft and respectful.

Severus leaned back onto Harry's chest and tilted his head upward to study his caretaker's face. Harry looked calm and sympathetic towards Dumbledore. Well _that_ was a new development. Normally, Harry didn't like Dumbledore. He was tolerant and respectful towards him, sure; but there was always this underlying tension between him and the old wizard. Now, though, that tension was nowhere to be found. It was gone for the moment, and all that was left was a compassionate Harry and an emotional Dumbledore.

Severus thought back and realized it must've been Aberforth who started all of this. He and Harry and Ginny had gotten in a row about some stuff, and who owned the stuff, and whether or not the stuff should be incinerated. At least, that's what Severus thought they were arguing about. It was all so fuzzy now. What he was sure of, though, was that by the time the bartender was leaving, Harry and Ginny were _both_ sending him what Sev dubbed the "naughty" glare. It was the one that was usually shot his way right before he found himself staring at a corner or nursing a stinging bottom or both. Sev remembered thinking it was a good thing the man was leaving, otherwise he'd have found himself staring at a corner pretty soon.

Shifting in his seat, Sev glanced at Dumbledore just in time to watch the lone tear cascade down his face. The infant frowned. Tapping the hand supporting his chest, Sev glanced up, "Haweh?"

"Yeah, cub?"

"Dum-dow?" Sev then signed the word 'sad' and looked at Harry curiously.

"Yeah, he is a little bit."

"Oh…" Sev made a disappointed noise and then went back to watching the old man for a moment. Then, all of a sudden, an idea came to him and smile swiftly blossomed on his face. "Haweh!" He began bouncing excitedly on his caretaker's leg.

"What? What is it?"

"Baboooooom!" He grinned up at the teenager and held up a hand, opening and closing his fingers in a wordless plea.

"Balloon?" Harry looked confused.

"Baboooooom!"

"Sweetheart, I think he wants you to get his balloon." Ginny interjected.

"What do you want with your balloon for? It's tied to your crib."

"Baboooooom." Sev turned on his puppy-dog eyes full-blast.

"Oh, for Merlin's sake…" Harry held up a hand and soon enough a bright yellow happy face balloon floated through the doors of the Great Hall and into the teenager's palm. "Here you go—your extra-special happy balloon." Harry attempted to tie the balloon's string around Sev's wrist, only to have the infant pull his hand away abruptly.

"Mo! Mom me!"

"Mummy?" Harry raised an eyebrow.

"He said, 'Not me!'" Ginny clarified.

"Not you?"

"Dum-dow." Sev pointed to the sad old man across from him and then glanced back up at Harry.

Harry froze in quite a comical position. He had his mouth hanging open in shock, with one hand holding Sev and the other holding up a bright yellow happy face balloon. Ginny immediately began laughing at her boyfriend. "Oh, what I wouldn't give for a camera right about now." She murmured at a snickering Tonks before turning back to Severus. "You want to give your special happy balloon to Professor Dumbledore, sweetheart?"

"Uh-huh!"

"Alright then, go ahead and do it." Ginny smiled gently. "It's _your_ happy balloon, love. Remember what the vendor said? If you want to help make someone else happy, _you_ have to give it to them since it's yours."

"Okie!" Sev firmly gripped the balloon string in the palm of his hand and pulled it out of Harry's lax grip. He then leaned across the table as far as Harry allowed and deposited the string into the grip of one dumbfounded Albus Dumbledore. "Ha—peh." He told him, leaning back onto Harry's chest. "Ha—peh. My—we! Ha—peh my—ew!"

"Smile, Professor." Harry translated, his voice quiet and filled with awe. "Be happy…and smile." The teenager looked down and gaped at the baby in his arms.

"I'm proud of you for trying to make Professor Dumbledore happy, sweetheart." Ginny ran her fingers through Sev's hair and smiled proudly at the infant.

"Wike Haweh?!" Sev grinned.

Ginny gasped and, if possible, her grin grew even wider. "Yeah, baby…" her eyes shifted towards her boyfriend, "…just like Harry."

Sev glanced up at the startled face of his caretaker. "Powd?"

"Oh, cub…" Harry wrapped the child in a loving embrace and graced him with the biggest grin he could muster, "…I am really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, _really_ proud of you right now! I am so proud…I could give you a thousand points!" The infant in Harry's arms began giggling up at him merrily as the teenager leaned down and gave him a kiss on the forehead. "I'm _that_ proud of you." He murmured, looking deep into the Sev's eyes. Using his highly-developed skills in ligilimency, Harry made sure Severus felt just _how_ proud of him he really was.

"Severus?" Both Harry and Sev looked up at the sound of the headmaster's croaky voice. The old man was bobbing the balloon up and down and watching it intently, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. After a moment, he turned his attention towards the baby in Harry's arms. "Thank you, Severus. Thank you very much."

"Wewcom." Severus then proceeded to stick his thumb in his mouth and bury his face in Harry's chest.

"Well…he sure is coming along isn't he, Harry?" Slughorn commented, a smile tugging at his lips.

"Oh, yeah…" Harry chuckled, shifting the drowsy child to a more comfortable position across his lap.

"I must say," McGonagall added, "This newer version of Severus is a lot more pleasant than the older one."

"He appears to be picking up your personality traits, Harry." Dumbledore threw in, glancing once more at the balloon that was now tied to his wrist.

"We're going to have a little Harry running around soon enough." Tonks joked from her end of the table.

"No more than you're going to have a little Remus running around as well." Harry retorted.

"Merlin help me if I'm still here by the time the next generation of _Marauders_ comes to this school!" McGonagall shrilled from her seat.

The entire table burst into laughter, the drama between the Dumbledores forgotten for now.

* * *

**Next up, a routine check-up with Madam Pomfrey turns into something more; Harry and Ginny tackle trust issues; and Sev learns them meaning of true strength.**

**Already then! _Now_ we're getting into the swing of things! :-) I do believe a few THANK YOUs are in order for all my REVIEWers, most especially my regular ones. Please, don't be shy. Let me know what you think! :-)**


	22. Monsters

"_**MO!!!**_"

"Severus—"

"MO! MO! MO! MO! MO!!!"

"Mr. Snape, for Merlin's sake—"

Severus blew strong raspberries at the school matron.

"_Severus_!" Harry rebuked sharply, stepping up behind Madame Pomfrey. "You just earned yourself a ten minute time-out, young man!" He said, fixing the infant with a hard look.

"Mo…!" The infant whined, his eyes glistening with unshed tears.

Harry made sure to drop down slightly so that he was eye-level with the child. He then fixed Severus with his sternest glare. "You are on _thin ice_, Severus. This is your last warning!"

"Haweh!" Sev sniffed and the tears began running down his face. He tried batting them away.

Harry wasn't fazed. "Listen to me." He tapped the infant's chin lightly to get his attention. "I've had enough with your attitude this morning. One more show of blatant disrespect to _anyone_ in this room and you're going to find yourself with a stinging bum and an early bedtime. Do I make myself perfectly clear?"

Sev sniffed. "Mo fod!"

"I said, do I make myself perfectly _clear_, Severus?" The teenager pushed gently.

Harry's look of disappointment completely did Severus in and the floodgates burst open as Severus began crying in earnest. "Yea…ehw…!" He forced out in between sobs.

"Good. Thank you. That's all I needed." The disappointment immediately melted off of Harry's face and left a look of tenderness in its wake. The teenager stood up straight and gently lifted Severus out of Ginny's arms and into his own. The infant immediately latched onto his robes and sobbed loudly into his chest. "There, there now, cub…It's alright now…" Harry whispered soothing nothings into his ear as he rubbed Severus' back and slowly danced around the room. "That was just a warning, cub, not an actual punishment. As long as you straighten up, everything's going to be fine."

"Mo fod!" The baby screamed into the folds of his robes.

"You don't want a shot, I know." Harry nodded in understanding, his voice remaining soft and gentle. "Nobody wants a shot, Sev. Nobody wants one, and nobody wants to _give_ one."

"Uh-huh!" Severus argued, pointing behind him at Madame Pomfrey without lifting his head from Harry's chest.

"No, that's not true." Harry replied. "Madame Pomfrey doesn't want to give you a shot any more than you want to have one."

"That's true, Severus." The matron added loudly.

"You see?"

"Uh-huh!" The infant continued to argue.

"I have an idea!" Ginny shouted over the din. "Madame Pomfrey, has Harry had all his magical immunizations yet?"

The mediwitch looked surprised. "Uh…well…" Waving her wand, Madame Pomfrey summoned Harry's medical file over to her.

"I can already tell you I haven't." Harry answered for her.

"And why _not_, Mr. Potter?!" The matron peered at him, aghast. His file lay open yet forgotten in her hand.

By now Sev's crying had died down, allowing Harry to speak in his normal tone of voice. "Begging your pardon, Madame, but I wasn't originally from this world. I had no idea there _were_ immunizations for magical diseases until…five minutes ago, to be honest."

"Goodness gracious, Mr. Potter!" Poppy slammed the file shut and began waving it at him. "Sit down! Sit down right now, young man!" She shooed him—and the child in his arms—onto the bed that Ginny just vacated and reopened his medical file to examine it. "Merlin's Beard! Oh my goodness—"

"What?!" Harry's eyes widened, alarmed.

"I never ran a full medical history on you prior to your starting here at Hogwarts, Mr. Potter."

"A full medical what?"

"A full medical history. Oh, that was rather careless of me. I can't believe I've missed it throughout all these years! And the number of times you've stayed here in my wing—"

"What does this full medical history entail, Madame Pomfrey?"

"One quick spell and every bruise, every cut, every broken bone you've ever had would be documented in this file. I should've run this on you _years_ ago! Well! No matter," the nurse reached for her wand, "I can get this done in a—"

"Hold on! Wait a second!" Harry held up a hand, unconsciously activating an indiscernible shield charm. "I thought we were talking about immunizations here?"

Severus, who had stopped crying once the conversation began focusing on Harry and not him, pushed up against his caretaker's chest and peered at the faceoff between Harry and the school healer. Madame Pomfrey was frowning at Harry. "It'll only take a minute, Mr. Potter, now—" She raised her wand again, and once again Harry's invisible shield came up.

"Madame Pomfrey, please, this appointment is not about me. And besides, I'm not a student here anymore—technically—so you really don't have to do it." Harry paused to lace his voice with just the slightest trace of magical suggestion. "So can we please return to the immunizations now?"

Sev watched as Madame Pomfrey pursed her lips and placed her hands on her hips. Uh-oh, he knew what that look meant. Yet Severus also knew why Harry didn't want her to perform the medical history on him. If she did, she would know _everything_ about Harry's life—the abuse, the neglect, the dusty old skeletons still buried in Harry's closet. If Severus knew anything, it was that Harry James Potter was nothing if not _intensely_ private about his past. The only people who knew anything about what it was really like were him and Ginny. Not even Ron or Hermione or Remus or even _Sirius_ knew about Harry's real past. The teenager led them to believe anything they wanted to believe as long as their beliefs steered clear of the cold, hard truth. The only secret Harry ever kept from anyone was the truth about his childhood.

"Why don't you want me to perform this medical history, Mr. Potter?" The healer asked, narrowing her eyes at the teenager. Sev peered up at Harry warily.

"It's not that I don't want you to perform it—"

"Good!" Madame Pomfrey was waving her wand before Harry could utter another word, yet the teenager's reaction was instantaneous. The shield charm that emanated from Harry's palm was so powerful it glowed a bright blue and pushed away everything within a five meter radius of their hospital bed—including Madame Pomfrey.

Thankfully, Ginny was walking back into the room when everything took place and was able to catch Poppy before she hit the floor. "Merlin me!" She stood the healer up and looked her up and down. "Are you alright, Madame Pomfrey?"

Dumbledore, who had come in with her, immediately rushed to their side. "What happened?!" He too looked the matron up and down. "Are you alright, Poppy?"

"I'm fine! It's not me I'm concerned about!" The mediwitch shooed them off, never taking her eyes off of Harry and the shield that now stood between them.

The teenager, for his part, sat calmly on the bed, clutching an awed and astonished Severus to his chest protectively. "I'm sorry, but you shouldn't have done that, Madame!" Harry cried, refusing to drop the shield.

"What did you try to do?!" Ginny demanded fiercely.

"Calm down, Miss Weasley." Dumbledore put a hand on her shoulder and addressed Madame Pomfrey. "Poppy, what happened here?"

"I was trying to convince Severus to take his immunizations shots, but he began crying. Mr. Potter tried to comfort him, and in the process of trying to convince Severus to accept his shots, Miss Weasley tried to suggest Mr. Potter receive some of _his_ magical immunizations as well. Thus, they would _both_ receive a shot, and it would make everything easier. However, when I pulled up Mr. Potter's file to see which magical immunizations he had yet to receive, I found out that I have yet to run a full magical medical history on him. When I tried to remedy that, _this_ is what happened." She turned back to the teenager and her eyes narrowed to slits. "Why don't you want me to run a full medical history on you, Mr. Potter?!" She demanded severely.

"That's a fair question, Harry." Dumbledore added, turning to him as well.

"I'm over seventeen now!" Harry scowled. "It should be _my_ choice whether or not I want to have one, shouldn't it?"

"What are you trying to hide, Harry?!" The mediwitch pushed.

"Nothing!" Harry squeaked.

"Then if there's nothing in the closet, why not allow us to open it up?" Dumbledore raised an eyebrow at him.

Both Harry and Sev glared at the old man. "With all due respect, sir, what I keep in my closet is my business." He replied in a cold voice.

"Mr. Potter, really! All this drama for a simple medical history?" The matron looked exasperated.

"Poppy, Poppy, Poppy…" Albus laid a hand on her shoulder and began shushing her, all the while holding Harry's chilly gaze. "Mr. Potter's right. He's over seventeen now. If he wants to opt out of a full medical analysis, it's his choice."

"What are you talking about, Albus?" Now the healer looked exasperated at the headmaster.

"His medical history isn't important right now, is it?"

"_Of course_ it's important right now!" Madame Pomfrey argued. "I need to know which muggle immunization shots he received—"

"I can tell you that myself. I know all the shots they gave me, what they're called, how much of each they injected, and the exact date of each injection. You don't need to do a full medical history to get that information." Harry replied helpfully. The shield charm he had unconsciously been holding up started to flicker and thin in some areas.

"You can't possibly remember all of that!" Poppy peered at him skeptically.

"I have photographic memory—total recall. I can tell you anything and everything. You don't _need_ to run a full medical, magical history or anything. I can tell you everything you need to know."

Professor Dumbledore glanced at Madame Pomfrey. They seemed to have a short conversation with their eyes before Dumbledore nodded and Madame Pomfrey lowered her wand. "I have no doubt that you can tell us everything we need to know, my boy." The headmaster said, meeting Harry's eyes once more. "The real question is…will it be the truth?"

_

* * *

_

"Alright, Sev," Harry adjusted the infant on his lap and wrapped his free arm around the baby's chest, tightening it protectively. "I'm going to go first. You just watch, and then you'll be next. Okay?"

"Mmm…" Severus chewed on his teething snitch as he watched Ginny fold up Harry's sleeve, exposing his right forearm. The teenager was turned away, watching Madame Pomfrey closely as she prepared their injections across the room. Thus, he didn't notice when Ginny froze in her efforts as soon as the skin just above Harry's elbow was exposed. Severus watched as Ginny's eyebrows furrowed together in dismay. Glancing down at Harry's arm, the infant knew almost immediately what garnered such a reaction. Several long, deep, angry-looking scars ran from just below his elbow, up his arm, and into his sleeve. Ginny was brushing them gently with her thumb.

"Harry?" She croaked, her voice laced with concern.

"Hmm?"

"What is this?" She whispered, lowering her voice so as not to rouse the attention of the already-suspicious matron.

"What's what?" Harry raised an eyebrow at her following her line of sight to his arm. "Oh!" Harry inhaled sharply and shifted on the bed. Both Severus and Ginny peered up at him in concern. "Sorry. My…focus slipped…" He closed his eyes and both Severus and Ginny began to sense a shift in his magical aura. Glancing back down at the scar, the redhead and the infant watched as the angry red crevices disappeared, leaving perfectly tanned skin in its wake.

Severus furrowed his eyebrows in confusion while Ginny turned a death glare on her boyfriend. "You're wearing a _glamour_?!" She hissed.

Harry sighed and looked away as Sev peered up at him curiously. "Not now, Gin."

"Why are you wearing a glamour, Harry?"

"Ginny—"

"Harry!"

"_Later_!" The teenager glanced frantically in Pomfrey's direction before turning back to his girlfriend. "_Please?_!" He hissed.

Ginny stared at him silently for a long while before peering over her shoulder fleetingly, taking a step closer to Harry and lowering her voice even more. However, instead of sounding angry or frustrated, as Severus had expected, she sounded sad yet understanding. "How many scars do you have, Harry?"

"Madame Pomfrey!" Harry called, pointedly turning away from his girlfriend. "How many shots will we be receiving today?"

Severus watched as the sadness slowly crept into Ginny's eyes and a look of disappointment crossed her face. She sighed and peered down at Harry's arm once more before squeezing his hand gently in support and backing away. He watched as she silently took a seat by the bed and studied her boyfriend from behind concerned eyes.

Severus too peered up at Harry, watching him with a look that very much mirrored Ginny's. Harry was wearing a glamour? But he looked just like he always looked! What kind of glamour didn't change your appearance? Wasn't that what glamours were supposed to do? Yet Severus _did_ recall a change in appearance—Harry's mysterious scars disappeared.

So Harry was hiding his scars. Sev peered down at the now-smooth arm and gently touched the spot where he saw the scars disappear. Just how many scars were there? He wondered. He didn't recall seeing any scars the other night when he and Harry slept shirtless in Godric's Hollow. _He must've had the glamours on then._ _Come to recall, he must've had them on in the shower as well, because I didn't see any scars then either._ Sev's eyes widened in realization. _He has them on all the time._

The infant gently poked the spot where he knew the scars to be with the tips of his fingers, seeing if he could feel any of them beneath Harry's magical barrier. _Why would someone need to wear a glamour all the time? Is he ashamed of what he's trying to hide?_

"Not you too, cub." Harry murmured above him. He was peering down at the infant, a slight frown on his face.

Sev graced him with the exact same sad-yet-understanding look Ginny threw his way not moments before. "Boo-boo?"

Harry swallowed and forced himself to turn away from the wide, innocent eyes. They would be his undoing, he could tell right now. He could deny this child nothing; not even information. "It's not important, Sev." There was not a chance in hell Harry was going to let _this_ secret see the light of day! He had to be _strong_ for Severus. Ginny as well! He had to be the man of the house. He had to take care of them. He had to be the protector! _And protectors don't let their protected see the scars of war._ Harry resolved to never let his focus slip ever again.

Meanwhile, Sev's eyebrows furrowed and he gaped at Harry for the longest time. "UH-HUH!" He argued pointedly, scowling at his caretaker. "Uh-huh, mm—po—bam!" He started poking Harry in the chest with his teething snitch. "MM—PO—BAM!"

"Alright, are we ready here?" Madame Pomfrey asked, announcing herself. Thankfully, it served to sufficiently distract the child, as Severus immediately turned to her, wide-eyed and slightly fearful.

"We're ready when you are, Madame." Harry replied, adjusting Severus once more.

The matron eyed him dubiously as she tied up his arm and searched for a sufficient vein. It was obvious she wanted to say something about earlier but was trying to restrain herself. "So…I trust all of you have seen the headlines in _Daily Prophet_ recently? They all have your name on it, talking about you being spotted doing something or another. But then…" she picked up a needle and tested it out, "…they have these ridiculous little pictures of dragons holding baby dragons with their arms around hippogriffs or something like that." She finished as she injected him with the serum.

Harry winced slightly and then smiled as Ginny chuckled and Sev grinned at the healer. "Bebe Da-goo!" He held up the wrist that sported a sterling silver cuff and waved it in Madame Pomfrey's face.

The healer raised an eyebrow. "I beg your pardon?" Sev giggled at her confusion as Ginny took the time to explain Fred and George's invention to her. "Oh…so that _is_ you in the pictures."

"Most likely." Harry nodded.

"You have to admit the genius behind it, though." Ginny interjected. "It's making the Daily Prophet look like a total gossip mag."

"I think it was doing a fine job of that on its own, Miss Weasley." Madame Pomfrey replied as she untied and bandaged Harry's arm with the flick of a wand and then turned toward Severus. "But you're right. It's doing an excellent job of discrediting them even more." She then peered down at the now-solemn infant. "Well, Mr. Snape, are we ready _now_?" She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Mmmm…" Sev whined and peered up at Harry pleadingly.

"Come on, cub. I did it. Now it's your turn." Harry urged.

"It won't hurt one bit, sweetheart." Ginny added, coming up next to them. "It'll be a slight pinch and that's it! Did you see how Harry took it just now?"

"You're my cub, aren't you?" Harry whispered in his ear.

Sev pouted and leaned further back into Harry's chest. "Mo mike…"

"Come now, cub. Close your eyes…" Severus squeezed them shut but could still feel as Harry took his tiny forearm and held it out to the matron. "Now I want you to picture your arm in your mind's eyes, okay? Picture your forearm in your head." Severus did so. "Okay, good…now I want you to picture a…dragon. A baby dragon. He's a tiny little thing. He could just about fit in the palm of your hand. Do you see him?"

Severus did indeed. The miniature dragon came flying in through the window, breathing puffs of grey smoke as it floated in. At first, Severus pictured him as a Norwegian Ridgeback, but the image soon changed in midair from a Ridgeback to a Horntail. Yeah, a Hungarian Horntail! That was much more macho! Severus smiled to himself. He remembered Harry facing off one of these dragons a few years ago and defeating it, though not without much effort. That must mean this particular dragon was the best of its kind! Sev watched as it hovered around the vicinity of his forearm, breathing actual _fire_, rather then measly puffs of smoke.

"Good. Now…that dragon is about to land on your arm here, okay?" Severus felt them shifting his arm around and something was tied just above his elbow. "Now I need you to stay very still for me, alright? Very still! The dragon can't land if you move around too much, you know."

Severus saw the dragon hover just in front of his face. Dark brown eyes met yellow and dragon and human had a stare-down that seemed to last forever. Finally, the baby dragon turned away and began flying lazy circles around his forearm once again. Severus smiled in satisfaction. He had just stared down a dragon!

"You ready, cub? Here it comes!"

The Horntail pulled its wings up, spun around, and landed gracefully in the niche underneath Sev's elbow. It stung slightly where the dragon's claws met his skin, but otherwise it didn't hurt. The baby dragon now stared up at him curiously.

"I'm proud of you, Sev. You took that like a man."

Severus felt a kiss land on his head and he opened his eyes in curiosity. Madame Pomfrey was taking her gloves off and tossing a now-empty syringe onto the floating tray beside her. With a flick of her wand, something unwrapped itself from Sev's upper arm before a matching bandage to Harry's wrapped itself around his elbow.

"All done!" Ginny smiled kindly at him.

Sev peered up at Harry in confusion.

"That was your shot." Harry smirked. "See?! Told you it was no big deal." He stood up and Ginny helped him wrap Sev in his sling.

"So when do we have to return for the rest of his immunization shots, Madame?" Harry asked. The mediwitch handed him a schedule which listed the required vaccinations and the dates, while Ginny gathered their things.

The walk back to their quarters was a silent affair. Severus could feel the tension in the air and he didn't like it very much. He began shifting restlessly in his sling, using one hand to hold his teething snitch while the other poked Harry in the chest. "MM—PO—BAM!" He cried, remembering where their conversation had left off earlier. "MM—PO—BAM, Haweh!"

The teenager raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm sorry. What are you talking about, Sev?"

"He's saying you're _important_, Harry." Ginny replied, giving him a sideways glare as she hugged the diaper bag to her side.

"Important?"

"Boo-boo!" Sev pointed to the bandage in Harry's arm.

"My shot?"

"Harry, you're not as thick as you pretend to be, we both know that. So just drop—"

"Leave it alone, Gin!"

Ginny glared daggers at her boyfriend before turning on her heel and stalking down the hall as quickly as she could without running. She barked the password at Merlin without so much as a greeting and threw herself into the portrait hole before he could even ask what was wrong.

Harry sighed and slowed his pace as he continued towards their quarters. Sensing that he wasn't about to jump inside the portrait hole behind his girlfriend, Merlin closed the door to their quarters and watched the quiet young man finish his journey down the hall.

Severus shifted against Harry's chest and buried himself within the folds of his sling. This wasn't supposed to happen! Why were Harry and Ginny fighting? Why was Harry acting like this?! What was he hiding? Why was Harry being so stubborn?! This all didn't make sense! Ginny was mad at Harry because he wouldn't talk about the funny scars on his arm, Severus understood that. What Sev _didn't_ understand was why Harry kept closing up every time Ginny asked for answers. It was making the both of them upset and Harry didn't seem to care!

_That's not like him._ Sev was used to a Harry who would move heaven and earth to make everyone feel better. He wasn't used to a Harry who was the source of a problem rather than the solution. Severus peered up at his caretaker's blank face and tried to find something, _anything_ that would make this uneasy feeling in his gut go away, but he couldn't. "Haweh?" The infant cried in a tiny voice.

It was as if the sound of his voice snapped the teenager out of whatever trance he was in and he peered down at the child with an inquisitive look on his face.

Sev stared at him for a long time, mentally debating whether or not he wanted to get into this. Finally, he murmured, "Immy mab?"

Harry sighed and tightened his arm around Sev. "Yes, Ginny's mad."

Sev watched as Harry ran a hand down his weary face, and the infant couldn't help but notice that there were lots of lines around Harry's face now—lines that weren't there before. The child made sure to raise his hand up to Harry's eye level and finger spelled 'W-H-Y'.

Harry grimaced and scratched the back of his neck uncomfortably. "Because Harry's being an idiot." He murmured softly.

Sev grinned. Now _that_ was the Harry he was used to! So he _did_ care that he was upsetting the both of them. _Whatever caused those scars on his arm must be something that's troubling him terribly._ Sev decided to wait this whole thing out and see what happened. In the meantime, he wanted to do away with this sad and tense atmosphere. Too much drama! "Okie, ie—dee—op!" He pat Harry on the arm indulgently.

"Okay, idiot." Harry echoed with a snort and kissed Sev on the head.

"Might I suggest you give her a bit of space, Sir Henry?" Merlin remarked, observing the scene with a twinkle in his eye. "Give the both of you time to calm down."

"Thank you, Sir Merlin." Harry nodded with a smile. "That's what I was going to do anyway. Would you let her know if she asks?"

"Certainly."

"Thank you." Harry gave him a small smile before turning around to face the wolf painting. As soon as the little wolf cub saw that he was looking at them, he started yipping and howling excitedly, running around his parents' legs and pouncing up and down. Harry couldn't help but grin. "And hello to you too, Junior." The wolf cub yipped once more before turning around and dashing deep into the forest in the background, presumably to get one of the residents.

Harry turned to the child in his arms. "What do you say, cub, you want to visit with Remus, Tonks, and Teddy for a while?"

"Mo mike ooo am immy mab."

Harry nodded knowingly. "I don't like fighting with Ginny either. But you remember what we said a while back, don't you? It's perfectly normal to have arguments every once in a while."

_Yeah, well, __this__ argument is entirely __your__ fault!_ Sev scowled at Harry.

"Look, I promise Ginny and I will work it out later, okay? She and I just need to take some time off from each other for a bit to let off some steam."

Sev frowned and peered up at Harry with furrowed eyebrows. He didn't like the way Harry said 'time off'. _What was __that__ supposed to mean?_

"Just for a few hours, Sev."

The portrait hole swung open to reveal a tired-looking Remus clutching a cup of coffee in one hand and a soiled nappy in the other. Harry and Sev both peered at him with raised eyebrows. "I hope you're not intending to eat that, Remus."

The werewolf looked confused for a moment before he realized he was holding a dirty nappy. "Oh…Harry, shut up." He turned from the doorway and threw the dirty diaper into a nearby trashcan. Harry snorted and followed him in while Sev delighted in watching the waste receptacle gobble up the gunk.

"Ewwwww!"

"Teddy is nursing right now so I'm afraid there isn't much Sev can do at the moment." Remus pulled out a chair for Harry at table before heading to the sink to wash his hands. "You want some coffee?"

"I wouldn't mind, thank you." Harry nodded and looked around. "So…how's everything going? Did the Wolfsbane work well enough? You look like hell."

"Thanks." Remus snorted. "No, the Wolfsbane worked like a charm actually. Thank you, by the way. I woke up the next morning. It was like I hadn't transformed at all."

"So why do you look so tired?"

Remus looked up from the coffee he was mixing and sighed at the wall. "Dora and I just found out that Teddy has a dormant form of lycanthropy."

Sev looked slightly alarmed and Harry sat up in his chair. "Oh, no, Remus…"

"Don't worry!" The werewolf turned around and gave them a small, comforting smile. "Don't worry too much. It's not _that_…big of a deal. It doesn't actually _mean_ anything right now. It's like…being born with the gene to have brown eyes but instead you have green. It doesn't mean much. It's dormant, after all." He turned back to his stirring.

"But you wish he didn't have it to begin with." Harry conjectured.

"Well of course not! What kind of father would I be if I wished my illness on my own son?" Remus slid a cup over to him and handed him a banana for Sev to chew on as well before sitting down himself. "So…where's Ginny?"

Now it was Harry's turn to sigh. "We had a row."

Remus' eyebrows furrowed. "Really?"

"Haweh ie-dee-op!" Sev added as he nibbled on the edge of the banana Harry was holding out for him.

The werewolf raised an eyebrow. "You're an idiot?"

Harry shook his head and grimaced. "It's nothing. Well…it's _something_ but…I'm acting like it's nothing…and therefore that makes it _something_, to them, apparently."

Sev giggled and grinned at Remus. "Haweh ie-dee-op! Haweh IE-DEE-OP!"

"Okay, Severus, he gets the point!" Harry scowled at the table and stirred his coffee idly.

Remus looked confused. "Do I even want to know?"

"No, you don't."

Sev watched as the confusion on Remus' face slowly turned to quiet contemplation as the seconds ticked by. The werewolf took a sip of his coffee before setting it down on the table and addressing the cup rather than his friend. "Is it because I don't actually want to know…or is it because you don't want to tell me?" He peered at Harry from the corner of his eye.

Sev too looked up at his caretaker, curious as to what his answer would be.

Harry silently studied his coffee cup for several long minutes, picking at the invisible chinks on the sides and fingering the rim every now and then. Sev could tell he was a million miles away. "I don't really want to tell anyone, Remus." He finally murmured, his voice just above a whisper.

"And that's the crux of the matter now, isn't it?"

Harry didn't answer. He merely swallowed and turned away.

"You don't want to tell _anyone_."

"Moony—"

"Harry, if you're going to be in a relationship, especially with a girl like Ginny, _honesty_ is always the best policy."

"It's not that simple—"

"Oh, but it _is_ that simple. You're just making it more complicated."

"UH-HUH!" Sev began bouncing in his sling. He started jabbing Harry's chest pointedly. "Ooo fey! Ooo fey!"

Harry closed his eyes, leaned on the table, and started rubbing his wrinkled forehead. "What did I say?"

"Ooo mape com—cay—beb! OOO MAPE COM—CAY—BEB!"

"Alright, alright, cub. Okay." Harry absentmindedly began rubbing the infant's back. "'Things are only as complicated as you make them', I remember."

"Uh-huh." Sev sat back in his sling, satisfied that Harry got the message.

"Now I'm not going to pretend that I know what you're hiding from Ginny." Remus continued, "And I'm not going to ask, because that's your business. But, judging from your reaction, I'm guessing whatever it is you don't want to tell her takes even more strength to get out than it does to keep in." Harry shot him a bewildered look. Remus tried it from a different angle. "Harry…I know what you're trying to do. You're trying to appear strong." Sev glanced up at Harry's controlled face in surprise. "Whatever it is you're trying to keep inside—whatever it is you're hiding from Sev and Ginny—you think that by keeping it inside, that's what makes you a strong man." Remus surmised. "You want to be the foundation and foundations don't have cracks."

"Exactly." Harry replied through gritted teeth.

"But that's where you're _wrong_, Harry." Remus replied pointedly. "Foundations _can_ have cracks without the building collapsing because _good_ foundations are made of strong material. They can have cracks galore but still be able to hold their buildings up through a catastrophe, if need be. And you know why? Because the cracks in good foundations are superficial. They're on the outside. What really matters is _what they're made of_. Good foundations show their strength by doing their jobs well despite their weaknesses." Remus sat back in his chair and sipped his coffee. "As I said, it takes more _strength_ to get it out—to _show_ weakness—than it does to keep it in and hide it."

"Ah!" Sev agreed wholeheartedly, bouncing on Harry's lap and patting his chest. "Ah! AH! Ah! AH! **AH**! _Ah_!"

"Alright, Sev, okay. I get it." Harry groaned and leaned his elbow against the table, burying his face in his hand.

Five minutes later, the bouncing and the patting had yet to stop. "**Ah**! Ah! AH! AH! _**AH**_! Ah! _Ah_!"

Remus snickered behind a hand while Harry threw him a dirty look. "Severus, maybe you should give Harry a break, eh?"

"Mo. Ah! AH! _Ah_! _Ah_! AH! _**AH**_!"

"Harry?"

"He wants to know what it is I'm trying to hide from the pair of them." The teenager replied wearily, still rubbing his forehead with his hand. "And he probably won't stop until I tell him."

"Ah!" This time, both Remus and Severus said it together. Harry was becoming awfully sick of that sound.

"I have an idea!" The teenager exclaimed out of desperation. He pushed himself up and sat up straight in his chair. Sev was startled into momentary silence. "Why don't the pair of you help me start to plan for Ginny's surprise birthday party next month?"

"Bef-bay?" Sev peered up at Harry in confusion. _What in the devil is he talking about?!_

"It's Ginny's seventeenth birthday on August 11th. We have to make it special for her, don't we, Sev?"

The infant grinned. Planning a surprise birthday! That should be interesting, in the very least.

Wait…did that mean that they actually had to _go_ to the birthday party they planned? _Going to the Burrow and dealing with the Weasleys?_ Sev grimaced and sighed. The things he did for these people…

_

* * *

_

"Ginny?" Harry stuck his head through the doorway and looked around the living room and study.

"Over here, Harry." A voice called from the kitchen.

Sev peeked over and saw Ginny at the stove, sautéing something in a frying pan. "Immy!" He began bouncing in his sling.

"Hello, Angel." The teenager gave him a gentle smile before turning to her boyfriend. "Harry, can we talk about…the thing…later?"

Harry sighed but conceded. "Yeah." He replied, his voice quiet. "Yeah, we need to…talk about it."

"Thank you." And for the first time since the fight started, she gave Harry a small smile. "So what have you two been up to?"

The infant began bouncing in his sling. "Immy! Bef-bay!"

Harry hissed sharply and cleared his throat forcefully, peering at the infant with wide eyes.

Sev froze and gasped. _It's supposed to be a __surprise__, you idiot!_ "Ooop."

"What?" Ginny laughed at the exchange. "What did you say?"

"NOTHING!" "MUM-PING!" Both Harry and Sev exclaimed simultaneously.

Ginny threw her head back in laughter and turned back to her cooking. "Okay…if it was nothing." She looked the other way and muttered loud enough for them to hear, "I could've sworn I heard 'birthday'." From the corner of her eye, she saw Sev burrow into the folds of his sling. _Oh, he definitely said 'birthday'._ She chuckled internally. _Which reminds me…_"Harry, would you finish cooking this for me? I need to change Sev's clothes."

Harry and Sev both exchanged confused looks and peered down at the said clothing. "They look clean to me, Gin."

"Just…come on. Please?" Ginny beckoned him over.

Sev looked at Harry worriedly. The teenager leaned down and whispered as softly as he could. "Just try not to think about it, okay? If you don't think about it, you're less likely to blurt anything out. Secret, okay?"

Secret. Sev stuck his thumb in his mouth and began sucking. Yeah, maybe if he just kept this in his mouth the whole time, he could prevent himself from blurting out the secret about Ginny's surprise party. He was kicking himself for hinting at it just a second ago.

"Come on, Angel." Ginny lifted him out of the carrier and headed towards the bedroom.

_It's a secret! It's a secret! It's a secret! It's a secret! _Sev chanted in his head. _It's a secret that there's going to be chocolate pudding. It's a secret that we're going to bake Ginny's favorite cake from scratch. It's a secret that it's going to be held at the Burrow. It's a secret that Harry and I are going to make Ginny's birthday present together. _Sev increased the intensity of his thumb-sucking as Ginny closed the bedroom door behind them and placed silencing charms on it. _It's a secret that we're going to make her favorite foods._

"Alright, Sev,"

_It's a secret that—_

"I have a secret for you."

"BEF-BAY!" Sev exclaimed with a grin. Then, just as quickly, his eyes widened and he gasped. He slapped a little hand over his mouth and stared out into space, wide-eyed.

_What the devil is __wrong__ with you, man?! You were a __spy__ for god knows how long! You used to be able to keep secrets like no one in the world could; now you can't even keep a secret about a goddamn surprise party? Great Merlin! Focus, Severus, FOCUS! IT'S—A—__**SECRET**__!!!_

Ginny gave him a funny look and then grinned. "That's the second time you said 'birthday', honey."

Sev's wide eyes focused on her and he mumbled behind his little hand. "UH-UH!"

Ginny shoulders shook with silent laughter as she sat down on the edge of the bed. "Are you sure?"

"Uh-huh!" Sev nodded for good measure, still refusing to move his hand from his mouth.

"Okay, well…" Ginny gently but firmly moved his hand away from his mouth. "Anyway, as I was saying, I have a secret for you."

_Oh, she better not tell me 'cause, judging from the way I'm going, I might not be able to keep it. _

"Can you keep it?"

"Uh-huh!"

_I must be going insane! What comes out of my mouth by no means matches what goes on in my head!_

"I want to throw Harry a surprise party."

Sev paused. All thoughts suddenly fled his head and he gaped up at Ginny with a blank expression.

"He's turning eighteen at the end of the month, which is a big thing in the muggle world. Since Harry lives with a foot in both worlds, I think it'd be great if his eighteenth birthday would be as good as his seventeenth." Ginny smiled at Sev. "What do you think?"

Sev's shocked gaze turned inward and all he could think of was: _This is too good._ The infant felt a grin blossom on his face. _Oh, this is too, TOO good!_ The grin widened and giggles beganbubbling up from the bottom of his belly. The laugh sounded suspiciously evil.

Ginny grinned. "So…you like the idea?"

_Oh, if you only knew I was laughing __at__ you, not with you. You and Harry, both. _Sev nodded.

"Great! So this is what I was thinking…"

With a shake his head, Severus leaned back against Ginny's chest and paid attention.

_

* * *

_

"Harry?"

"Hmm?"

"We need to talk."

Severus didn't like the way Ginny sounded when she said that. Opening his eyes, the infant peeked around the bars of his crib to see what was going on. Harry and Ginny were standing on the other side of the room, by the rocking chair. He was leaning back against the side table; she was leaning against the back of the chair. He had his hands buried deep in his pockets. She had her arms crossed over the top of the chair. His eyes were focused on the carpet. Her eyes were focused on Harry.

"Go ahead, Ginny." The teen murmured softly.

Sev watched as Ginny studied her boyfriend for a long moment before she spoke, "I want you to be honest with me, Harry."

"I'll try, Gin."

"I want you to do more than try."

Harry leaned his head back and sighed at the ceiling. Sev saw his Adam's apple bob up and down as he swallowed. Harry's eyes were closed as he addressed his girlfriend. "What do you want me to say?"

"The truth."

"_As I said, it takes more strength to get it out—to show weakness—than it does to keep it in and hide it."_ Sev remembered Remus' words from earlier. He wondered if they were running through Harry's mind as well.

The teenager silently stared at Ginny. Sev imagined his eyes were a million miles away. "It's hard, Gin." He finally croaked, turning away from his girlfriend and resuming his vigil on the floor. The infant watched as his hands moved from his pockets to the edges of the side table, gripping the frame tightly.

"_Please_, Harry."

"You won't want to hear it, Ginny."

"_I'll_ decide if I want to hear or not!"

"By then it'll be too late now, wouldn't it?" Harry replied softly. Yet when his green eyes met her hazel, each pair was just as fiery and intense as the other.

"Harry," Ginny pushed away from the chair and took a step closer to her boyfriend. Her voice lowered to a whisper, but as it got lower, it intensified. "_Honesty_. I want you to be honest with me, Harry. Is that too much to ask?"

"Ginny—"

"Is it?!"

Harry glared at his girlfriend. "And if it is?" He hissed roughly.

Ginny stared at Harry for the longest time, her breaths coming in at shorter and shorter intervals. Sev could see her unshed tears glistening in the candlelight. "Don't make me choose, Harry." She whispered, her voice filled with pain.

Harry's head snapped up so quickly Sev was worried he'd get whiplash. "Choose between what?!" He asked sharply.

Ginny merely gazed at him.

Sev didn't know what Ginny meant, but Harry did, apparently, for he pushed himself up off the table and took a step closer to his girlfriend. "Ginny." He croaked, his voice now filled with just as much pain as hers.

"I am _not_ going to be in a relationship with a man who flat-out refuses to be honest with me!"

"It's _not_ about honesty!"

"Yes, it _**IS**_!" Ginny screamed in his face before stepping back and taking several deep breaths. "Yes, it is." She repeated, her voice calmer, more controlled.

"Not for me." Harry replied through gritted teeth, stepping back as well and resuming his former position.

Sev studied him as he glared at the carpet and gripped the edges of the side table so tightly his knuckles turned white. Half of Harry's face was bathed in light, the other half covered by shadow. The muscles in Harry's neck were taut. His entire back was tense. The infant could see beads of sweat on Harry's forehead glistening in the candlelight. He could also tell Harry's eyelashes were damp. _What could possibly be so bad he can't tell Ginny?_ Sev wondered. Harry could usually tell Ginny anything.

"Then what is this about for you?" She asked, her voice betraying her frustration.

Harry sighed and replied wearily, looking Ginny straight in the eye, "I don't want you to see me as a monster."

_A monster? A __monster__?! How absolutely preposterous!_ Sev could never see Harry as a monster. He couldn't even see Harry as a monster back when he _hated_ Harry! _**I**__ was the monster back then. _The infant recalled with a grimace. He did bad things, _horrible_ things back then! Harry never did any of the things that he did. Harry could never be a monster like he used to be. Never, never, never, not-in-a-billion-years ever!

"Harry, I would never see you as a monster." Ginny replied gently, stepping closer to her boyfriend.

"You would if you knew." Harry's voice was filled with pain; a horrible, heart-wrenching, agonizing pain that cut deep into the soul.

"Knew _what_, Harry?"

"I killed a man, Ginny!" The teenager cried, finally meeting his girlfriend's gaze, his eyes filled with tears. "I _killed_ him! I killed him with my bare hands." A rogue tear broke free of the dam and quickly trailed down his face.

To say Severus was shocked would've been an understatement. _Harry __killed__ a man? Harry killed a man with his __bare hands__?_ Sev didn't know what to think! There had to be an explanation for this, some kind of logical reason.

Sev watched as Ginny hesitated ever so slightly before reaching out and gently pulling Harry closer to her by the edges of his shirt. "Who did you kill, Harry?" She asked, her voice laced not with fear, but with concern.

Harry swallowed and whispered his reply, "Fenrir Greyback."

Both Sev and Ginny simultaneously breathed huge sighs of relief. The infant smiled. He _knew_ he could never see Harry as a monster. Never, never, never! Then he paused as his thoughts turned back to Harry. _Wait…he's regretting this __why__?!_

"Harry, you're not a monster for killing Greyback. Greyback was a monster that you killed!" Ginny argued.

Sev wanted to cry 'Ah!' in agreement but remembered he was eavesdropping and thus pretending to be asleep. If he made a sound now, they would know he was awake and he wouldn't be able to effectively eavesdrop anymore. _Shhh! Better stay quiet…!_

"He was still a _man_, Gin!" Harry retorted.

"He was _no longer_ a man."

"Yes, he was."

"He was an _animal_, Harry! He was _the_ animal that bit Remus!"

"Are you so sure that he was an animal?" Harry asked suddenly, his voice quiet and weary. "Are you so sure man is not?"

"Harry—"

"Are you so sure that _you_ can kill an animal? That you can hold its neck between _your_ hands…and still _see_ an animal?" Harry voice was so full of hurt that Sev began feeling a ghostly pain in his chest just from listening to him. "Are you so sure that you can look into the eyes of a dying man…with the power of God in your hands…and judge whether this _thing_ that you're dangling over the depths of hell is an animal and not a man? Or a man and not an animal? Are you so sure…that in those last few seconds of life…that they're both not one in the same?"

Ginny studied her boyfriend's watery eyes. They were so far away right now. So far…

Wordlessly, she pulled him closer and began unbuttoning his shirt.

"Animal or man, Ginny, I killed him." Harry continued, his voice just above a whisper. "He begged me, he pleaded with me, he cried like only a man could cry." Harry's breath hitched, but he continued regardless. "He squealed like only an animal could squeal." He stared into Ginny's eyes as she ran her hands down his arms and tossed away his shirt. "He scratched, and he bucked, and I _squeezed_…and not an _ounce_ of me cared!"

"Oh, yes it did."

"No, it didn't!" Harry's voice cracked in the middle of his retort.

"If it didn't, you would be having a breakdown right now."

"I'm not having a breakdown!" His voice cracked yet again and the tears began spilling from his eyes.

Ginny ran her hands down his smooth, bare chest and leaned against him. Harry turned away. "Show me, Harry."

The teenager took a deep, shuddering breath and turned his gaze towards the crib. There, gleaming in the candlelight, were two obsidian eyes, watching him with such an intensity it took his breath away.

"…_cracks in good foundations are superficial. They're on the outside. What really matters is what they're made of…" _Remus' words from earlier flew into his mind, no doubt Sev's unconscious doing._ "…Good foundations show their strength by doing their jobs well despite their weaknesses…"_ Harry knew immediately what he had to do.

Turning back, Harry looked deep into Ginny's eyes, focused his energy, and consciously dropped his glamour.

Ginny and Sev watched as angry red scars, too numerous to count, suddenly appeared all over Harry's front, back, and upper arms. They were shaped like short, jagged lines and they came in sets of three, four or five. They crisscrossed each other over his chest, his abdomen, and his upper arms. From what Sev could gather, they looked liked scratch marks!

"Greyback's doing." Harry murmured softly as Ginny fingered each of the scars. "We found ourselves stuck in a cave, fighting to the death. He didn't have his wand. I didn't have mine. I was desperate. I wasn't thinking straight. My magic was erratic. Sometimes it would work. Sometimes it wouldn't. He wouldn't give up until he snatched me…and I wouldn't let him." Harry swallowed. "And then he tried to bite me…" he looked deep into Ginny's eyes, "…and an animal took over."

"Took over you."

"YES!" Harry hissed and gulped again. "I suddenly became _so_ proficient at wandless magic; I no longer needed a wand after that. I threw him against the wall. I was on him. I blinked and my hands were around his neck." Harry took a deep, shuddering breath and turned his gaze towards the ceiling. He could feel Ginny moving around him to check out the scars on his back. "And I _squeezed_, Ginny! I watched in _delight_ as the light left his eyes, and all I could think of was that I was ridding the world of such an evil monster."

Sev watched as Ginny slowly ran her hands down Harry's scarred back.

"And I didn't even look back, Ginny! He died and I just walked away." Harry screwed his eyes shut tightly and Sev saw a teardrop drip off his chin. "And now every night it haunts my dreams. And every night the monster becomes more and more a man. Now I can't even tell the difference." Sev watched as Ginny encircled his waist from behind and kissed his scarred back. "I killed him…in _cold blood_, Ginny!" Harry's head dropped and Sev couldn't remember seeing someone look more defeated in his life. "I'm no better than Voldemort."

"Shhh!" Ginny's arms tightened around Harry's waist. "Don't say that! _Don't_ say that!" She chided. "You are infinitely better than Voldemort! _Voldemort_ killed in cold blood. _You_ are no cold-blooded killer. Look at yourself, Harry! You _feel_…and _that's_ what makes the difference!"

And Severus realized Ginny was right. Harry was always the better man between him and Voldemort. Even if magic was written out of the equation, Harry would have come out the stronger man hands down. Harry allowed himself to _feel_—even for his enemies—and that's what defined his strength.

Back when Severus was in school, feelings were weaknesses. To show feeling meant you were weak and incapable of doing what was necessary to get the job done. Yet Severus knew different now. Harry and Ginny just showed him that. It takes much more strength to feel than it does to remain detached. It takes a stronger man to face the regret a weaker man would block out. It takes a stronger man to cry for his enemies in addition to his friends. It takes a stronger man to show his vulnerabilities to the two people in the world he wanted most to hide them from.

Sev watched as Harry finally broke down into tears and crumpled to the floor. He watched as Ginny wrapped him in her arms and rocked him back and forth, whispering calming noises in his ear. Sev watched as all the cracks in his foundation appeared before his eyes. Yet Sev was _not_ worried. He knew what this foundation was made of. He knew this foundation had a lot more strength within him than he gave himself credit for. He knew that, despite all the cracks, Harry could hold him up through a catastrophe, if need be. In Severus' eyes, Harry was the strongest man in the _world_ and _nothing_ was going to change that!

Turning away from the heart-wrenching scene, Severus closed his eyes and smiled. Now he knew what _real_ strength was. Now he knew where _real_ strength came from.

The crying died down more and more as the minutes passed and Severus' consciousness slipped further and further away from him.

"Ginny?"

"Yes?"

"There's one more thing…"

Yet Severus never heard what that one more thing was, for by then he was off to the land of nod.

* * *

**Oooooo! There's one more thing! What could it be? What could it be? ;-P**

**Next up, Sev shows signs of having some jealousy issues, leaving Harry torn about whether he should just ignore it or nip it in the bud straight away; oh...and baby reaches an important milestone! ;-)**

***Sigh* I'm tired of sounding like a broken record, so just ditto on all the THANK YOUs and the "please don't be a stranger"s from all the chapters previous to this. Lol! I just repeated myself again. :-) **


	23. Pitch Black and Pearly White

"Peb-by!" Sev squealed from where he sat on the carpet, waving a bright red donut-shaped plastic toy in his hands.

"Ah! Ha, ha, ha, ha! Ah!" Teddy laughed in his bouncer as the seat swung up and down.

"Peb-by!"

"Ah! Ha, ha, ha, ha! Ah!"

The boys were on the floor of the den, playing on the carpet, while Harry worked on lesson plans and brushed up on defense techniques at his desk.

"Peb-by!"

"Ah! Ha, ha, ha, ha! Ah!"

"Peb-by!"

"Ah! Ha, ha, ha, ha! Ah!"

"Peb-by!"

"Ah! Ha, ha, ha, ha! Ah!'

Harry threw the parchment he was trying to read back onto the desk and buried his face in his hands.

"Peb-by!"

"Ah! Ha, ha, ha, ha! Ah!"

"Peb-by!"

"Ah! Ha, ha, ha, ha! Ah!"

"Peb-by!"

"Ah! Ha, ha, ha, ha! Ah!"

Harry moved his head downward so that his arms covered his ears and he laced his fingers behind his head, hoping to block out all sounds.

"Peb-by!"

"Ah! Ha, ha, ha, ha! Ah!"

"Peb-by!"

"Ah! Ha, ha, ha, ha! Ah!"

"Peb-by!"

"Ah! Ha, ha, ha, ha! Ah!"

"Boys!" Harry shot around in his chair and called the babies' attentions to him. The repetitive noises abruptly stopped, much to his relief. Harry took a deep breath, cleared his throat, and put a smile on his face. "Sev…why don't you work on a letter puzzle right now, eh? Let Peb—_Teddy_ play on his own for a little bit? I'm sure he's dying to explore some of those stuffed toys hanging on his bouncer."

"Mo. Peb-by!"

"Ah! Ha, ha, ha, ha! Ah!"

Harry groaned and began rubbing his forehead with his hand.

"Peb-by!"

"Ah! Ha, ha, ha, ha! Ah!"

Harry picked up a quill and tried to jot down the prompt for the essay he wanted the fourth years to write over the winter holiday. He got through two words before,

"Peb-by!"

"Ah! Ha, ha, ha, ha! Ah!"

Harry threw down the quill and leaned back in his chair, rubbing his face with his hands. _This is hopeless._ "Alright!" The teenager raised his arms in an 'I surrender' fashion and sighed as he stood up from his desk. "You win! Fine!" After pushing his chair in, Harry threw himself on the soft carpet next to Sev. The baby grinned down at him before giggling madly. "There! I can play. What do you want to do?"

"AH! Ha, ha, ha, ha! COO!"

"Teddy bear!" Harry grinned up at his godson and the infant smiled down at him as he continued to bounce. "What you doing there, Teddy bear? Eh? What are you up to?"

"Mmm BA!"

"Mmm BA!" Harry imitated, scooting himself over so that he now lay down between the boys.

"Haweh!"

"Yes, sir?" Harry turned his attention to the scowling infant on his right. "Hey…what's with the face?"

"Mo!" Sev crawled closer to Harry and tapped his side. The teenager immediately moved his arm and Sev burrowed into his side.

"O…kay." Harry wrapped his arm around the now-clingy baby and frowned as he eyed the top of Sev's head. "I thought you wanted to play?"

"Pay!" It was like someone flipped a switch. Sev immediately smiled, rolled over onto Harry's arm, and began to crawl towards his head.

Harry chuckled. "Something's definitely gotten into you today." He murmured to himself. Turning his attention back to the bouncing baby on top of him, Harry grinned at the infant. "Teddy bear!"

"Ha, ha, ha, ha!"

"_Teddy Bear_!"

"Haweh! Haweh! Haweh!" Sev began slapping him on the chest.

"Hey, hey, hey! Relax!" Harry rubbed Sev's head and leaned up to give him a kiss on the temple. "What's going on?"

"Pay!" The infant whined.

"Okay." Harry chuckled. "Okay. What do you want to play?"

Sev grunted and began reaching for a toy just past Harry's head. "Mmmm! Mmmm!" He wanted to get his stuffed lion cub. Sev wanted Harry to make it do funny faces and dance around again like last time. Now that he finally got Harry to stop working and pay attention to him, he wanted to do all the fun stuff with him. All he had to do right now was get his stuffed cub! "Mmmm! Mmmm!" Sev stretched out all his limbs as far as they could go in order to reach his toy. His little toes were pointed outward and his tiny fingers were stretched to their limits. Sev could feel the fabric of his toy on the tips of his fingers. Just…a little…closer…!

"Teddy bear!"

"Ha, ha, ha, ha!"

"Mo!" No! No, no, no, no, no, no, no! Harry was supposed to be playing with _him_! With _him_—Severus—_not_ Teddy! Harry wasn't supposed to be playing with Teddy. No way! Harry was supposed to be playing with Severus! "Haweh!" Sev began patting him on the shoulder, trying to get his attention. "Haweh!"

"Yeah, cub. Yeah, I know."

Sev bit his little lip with his toothless gums. He glanced towards his stuffed lion, just out of reach. Then he glanced back towards Harry, who was now reaching up to flick one of Teddy's stuffed toys with his finger. He peered at his stuffed lion again; still out of reach. Then he peered back at Harry, who was now making funny faces at the three-month-old. Then back at the stuffed lion. Then back at Harry. Then back at the lion. Then back at Harry. Lion. Harry. Lion. Harry. Lion. Harry. _Argh!_

_Hang the stupid lion!_

"HAWEH!" Severus screamed at the top of his lungs before breaking down into tears.

"Hey! Hey! Whoa, whoa!" Harry turned away from his godson and scooped Severus into his arms. "Hey! What's going on here?" The infant screamed into his chest, sounding incredibly distressed, and Harry sat up in an effort to comfort him better. "Sev?"

"Sounds like somebody's getting a bit J-E-A-L-O-U-S to me." The man on the easy chair, with his feet up on the coffee table (which Ginny had specifically forbidden), commented from behind his Quidditch magazine.

Harry threw his godfather a dirty look. "Would you come over here and _help_, please?" He practically ordered as he struggled to climb to his feet.

"No, thank you, I'm fine." Sirius replied sardonically as he flipped the page.

"Sirius!"

"Alright, alright, I'm coming." The animagus threw the magazine aside and sauntered over to help Harry to his feet.

"Thank you." The teenager instantly began dancing around the room, trying to calm the infant who was still bawling against his robes.

"You know, that kid had quite the pair of lungs on him. You'd have never been able to tell it was Severus." Sirius smirked and reached down to lift Teddy out of his bouncer. "And how's my little wolf cub doing today, eh? Did the jealous little boy take your godfather away from you, huh?" Sirius turned back to face his own godson. "He'll grow out of it, Harry, don't worry. Just don't let it get _too_ far, okay?" And with that, Sirius settled back down on Harry's couch, content with keeping Teddy entertained as Harry dealt with his own little 'bundle of (loud, teary, snotty) joy'.

"Sev?" Harry whispered into the infant's ear. "Sev, come on, cub, what's going on? What's wrong?"

"Meh!"

"_You_?!" Harry's eyes widened in alarm. Laying a hand on the back of Severus' head, the teenager ran all the medical diagnostics he could think of on the baby. They all came back clean. "Do you feel sick? Is that it? Does it hurt anywhere? Do you feel nauseous?"

Sev pushed up against his chest and scowled at him. "Mo! Meh!" The child began patting his chest. "Meh, Haweh! Meh!" He tried to discreetly glance over Harry's shoulder towards the couch, but the teenager caught him in the act.

Turning to follow his gaze, Harry's eyes met with his smug-looking godfather's. "What did I tell you? Jay-Lucy."

_Jay-Lucy? _Sev rolled his eyes. _Really?! If that's his way of discreetly saying 'jealousy', he's a moron! _The infant blew raspberries at Sirius.

"Alright, alright, come now, Sev." Harry began walking towards Sirius and, by consequence, Teddy.

"MO!" Severus squealed.

Harry faltered mid-step. _Oh, for the love of Merlin…!_ Spinning around, Harry began walking in the opposite direction and the infant immediately began to calm down. "Oh, Severus." Harry sighed. "Padfoot, do you mind watching the other cub for a bit?"

"Mo! Mo cub! _Meh_ cub!" Sev poked Harry's chest with his finger, making it absolutely clear who the term 'cub' referred to.

"Yeah, sure thing, Harry."

"Thanks." As Harry retrieved Sev's teething snitch from the fridge, he wondered whether or not the jealousy would go away on its own if he just ignored it for now.

"Meh cub! MEH CUB, HAWEH!"

"Yes! Yes, you're my cub. Relax!" Harry ran his fingers through Sev's baby hair and kissed him gently on the temple. "Calm down. You're my cub."

Sev grabbed a fistful of Harry's robe and stuck it in his mouth while he listened to his caretaker's heartbeat. Yes, that was right. _He_ was the cub. _He_, Severus, was the cub. Teddy wasn't the cub. Sev was the cub. Teddy was…er…the other cub? No! NO! Sev was the cub! Teddy wasn't the cub. Sev was the cub! Then if Sev was the cub, what was Teddy?

_Oy! I'm getting a headache._ A voice groaned at the back of his head.

Teddy was Remus' kid. Remus was a wolf; which made Teddy a cub. _But I'M the cub!_

"Or how about this, Sev," Harry interrupted his thoughts. "You're _my_ cub—the lion cub, and Teddy is Remus' cub—the wolf cub. How's that? This way, you can _both_ be cubs."

"Mo!" Sev pointed to his little chest. "Meh cub! _Meh_!"

Harry sighed and headed for the door. "Padfoot, we're going to take a walk."

"Sure thing!" Sirius replied, continuing to make funny faces at the baby on his knee.

"Let Ginny know when she gets back."

"Uh-huh!"

"Enjoy your walk, Sir Henry, Master Severus." Merlin wished them as he closed the portrait hole behind them.

"_Meh_ cub, Mewmew! _MEH_ cub!" Severus noisily informed the paining.

"Absolutely, Master Severus." The old wizard agreed wholeheartedly.

"Come on, cub, I want to show you something." Harry murmured into his ear.

Severus gnawed on his teething snitch and listened to Harry's heartbeat as the teenager walked them up the moving staircase. _Teddy's not the cub. I'm the cub. Teddy's not the cub. I'm the cub. Teddy's not the cub. I'm the—_

"Have you ever heard of the Room of Requirement, Sev?" Harry asked, interrupting his thoughts.

_The Room of what?_ Sev peered up at Harry inquisitively.

"The Room of Requirement." Harry repeated. "It's an enchanted room in Hogwarts that only appears when a person is in great need of it, and can be molded into practically any room they want it to be. And the best part—it come _equipped_ with everything they could possibly need while they're using it." He explained. "That's where all the Dumbledore's Army meetings were held three years ago. If the Room of Requirement is occupied, it will only allow you in if you know _specifically_ how its occupants are using the room. If you don't know that, then you're locked out for sure. That's how Filch and Umbridge and the Inquisitorial Squad went so long without catching us. The Room of Requirement wouldn't allow them in." Harry turned into the seventh floor corridor. "The Room is also where Neville and other DA members hid out for a few weeks before the Battle of Hogwarts; and it's also the place through which the students escaped and the cavalry entered."

_So __that's__ how everyone went in and out of the castle undetected!_ Sev's eyes widened. _And __that's__ where Longbottom disappeared to when he went missing!_ Severus recalled how worried he had been when he heard that Longbottom had gone missing. He was afraid one of the younger Death Eaters in the school, or even one of the older ones on the faculty, had done something to him and was keeping it quiet. Severus had enough blood on his hands at that point. He didn't care for more. And the worry only intensified when he began getting reports of more and more resistance students going missing. He thought he was going to have to blow his cover if only to find out what happened to them!

_But they were hiding right under our noses the entire time. _Sev shook his head as he marveled at the audacity of such young people. _Undermining the…Vol—Voldemort's regime…_Sev flinched at his own audacity in forcing himself to start referring to Voldemort by name…_Recruiting for their side, despite the threats to life, limb, and family…_Sev cringed when he recalled how he himself made some of those threats (however fake they may have been)…_Swallowing the fear and actively fighting for their beliefs, even if such resistance meant death…_Sev wondered briefly how happy they were, fighting for a side that they believed in whole-heartedly. He wondered if, despite the pain from the Carrows' beatings, Longbottom slept better than he, Severus, did during that year of open war. _And why wouldn't he? His body may have been in pain, but his soul was unburdened. Despite the oppression, he was free. _

Sev wondered why _he_ didn't wish to fight openly during the war. He wondered why he chose to fight in the shadows, where he couldn't really help people or encourage them to keep on fighting. _Because you were a __spy__, stupid!_ Sev made a face and blew raspberries into Harry's shirt. _Spying is stupid!_ If they gave him the choice now, he most likely would've chosen to fight openly; to be the inspiration for people, to be the hope. He would've chosen the beatings over the burden. He would've chosen the real power of loyalty through trust rather than the fake power of loyalty through fear. _Voldemort was a liar!_ Sev made a face and blew raspberries into Harry's shirt once again. _A cold, cruel, sweet-talking liar who preyed on the people who needed the light the most! He took them out of the gutter and gutted their souls even more._ Sev could feel cold fury bubbling in the pit of his stomach.

"Sev, is there a reason you're spitting all over my robes?" Harry asked, partially amused.

"Bo-mo, BA-MA!"

Harry was so shocked, he froze in his tracks. _Did he just say 'Voldemort'?_ He peered down at the infant, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "What did you say, cub?"

"Bo-mo, _BA_-MA!"

_That's what I thought you said._ Harry grinned. Severus had just called Voldemort by his name for the first time ever! Harry was so proud. He hugged the child close and gave him a kiss on the head. "That's right! Voldemort was a bad man."

"Bo-mo, BA-MA!" Sev mirrored his caretaker's smile.

Harry chuckled elatedly as he approached the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy. "Voldemort was a bad man."

"BO-MO BA-MA! BO-MO BA-MA! **BO-MO BA-MA**!" The infant screamed at the ceiling, before dissolving into giggles along with the teenager. Soon, the seventh floor corridors echoed with the sounds of laughter.

"Yes, he most certainly was." Harry ran his fingers through Sev's baby hair as he paced up and down the corridor three times. He didn't know what brought this latest outburst on, but he liked it. It meant Sev was getting rid of his old ideals and adopting new ones, and to Harry that was a good sign.

Suddenly, a rumbling sound filled the air, startling Severus into silence and causing him to bury his face in Harry's robes. "Easy there, cub," Harry chuckled. "It's only the Room of Requirement opening for us." He nudged the infant with his shoulder and inclined his head towards the wall.

Sev peeked out from behind Harry's lapel and his eye widened as he watched an ornate doorway grow out of what used to be a plain old wall. Pushing up against Harry's chest, he watched the doorway crack, groan, and snap until everything stopped moving and the rumbling died down altogether.

"Severus Snape," Harry had a smirk on his face as he pushed the door open and walked in. "Welcome to the headquarters of Dumbledore's Army."

The room they entered was big, but not too big; about twice the size of a large dormitory common room, Severus reckoned. It was rectangular, with three large windows in the far wall, offering breathtaking views of the Hogwarts landscape.

As Harry walked them into the room, Sev noted that two of the walls—the one behind them and the one in front of them—were nearly completely lined with bookcases, filled to the brim with leather-bound books and journals on defense and the dark arts. On the right wall, a long table stood in one empty corner, next to a group of shelves filled with potions ingredients. Three cauldrons were stacked on one end of the table, while cutting tools, gloves, pestles, mortars, quills, ink, parchment, and potions books were littered about the rest of it. Further down the wall was a large, full-length mirror--much like the ones found in muggle dance studios--that spanned from the potions section to a large open cabinet in the opposite corner. Inside the cabinet stood several wooden dummies with strange faces and targets painted on their chests. All of them except one looked like they rolled about on wheels.

Next to the dummy section on the far wall, before the line of bookshelves started, stood several shelves which housed various odd instruments. Some of the instruments looked to be for the purpose of detecting dark magic and wizards, some looked unfinished, while others looked finished but their purpose remained unknown to Severus. Littered on the floor in front of the instrument shelves were bean bags, bowl chairs, and comfortable-looking cushions that appeared to have been used quite often.

Attached to the far wall, above the bookshelves and the windows, were two large banners. Their vibrant colors attracted the eye of everyone who stepped foot into the room, reminding all as to the purpose of this sacred space. The banner directly across the door read:

_Dumbledore's Army_

While the one further down the wall broadcasted the group's slogan:

_Live free or die!_

"So…what do you think?" Harry asked hesitantly. Sev's head had yet to stop swiveling from one end of the room to the other. He had stopped them in the middle of the dueling area so that Severus could get a good look around. "The Twins called it my 'War Room', and I supposed that's what it was during the war."

Sev was only paying him half an ear, preferring to explore the new space with his eyes. When he caught sight of the far left wall, though, he stopped paying attention altogether. "Haweh!" He gasped.

"Yes? What?" Harry spun around to follow his gaze and smiled. "Ah, yes…my war board."

And a war board it was indeed. The entire left wall of the room was covered in cork and made up one giant bulletin board. At the very top of the board were three medium-sized banners that divided the wall into three evenly-spaced sections—Dumbledore on the left, Riddle on the right, and a question mark in between them. As Harry approached the board, Sev saw that the Riddle section of the board had magical pictures of Death Eaters arranged under its banner in neat little rows. The pictures appeared to have been taken candidly, for each Death Eater was dressed in their regular clothing and looked to be going about their everyday business. Under each picture was a little banner giving the name of the Death Eater, and along the sides were small pieces of scrap paper with scribbles on them.

"Wha dap?" Sev asked, pointing to one of the scraps of paper attached to Lucius Malfoy's picture.

"That," Harry replied with a wistful smile, "is a little bit of inside information on Lucius Malfoy that may or may not be useful some day. In fact, _all_ these scrap notes," Harry stepped back and gestured to all the scrap notes attached to all the pictures on the board, "are tidbits of information on people that myself and members of the DA have collected over the years. Look!" Harry approached Malfoy's picture once again and pointed to a small stamp on the corner of the picture that read _Marked_. "That means he's been branded with the Dark Mark." He pointed to one of the longer pieces of scrap paper, "This is his daily routine. I guarantee you, now that the war's over, he'll go back to this very same routine, which makes everything easier for us because it makes him predictable." He pointed to another scrap, "And if he's as predictable as we think he is, _this_ tells us how long he has until his money runs out from the bribery he does every day."

_Thirty-two years and four months?_ Sev's eyes widened. _That's not that long. Lucius must be getting desperate by now then. I know he was spending money like crazy this entire year, trying to get back in Voldemort's "good graces"._ Sev scoffed. _As if that existed._

"The same goes for his son Draco." Harry pointed to the boy's picture. "He's marked, allergic to shrimp, has insecurity issues, sees a mind healer that his father doesn't know about, and has had a drinking problem since he was fourteen that he hides rather well."

_A drinking problem?_ Sev was shocked. _Draco?!_ He was having a hard time believing it. _I watched him throughout his Hogwarts career. I spent __most__ of my time watching him throughout that whole debacle with Dumbledore two years ago. How was it that I never noticed this?!_

"Uh-uh!" Severus argued, pointing to the scrap of paper that read he had a drinking problem. "Mo dink. Mo dink!"

"Oh, yes, drink." Harry replied calmly. "He does it away from prying eyes—alone, with his curtains drawn, in his bed, or somewhere else equally as private." Harry pointed to Draco's eyes. "But that's how you can tell. His eyes are bloodshot in the morning. Sometimes his hands shake so badly he has to keep them hidden under the table, else leave the room entirely. After that, I don't see him for the rest of the day. He sweats excessively at times, appears confused at others, and has little ticks that indicate he's hallucinating. All of these are signs of alcohol withdrawal and indicate a build-up of alcohol tolerance, which indicates alcohol abuse. Trust me, I know. My uncle had a drinking problem too."

_Of course he did._ Sev grimaced. _Your uncle should be shot with a muggle gun…in the face._

"And it goes on like that for the rest of the board." Harry continued to explain. "This was our resource during the war years. This is how we knew who in the school were Death Eaters, who were being recruited, and who were being targeted for recruiting. That way, the members of the DA could effectively prevent the recruitment of Death Eaters by actively recruiting those being targeted to _our_ side before the junior Death Eaters got to them."

_Dear Merlin!_ Sev's eyes widened. This really _was_ a war room! Potter and his DA members fought a silent war against the junior Death Eaters within the walls of Hogwarts just as Dumbledore and the Order fought a noisy war against the adults outside of it. _And this all went on under my nose?! Some spy __I__ made! _

"And this is Dumbledore's half of the board." Harry said, walking over. "Those two panorama pictures were taken by Aberforth in his pub. The one on top is of the first Order of the Phoenix—Sirius gave that picture to me, and the one on the bottom is of the DA. And, of course, you have your standard solo pictures with names and tidbits of info. These status stamps indicate whether or not a person is in the Order or the Army, whether they're being trained or being recruited, that sort of thing."

Harry moved over to the question mark category, where _large_ amounts of scrap paper (Sev saw entire rolls of parchment) were tacked next to a single familiar picture. "And, of course, there's you."

Sev scowled and blew raspberries at the entire section in general.

"Yes," Harry chuckled, "You were the subject of a hot debate in this room. We had a running bet going on you as to whose side you were actually on."

Sev blew more raspberries at the picture and the stupid little papers.

"But you don't need to see all that. Come along!" Harry began walking away, but Sev merely pulled himself over his shoulder and continued to blow raspberries at his section of the board. "Come on, Sev…"

_Bfffffft!_

_Bfffffft!_

_**BFFFFFFFT**__!!!_

"Alright, that's enough." Harry settled them on one of the bowl chairs and turned it away so that Sev no longer had a view of the offending board.

"Mo wike dap!" Sev tipped his head up and scowled at his caretaker.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Which one?"

"Dap. Dap! _Dap_! _**Dap**_!" Sev began to point in the direction of the bulletin board but stopped, thinking that might not be clear enough for Harry. Instead, he settled for pointing to his left forearm, where his Dark Mark used to be. "Dap! Dap! Dap!"

Harry nodded and gave him a kiss on the head. "Okay. Alright! I get it. I know that, cub."

"Mmmm…" Sev smiled and settled against Harry's chest, happy that he got his point across.

And then that's when he saw it.

"Haweh!" Sev gasped, bouncing on Harry's lap and pointing straight ahead. "Dap!"

Harry raised an eyebrow and followed the tiny finger. "What?"

"Dap! Dap! Dap!"

The teenager was confused. "The mirror?"

"Go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go!"

"You want to look in the _mirror_?!"

"GO! GO! GO!"

Harry shook his head and shrugged. "Alright…but I'm not getting up until an extra word is added to that sentence."

"Go, pea?" Sev threw in his puppy dog eyes for good measure.

Harry chuckled, sat Sev on one arm, and stood up, heading for the large mirror. Sev began bouncing on his arm as soon as he got close enough to touch the reflection in the mirror. "Who's that handsome devil over there, eh?"

Sev grinned. The baby in the mirror grinned back.

Sev laughed. The baby in the mirror laughed back.

_Why is this so bloody entertaining?!_ A voice grumbled in the back of his head.

"You want to give Sev a kiss?"

Sev blinked and then turned a raised eyebrow at Harry. _Oh, please, do you actually think I'm so vain as to want to give myself a kiss?!_ The voice spat in his head.

"Alright, a bit too much, I know." Harry smirked and then shrugged. "But the least you can do is return his wave, don't you think?" The teenager's eyes shone as he inclined his head towards the mirror.

Sev furrowed his eyebrows in confusion before checking his reflection once again. To his utmost surprise, the infant in the mirror was smiling and waving at him with both hands!

_What in Merlin's name…?!_

Sev glanced down at his hands and found them still gripping Harry's robes, just as he left them. A glance at his reflection, however, claimed otherwise.

_TAP! TAP! TAP!_ Reflection Sev knocked on the glass to get his attention and smiled at his shocked face before resuming his waving.

Sev turned his bewildered eyes towards Harry, but the teenager merely gave him a mysterious smile and flicked his eyes towards the mirror.

_TAP! TAP! TAP!_ Mirror Sev was beckoning him closer.

"Mo!" Sev squealed before burying his face in Harry's robes.

"Aw, come on, cub, he's not that bad." Harry replied, sounding amused. He kissed the tip of Sev's bright red ear before stepping closer to the mirror.

_TAP! TAP! TAP!_ Sev peeked out from behind Harry's lapel to find mirror Sev smiling at him and beckoning him to touch the hand he was holding flat against the mirror. Sev frowned.

"Look, cub." Harry tapped on the palm of mirror Sev's hand and the reflected infant grinned and began tapping the glass with his palm. _Tap! Tap! Tap!_

"There, see? You want to give it a try?" Harry whispered into his hair.

_TAP! TAP! TAP!_

"How are you doing there, Sev?" Harry asked the reflection. "You look like you're having fun. Is that fun?" Sev's frown deepened. Harry tapped the mirror with his finger and the mirror Sev giggled and tapped back.

_No!_ "MO!" Sev pushed up suddenly from Harry's chest and scowled at his reflection. _Harry's supposed to be playing with me!_ "MEH!" He began slapping mirror Sev with his hand and screaming at him. "Meh! Meh! Meh! Meh! MEH!"

"Hey, hey, _relax_, cub!" Harry replied, stepping away from the mirror and disenchanting Sev's reflection.

_BFFFFFFFFT!_

"Sev, really! What has gotten into you today?"

"Mo peh heh. MEH!" The infant whined, frowning at his caretaker.

"Really?" Harry raised an eyebrow at him. "You're jealous of your own reflection?" He asked dryly.

Sev merely turned back and blew raspberries at his reflection.

Harry rolled his eyes and sighed. Turning away from the mirror, he began to dance Sev listlessly around the room. "So let me get this straight. You don't love yourself enough to give yourself a kiss, but you do hate yourself enough to feel jealous of yourself. Does that sound about right?"

Sev stuck his thumb in his mouth and began sucking fervently as he listened to Harry's comforting heartbeat.

"It was only a joke, Sev. I thought you'd have loved interacting with yourself."

"Mo!" Sev retorted around his thumb as he gripped Harry's robes tightly in his little fist and pulled them closer to himself. "Mo wike! Peh meh!"

"I _am_ playing with you, cub!"

"Peh meh, peh meh, peh me, Haweh." Sev chanted quietly as he shifted against Harry's chest.

The teenager sighed and began walking towards one of the windows on the far wall. Pushing it open, he stepped over the ledge and onto the balcony that Sev failed to notice a while ago. "Come now, cub. What's with all this jealousy all of a sudden, eh?"

Harry took a seat on one of the deck chairs the DA had kept there and extended it so that it lay virtually flat. He then laid Severus on his chest and smiled as the infant pushed himself up and peered down at him curiously. A strong gust of summer wind blew by, making some of Sev's baby hair fly in different directions, and Harry reached up to straighten it out. "So…what's going on in that head of yours, huh?"

"Peh meh, Haweh!" The infant replied, patting Harry lightly on the chest and peering at him through wide eyes. "Peh meh!"

Harry shut his eyes and smiled at the morning sun. "Okay, cub…Here I am! What do you wanna play?"

"Woaw!" Sev whined. "Woaw! Woaw!"

"You want to play with your lion cub?" Harry raised an eyebrow as the infant nodded. "That's back in our quarters. You want to go back down?"

"MO!" Sev gripped Harry's robes tightly and laid his head back down on his chest, listening for the heartbeat.

"Well, then—" Harry groaned in frustration and wrapped his arms around Sev to shield him from the wind. "What do you wanna do, huh?" He shook his body from side to side, running his fingers over Sev's ticklish spots and mock-growling at the infant's head. "What do you want, huh?! What do you want? What do you want? What do you want?!" He nuzzled the giggling infant's head and laid a kiss on top of his baby hair. "You are confusing me, child! You are _confusing_ me!" He ran his fingers over Sev's ticklish spots once more, delighting in the sound of the infant's laughter.

As Harry waited for the giggles to subside, he peered up at the morning sun and spotted a bird's feather floating down from above. Harry smiled at it and ran his fingers through Sev's baby hair as he watched it land softly on the balcony railing.

"Close your eyes, cub."

With a final happy sigh, Sev pushed himself up on Harry's chest and peered down at the teenager curiously.

"Come on. You wanted to play, didn't you?" The infant nodded. "Then we're going to play a game called 'Black, White, or Grey'. You interested?" The infant raised an eyebrow at him. "It'll help you improve your ability to sense white magic, dark magic, and in-between magic. How 'bout it?"

Sev grinned and closed his eyes.

Harry smirked. "That's my boy." Raising a hand, he levitated the bird's feather over from the railing to just in front of Sev's face. "Alright. There's something right in front of your face right now. Try to stretch out your senses and tell me if you sense something white, something black, or something grey."

Sev's face scrunched up as he focused his senses. He tried stretching them out like he did the other day but he was finding it a might difficult. _Come on, Snape! Come on! You can do this!_

"Relax, cub." Harry said soothingly. "Breathe easy. Stop trying to look for it and let it come to you." He ran his thumb up and down the infant's back trying to get him to relax.

_Relax. Okay. Relax. _Sev took a deep breath and eased his muscles. He let the morning breeze run through his hair and allowed his senses to take over. _Relax…_Sev took another deep breath. _Relax…_All of a sudden, he began to sense a shift in the magical aura around him.

"Let it become an extension of your natural instincts, cub." Harry continued. "Let the magic help you sense what's really around you."

The sight behind Sev's eyelids began swirling before him. He saw different blobs of color churn, spin, and coalesce into different shapes. It was like watching colored oil settle in a world full of water. Most of the oil was grey, with the occasional black or white spots within their streams. Most of the grey blobs swirled and formed into a shape that resembled the balcony railing. Other grey blobs formed into deck chairs. Sev looked down and noticed a rather large white blob directly below him.

"Do you sense me yet, cub?"

That was Harry! That white blob below him was Harry! Sev grinned and his hands and legs began bobbing up and down in excitement. He could sense Harry. He could sense Harry!

"Do you know what I'm holding in front of your face, Sev?"

Severus looked up and saw a feather-shaped white blob floating before him. "Fefew."

"That's right. It's a feather." Sev could hear a smile in Harry's voice and a wave of pride coursed through him.

"And what color is the feather's aura?"

"Whay!" Sev squealed and opened his eyes.

"That's right. It's white." Harry replied, chuckling at the infant. Harry wrapped his arms around Sev and kissed him on the forehead. "There you go, baby boy—your first lesson in aural magic! What'd you think?"

"Mow! Mow!" Sev screeched, wriggling to get out of Harry's grasp.

Harry raised an eyebrow at the infant and sat up. "More?"

"Mow! Mow!"

Harry snorted and stood up with the infant in his arms. "Let me hear that magic word first."

"Mow, pea!"

"Mow, pea, okay." Harry smiled as he stepped back inside. "Close those eyes, cub. No cheating." Sev screwed his eyes shut and gripped Harry's robes tightly as the teenager walked him all round the room.

First Harry stopped in front of his dark detector case and picked up a sneakoscope, holding it in his hand. "What do you think, Sev?"

The infant's head tilted to the side curiously and he bit his lip in thought. _It looks strange._ He mused. _It's a strange sort of shape._ Sev turned his head to examine the aura of the space around them. He recognized that the grey blobs formed a sort of bookcase, but he hadn't the slightest clue as to what all the white blobs on the bookcase were. They were all shaped so strangely. Then, all of a sudden, he gasped. _It must be his dark detector case!_ He remembered seeing the strange-looking objects when he first walked in and recalled the only thing he recognized on any of the shelves was a…sneakoscope!

"Whoo! Whoo!" Sev replied with a grin, imitating the sound he knew a sneakoscope made when untrustworthiness was nearby.

Below him, Harry's chest rumbled with his laughter. "It's a sneakoscope, exactly. And its aura?"

"Whay!"

"White. Absolutely." Harry nodded. "Very good, cub!" The teenager haphazardly tossed the sneakoscope back onto the shelves and continued on down the wall. Next he stopped right in front of the Death Eater dummies the DA occasionally practiced on. "Now…what are we standing in front of now?"

Sev's forehead scrunched up and he buried his face in Harry's robes. "Ba-ma." He replied, his voice muffled by the material.

"Bad men." The teen nodded. "And their aura?"

"Back!"

Harry raised an eyebrow. Technically, their auras were dark grey, but he wasn't going to fault Sev with that. He'd learn the difference with more practice, Harry was sure. "Very good." He stepped a few feet away from the cabinet so that the infant could calm himself down.

As Sev caught his breath, Harry glanced in the direction of his potions cabinet. Hidden behind the bottles of lacewing flies, newt eyes, and frog toes was a secret compartment which housed a thrice locked box that contained the remnants of Voldemort's Horcruxes. He had mentally debated on whether or not he wanted Sev to practice with that, but decided the dark aura was too overwhelming for a beginner to aural magic. If the Death Eater dummies had caused this kind of reaction in Sev, Harry couldn't imagine what sort of reaction would come about if he so much as opened the secret compartment door, which shielded the box's dark aura.

"Sev?"

"Uh?" The infant peeked up at him from behind the hem of his robes.

"See my potions shelves over there?" Harry gestured across the room and Sev followed his gaze.

"Uh-huh?"

"What aura do you sense from them?" He raised an eyebrow at the infant.

_From the shelves?_ Severus eyed Harry questioningly and then glanced back at the rows of potions ingredients. _Isn't it_ "Wey?"

"Is it, cub?" Harry raised the other eyebrow and glanced back towards the shelves. "Is it only grey?"

_Isn't it?_ Severus glanced back towards the shelves and squinted at them. He closed his eyes and peered at them with his mind's eye. _Grey, grey, and…_Sev paused. There was something…different about the middle shelf. Something struck him as odd and just a little out of place. The difference was subtle, yet now that Severus noticed it, it became hard for him to miss. A section of the middle shelf looked slightly…darker than the shelves surrounding it. Sev could make out a single thread of pure black substance swirling in the very center of the middle shelf like a vortex, disrupting the peacefulness of the grey mass around it. _Curious…_The infant exchanged glances with Harry and pointed to the small swirling mass. "Mow."

"More?" Harry's eyes widened in surprise.

"Cowfew!"

Harry began shaking his head, "I don't think you're going to want to move closer, cub."

"Cowfew, pea?" Sev turned his puppy-dog eyes on Harry and dialed them up to full power.

The teenager sighed and took a step closer. "There. Closer. Now come along, give me a color, so we can move on."

Sev ignored him and pushed up against his chest, leaning as far away from Harry as he dared, trying to get closer to the curious swirling black mass. _What __is__ that thing?_ A voice wondered inside his head. _And why is it swirling there? And why isn't it moving? And what's that noise?_ It was then that Sev realized there was a sound coming from the swirling black mass! "Cowfer!"

"No, Sev, that's close enough." Harry tried pulling Severus back against him, but the infant fought against him, trying to push himself closer to the mysterious swirling and the beautiful sound.

_I think it's singing!_ The child realized. _Yes, I really think it's singing! It's singing! It's beautiful singing…I have to get it! _Sev reached out towards the black swirling mass.

"Severus, no!"

Suddenly, the angelic singing voice transformed into a high-pitched wail and the hypnotic black swirling vortex widened to a gaping black hole which reached out towards him like a hand.

Severus shrieked in alarm and pulled himself back to Harry's chest as quickly as possible. The teenager turned his back to the swirling black hole, shielding Sev from the frightening abstraction with his body, and reached out a hand. A wave of pure white energy went barreling towards the void and within seconds the wailing was silenced and the black abyss was no more.

"Well…" Harry took a deep breath as he rubbed Sev's back comfortingly, "…that certainly answers one question." The teenager sent pulses of calming white magic towards Sev in an effort to reduce the infant's shivers and soothe his rapidly-beating heart. "You're just about as sensitive to aural magic as Ginny and I both are, which makes everything just a little bit easier, I think."

Sev whined into his robes. "MO WIKE!" He wailed, gripping Harry's lapel between his tiny fingers and sticking it in his mouth.

Harry chuckled and dropped a kiss on top of Sev's head as he headed towards the door. "Aw, come on, cub, it isn't _that_ bad."

"Mo _wike_!" The infant repeated, scowling at a button on Harry's shirt as he chewed on the hem of the teenager's robes. "Wa mewmew!"

"Yes, yes, I'll get you mewmew." After grabbing a bag full of defense books from a side table, Harry double checked to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything before walking out and allowing the Room of Requirement to re-seal itself. "I think that's enough practice for today, don't you? We'll practice detecting auras for a few days, and then after that I'll teach you how to sense and read the people around you, and we'll practice that for a few weeks. And then after that comes the fun part—levitation."

Sev paused in his chewing and gave Harry a questioning look.

"All wandless, wordless magic done simply by power of will." Harry winked. Sev's eyebrows furrowed and he cocked his head to the side. "Ask Merlin, cub, and he'll tell you: back in his day, it was taught that there are three progressive levels of wizardry—the first is a Wizard by Incantation, a wizard who uses wands and spells to craft magic; the second is a Hand Wizard, which is what I am most of the time; magic is done simply with a wave of a hand; and the third, and most skillful of the trio, is a Will Wizard; these are wizards who can do some incredible things…"

All of a sudden, the moving staircases froze in place, and every single painting along the walls of the staircase tipped on a corner and became crooked.

"…without seemingly doing anything at all." Harry finished with a smile.

Sev's eyes widened and he gaped at the sight all around him. _How the bloody hell did he __do__ that?!_

"If you're interested…I can teach you how to be a Will Wizard." Harry raised an eyebrow at the infant.

_If I'm interested…? Does he even have to __ask__?!_ Sev grinned up at his caretaker and began bouncing in his arms, his hands and feet bobbing up and down in excitement.

Harry chuckled as he turned into the fourth floor corridor. "I take that as a 'yes' then." Behind him, the paintings righted themselves all at once and the moving staircases resumed moving once again. "Come along! Let's see if Ginny's back from mum and dad's now, shall we? I wonder how her conversation went with them. You think they took the news okay?" Harry asked the infant.

Severus raised an eyebrow at him and blew raspberries around his fingers.

Harry grimaced and wiped the drool of with Sev's bib. "I wouldn't be so skeptical, if I were you. Ginny's mum and dad happen to be two very reasonable people. I mean…once you get Mrs. Weasley to calm down from whatever hysteria she's worked herself into, she actually turns out to be a rather accepting woman."

"Uh-uh meh!"

"Oh, Sev, you're quite likable at this size. I wouldn't worry too much about it. If Ginny hasn't already talked them into liking you and accepting you, I'm pretty sure you'll convince them otherwise within two seconds of being in the same room."

"Uh-uh meh." Sev shook his head firmly and stuck his ear to Harry's chest to listen to that comforting heartbeat.

The teenager raised an eyebrow. "Do you not want to meet the Weasleys?"

"Mo!"

"Sev, you told Ginny 'yes' a while ago." Harry retorted in frustration.

_So? I changed my mind._ "Mo!" He stuck his thumb in his mouth and muttered, "Wa mewmew."

Harry rolled his eyes and sighed. He gave Merlin the password and walked in to find Sirius sitting on the couch (with his feet still up on the coffee table), talking to Remus, who was dancing around the room with a drowsy Teddy.

"Hey! So did the 'issue' get handled?" Sirius asked with a smirk.

Harry rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Distraction."

"Aw, it's going to come back to bite you in the arse. Watch!"

"Sirius!" Ginny rebuked as she walked in from the bedroom.

"I'm just saying!" The animagus shrugged and picked up his Quidditch magazine, discreetly pulling his feet off the coffee table in the process.

"Immy! Wa mewmew!" Sev immediately began to reach for her.

"Sev…" Harry drawled, a hint of a warning in his voice.

"Wa mewmew, pea?" The infant corrected immediately.

"Yes, come here, sweetheart." Ginny took her in his arms and her boyfriend sent her a questioning look. "It took a bit of talking, but they're okay with it." She murmured. "Mum and dad are, at least. They're going to talk to everyone else tonight. The hard part will be convincing _him_," she inclined her head towards the baby, "to meet the family."

Harry nodded and as Ginny took Sev into the bedroom to nurse him, Harry turned to Remus.

"I hope Teddy didn't cause too much trouble, did he?"

Harry waved him off. "No, no, he was an angel." The teen chuckled and flicked his eyes towards the bedroom. "Sev was starting to have jealousy issues. That's all."

"Which you should have dealt with." Sirius muttered behind his magazine.

"You never know. It might go away on its own." Harry argued.

Sirius snorted and Remus looked sympathetic. "Well…maybe you should have dealt with it a little bit, Harry."

"If it becomes any bigger in the future, I'll be sure to do so."

"It will." The animagus murmured.

"Ah, shut it, Padfoot." Harry jumped over the back of the couch to land on the cushions next to Sirius, and sighed, running a hand through his weary face. Sirius quickly threw the magazine down and got him in a headlock. Within seconds both godfather and godson were engaged in a wrestling match on the living room floor while Remus watched in amusement from the sidelines.

_

* * *

_

"Mmm-BA! BA! BA! BA! Bfffffffft!"

Harry was lying on the couch, reading a potions book behind Severus' head as the infant used his chest as a battlefield for his toys.

"Wooooooooaaaaaaaaw! Bffffffffft!"

Harry winced as the spit from Sev's raspberries completely missed the baby snake and hit him full-on in the face. Yet he didn't say anything. He merely wiped his face with his sleeve and continued with his reading.

"Haweh?" Sev said, lightly patting the chest below him to get the man's attention.

"Yes, sir?"

"Mow ma—bic, pea?" Sev held out his toys to Harry pleadingly and graced him with what he knew to be one of his irresistible grins.

Harry's eyes widened and lightly threw his book down onto the coffee table, his attention completely diverted. "Smile for me, cub."

Sev frowned and cocked his head questioningly.

"Come on, let me see you smile. Please?"

"Ma—bic!" Sev whined, thrusting his stuffed animals in Harry's face.

"Yes, yes, I'll give you a show. Just let me see something for a minute. Smile for me, please?" Harry grinned at him so that Sev could imitate him, and he lightly cupped the infant's face.

Severus sighed in a very put-upon manner and grinned, showing his gums in all their gummy glory. He felt Harry lift his lip slightly before he heard the teen gasp.

"Merlin me! GINNY!" He cried.

"What?" A voice answered from one of the upstairs bedrooms.

"I see a tooth!"

Sev pulled away from Harry and graced him with a bewildered look. "Uh?"

All the while a gasp resounded from the upstairs and Ginny suddenly appeared at the railing. "You see a what?!"

"A tooth!"

"Oh my god!" The sound of thundering footsteps echoed throughout the room.

"Beep?" Sev looked at Harry questioningly.

"You have a tooth showing, cub." The teen grinned.

_I have a tooth showing? I have a TOOTH showing?!_ It took about a minute or two for the news to sink in, but once it did Sev grinned and his arms and legs began bobbing up and down in excitement. _My teeth are coming in! My teeth are coming __back__! My teeth are coming in! My teeth are coming __back__!_ "Beep! _Beep_! BEEP!"

"Let me see!" Ginny skid to a halt and crouched next to the side of the couch, by Harry's and Sev's heads. The infant grinned at her. "Oh, look at that pearly white beauty right there! It's gorgeous!" Sev squealed in delight and both Harry and Ginny chuckled at him.

"I think we should celebrate!" Harry suggested.

"Oh, we should definitely celebrate! But I have to take an entire roll of this first." Ginny replied, searching the room for the camera.

"You can take an entire roll _while_ we celebrate." Harry answered, hugging Sev to his chest before standing and getting them both off the couch. "Because _this_ is definitely a cause for celebration, wouldn't you say, cub?" Harry grasped Sev under his arms and threw him up into the air.

Sev squealed in delight as Harry caught him easily and then tossed him up again.

Harry delighted in the sound of the child's laughter and tossed Sev up once more before hugging him to his chest and planting a kiss on his forehead. "So…what do you want to do to celebrate, huh?"

Severus pointed to his fallen lion cub and baby snake on the floor. "Ma—bic!" He replied, once again gracing Harry with his now-single-toothed grin.

Harry snorted and turned to Ginny. "He could've picked anything to celebrate, and he picks a puppet show."

Ginny narrowed her eyes at him as she sealed the magical film into the camera. "If he wants a puppet show, Harry, give him a puppet show! At least he's not asking for anything material. He enjoys your attention more than anything else in the world. Enjoy it while it lasts."

Harry rolled his eyes. "I know that, Gin." He turned back to Sev. "So…what shall we make the little snake and lion cub do today, eh?"

Sev squealed with glee and began outlining the plot of the entire story he wanted Harry to make the stuffed animals act out, stopping every now and then to make sure the teen understood his incessant baby babble.

Thus as the night wore on, Harry, Ginny, and Severus spent the evening taking rolls of pictures and celebrating baby's first tooth with a Severus-directed puppet show.

* * *

**The three progressive levels of wizardry comes from "Merlin" the miniseries.**

Next up, Severus meets the Weasley clan as the family stays overnight at The Den, but Sev's feelings regarding that whole fiasco may just be overshadowed by something a lot more serious...and mysterious. 

**Hey all! I am SO sorry it's taken me a while to update. I know I missed my last two scheduled updates. School decided to be evil this week and throw me for a loop. I had a 15-page lab report due for my Astronomy class that had to be done completely in LaTeX and the coding was a (w)itch! Anyway...I do apologize from the bottom of my heart and I thank you all SO much for your patience and your wonderful REVIEWs! Please keep them up. To make it up to you all, I plan to make my next two scheduled postings tomorrow and the day after--right on time! But please take two seconds to let me know what you think! :-)**


	24. The Spoils of Temptation

"Sweetheart, I'm going to work on the Dumbledore house today." Harry said as he laid a sleeping Severus down on their bed in Godric's Hollow.

Ginny looked up from her unpacking to frown at him. "You're not going to actually do what Abe said, are you?"

Harry grimaced. "I promised I'd look through the stuff."

"Harry—"

"Ginny, Albus is a very ambitious guy." Her boyfriend argued. "Granted, he always has the best intentions at heart, and he has great morals and ethics, but he is still _very_ ambitious."

Ginny frowned at him. "Which means what, exactly?"

"Abe may be more than a bit extreme, but his concerns are very valid. Dangle a chocolate cake in front of Albus' face and he will find the sneakiest way of eating it."

"Harry, he has a right to his stuff. What if you decide that a book is too dangerous to give back to him, but the book has more meaning for him than what you give it credit for? You just can't make these kinds of judgments."

Harry sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I know. I realize that. I know, I know." He paused for a moment and then his face lit up. "Okay…What I'll do is I'll separate them into categories—stuff that I'll definitely give back to him, and stuff that I'm on the fence about. Then I'll go talk to both Dumbledores, read them, and then decide. I _did_ say it was up to my discretion; and they were _both_ in the room when I said that. I heard neither of them disagreeing."

Ginny pursed her lips together and then sighed. "Fine." She murmured, looking away.

"Look, I know it's a messy situation, love." Harry acknowledged, running his hands down her arms and pulling her close. "But it needs to be sorted out, and I see no other way around this." He wrapped his arms around her back and leaned his forehead against hers until her eyes drifted upwards to meet his.

Within seconds, her scowl transformed into a small smile and she reached up to wrap her arms around his neck.

The infant on the bed shifted slightly in his sleep and the fluff from a pillow caused his nose to itch. Severus reached up unconsciously to brush his nose with his little hand and opened his eyes in order to give the offending pillow the evil eye. What his blurry vision met with, however, was not the offending pillow, but the sight of two people-blurs—a man and a woman—and they had their arms wrapped around each other. The sounds of their two voices were distorted, as if they were talking underwater. Their words made little sense.

"Be careful…caution…"

"…will…just get it over with…"

"Are you…potions lab…antidote for your…today…?"

"Yeah…Severus…help…if he wants…"

"Mum and dad…family…dinner…library…"

"We have to…Sev…that…"

"Yeah…but…will work out…"

"I know…love…"

Then Sev heard nothing, and the infant didn't know whether that was because his ears stopped listening or the two people had stopped talking. But then the man-blur leaned in to give the woman-blur a short, sweet kiss, and Sev realized that the man-blur was Harry and the woman-blur was Ginny; and then their next words reached him as clearly as a bell.

"I love you." The Harry-blur said.

"And I love you." The Ginny-blur replied.

And then Sev smiled and closed his eyes again, for everything was right in his world. He was just at the threshold of complete slumber when he felt the mattress dip beside him and a kiss placed on his forehead. Then he heard the words, "And I love you, cub." But he thought he might've been mistaken.

_

* * *

_

When Severus opened his eyes once again, his vision met with a world of white and it was warm and cozy. The bed sheets and pillows below him and around him were as fluffy as clouds, and an arm was snaked around his waist. A strand of red hair fell onto his face and for a minute Severus thought he was in heaven.

Then he realized that this place was even better than heaven and that the red hair and arm belonged to Ginny.

Severus wriggled slightly so that he could see her better and tipped his head back so that he could see her face. Just then two gorgeous hazel eyes flickered open to meet his gaze.

"Mow—ming." Sev murmured, grinning at the hazel-eyed angel.

Ginny smiled. "Good morning, love." She drawled, rubbing her forehead against his and making the child giggle. "Let me see that pearly white again?" Severus tipped his head back and raised his upper lip to show her the tiny tooth that was popping out. "Oh, look at that gorgeous tooth right there! It's the most beautiful thing in the world!" She leaned in to kiss Severus on his little nose, making the infant squeal in delight. Then Ginny pulled him close and placed a big wet kiss on his cheek. "You know what we're going to do today, love?" She murmured into his cheek.

Sev bit his lip to contain his giggles and whispered, "Wa?"

"We're going to make Harry's birthday present today. How does that sound to you?" Ginny whispered playfully.

"BEF-BAY!" Sev grinned and his hands and arms began bouncing up and down in excitement.

"I'll take that as a sign of your approval." Ginny grinned, giving him one more kiss before she stood up from the bed.

Ginny took Severus through his morning routine before placing him in his sling and letting him nurse. She then walked down into the kitchen to fix herself some breakfast and get everything ready for the gift-making project she and Sev were about to undertake.

"There's something I want to talk to you about, Sev." Ginny began as she scrambled some eggs on the counter. The infant looked up at her questioningly as he fed. "How do you feel about meeting my family? I mean, how do you _really_ feel?"

Sev's eyebrows furrowed. _How do I feel? I don't know. I do __not__ want to meet them—that's for certain._ Although technically Severus was already well-acquainted with the entire Weasley clan, he was reluctant to let them see him in this miniature form. If he was completely honest, he was reluctant to let them see him in his adult form as well. He was reluctant to let them see him _period_ because it meant that _he_ had to see _them_. Sev unlatched and pouted up at Ginny. "Mo wamp."

"Okay. _Why_ don't you want to meet them, love?" The teenager raised an eyebrow at the infant.

Severus shrugged. He just didn't want to. Why did he need a reason?

"Do you hate my family? Is that it?"

Sev frowned and his eyebrows furrowed. No, that wasn't it at all! He shook his head. Severus only reserved the word 'hate' for his most despised enemies…and sometimes Dumbledore. But the Weasley clan never really qualified for the 'hate' category. Sure, they were loud, annoying, grating, wild, loud, crazy, and…loud, but he didn't _hate_ them.

"So what is it then, Sev?"

Severus shifted uneasily in his sling and turned pleading eyes on Ginny. "Mo wamp." He shrugged.

"You do know you have to meet them _sometime_, right?"

_Do I __absolutely__ have to?_ The thought alone made him grimace.

"Maybe…one of the reasons you don't want to meet them is that you're nervous they're going to make fun of you." Ginny guessed, eyeing Sev with a raised eyebrow.

The baby bit his lip. Maybe that _was_ it. He shrugged.

"Sev, I'll have you know that if _any_ of them make fun of you—which I doubt will happen—my mother will straighten them out quicker than you can blink." She abandoned her cooking to look the infant in the eye. "And if she doesn't do it, _I_ will." Ginny smirked and winked at the infant in her arm, making Sev giggle. "That is…if Harry hasn't done it already." Picking up her wand, Ginny flicked it at the bowl of scrambled eggs and her breakfast began cooking itself. Pulling out one of their brand-new stools, Ginny took a seat at the counter and wrapped her arms around Sev before continuing. "But that aside, Bill, Charlie, and Percy are all too grown-up and mature to poke fun of you, and Ron already knows, thus the only two boys left in the equation are Fred and George. Now…mum and dad had a word with them personally a few days ago, as did I, and as did Harry, actually. They're not going to make fun of you."

Sev peered at her dubiously.

"I'm serious." Ginny nodded. "In fact, I think the only thing we have to worry about when it comes to the twins is them _corrupting_ you." The teen rolled her eyes. "Harry was telling me the other night that he was worried that once you all met, the twins would cajole you into helping them play some ridiculous prank on him, and you would play along, and he would fall for it and look like an idiot."

Severus grinned and began to giggle. _Well…that certainly sounds like an interesting idea, now that she mentions it._ The wheels started turning in his head. _Yes…an interesting idea indeed…_Suddenly the prospect of meeting the Weasleys didn't sound so bad after all.

"Anyway, I brought this up because my entire family is coming over for dinner tonight to meet you and they're staying over for the night." Ginny said. "Hermione would be with them, of course. And Harry invited Remus, Tonks, Teddy, and Sirius just to round it off."

_Black's coming?!_ Sev's eyes widened and an evil grin threatened to spread across his face. _The twin troublemakers are going to be here with pranks and __Black's__ coming?!_ Oh, the wheels in Sev's mind started turning on overdrive. Now having the Weasleys _and_ Black over here sounded like a _grand_ idea to him!

"So…would you mind having to tolerate my family and Sirius all at once for just one night?" Ginny asked, unaware of what was going on in Sev's little mind.

_Oh, no…I wouldn't mind in the slightest!_ It took much effort, but Sev made sure to keep the evil grin off his face so that Ginny wouldn't suspect anything, and graced her instead with wide innocent eyes. He shook his head.

"No?!" Ginny's eyes widened in surprise. She had expected more resistance than that. "Are you sure?"

Sev shrugged. After a short pause, he nodded. _I think that was believable._ He mused.

Apparently it was because Ginny soon smiled. "Excellent! Wow. Okay! So I'll let my mum and dad know that Harry will pick them up this afternoon. Okay?"

_Don't grin! Don't grin! Don't grin!_ The infant chanted in his head. He nodded, putting a bit of reluctance into it.

"Good. Thank you, baby!" Ginny gave him a big kiss on the cheek.

_No, no,_ Sev smirked, _thank __you__!_ Visions of all manner of pranks soon danced in his head.

_

* * *

_

Making Harry's birthday gift was fun! He and Ginny had sat at the table for at least three hours, planning it, drawing it, touching it up, and making it from scratch. Ginny had allowed Sev to pick out all the important colors, and the baby had a whale of a time watching it all come together in the end. They were just about finished when they heard the front door close and Harry call out from the patio. Sev had been worried that Harry might see their gift, but luckily Ginny had everything cleaned up and hidden with a flick of her wand. When Harry walked through the dining room door, it looked as if they had been doing something completely different the entire time.

"Hey, you two! What're you up to?" He gave Ginny a quick kiss before leaning down and planting a kiss on top of Sev's head.

"Oh, nothing. What we're usually up to every time we're here." Ginny shrugged it off and quickly changed the subject. "So…how was Dumbledore's house?"

Harry shrugged. "As expected. A majority of the stuff is definitely going back to Albus. There are probably three or four things in the questionable box, but I'm not completely done with the house yet."

"Ah." Ginny nodded. "So are you going to work down in your potions lab now?" Her eyes narrowed at Harry and a tiny smile tugged at her lips.

Sev's ears perked up at the mention of Harry's potions lab. "Wab?" He immediately began bouncing in his high chair. "Wab? Wab? WAB?!"

Harry groaned and sighed, running a hand down his weary face. Beside him, Ginny started laughing behind a hand. "Alright, alright. Yes, yes, yes." The teen unstrapped the infant from his high chair and lifted him into his arms.

"Wab! Wab! Wab! Wab! Wab!" Severus exclaimed excitedly.

"Yes, we're going to go work down in the lab." The teen handed a bag over to his girlfriend before turning and heading back through the dining room door.

Severus was excited! He was _finally_ going to be able to work with Harry in his potions lab! The last two times they were here, Harry kept saying that he was still fixing it up, that he was still furnishing it, that he was still stocking it. _Now_ Harry didn't have any excuse. Ginny had told him earlier that morning that Harry's potions lab was done, and that Harry was planning on taking Sev down there today to help him on an important project. The infant had been ecstatic!

"Okay! Rules of the lab," Harry began as he opened the basement door and lit all the torches with a wave of a hand, "You'll be in your walker, but you are _not_ to touch any of the lower cabinets, do I make myself perfectly clear?"

_Do not touch any of the lower cabinets._ Sev repeated in his head as they walked down the spiral staircase.

"Can I trust you on this, Severus?"

_Of course you can!_ Sev looked affronted, but out loud he replied with a respectful, "Yep, ehw."

"Good."

_I wonder what's in those cabinets, though._ A little voice drawled in the back of his mind. _No! You can't touch any of the lower cabinets!_ A second voice argued. _Who said anything about touching the lower cabinets? I was just wondering what's in them, is all._ The first voice replied. _You told Harry you wouldn't touch the lower cabinets._ The second voice retorted. _But you have to wonder…what doesn't he want you to see?_

Sev bit his lip. The first voice was beginning to sound fairly reasonable.

"That's my only big rule, okay, Sev?" Harry continued as they stepped into the hallway of the basement. The door to the potions lab opened with the wave of a hand. "We'll make more up as needed, but that's the big one."

_Ooo! It's a big rule._ The first voice drawled in his ear. _That means there's something __really__ important in those lower cabinets that he doesn't want you to see._ Sev's gut began churning as Harry placed him in his walker and began pointing out all his work benches and research stations. As the infant's eyes wandered around the room, all he could notice were all the lower cabinets scattered about the room. _Hmm…I wonder which cabinet houses all the interesting things._

"Remember our big rule, okay?" Harry remarked as he walked towards his research station. "There's a potion I want you to help me with, cub. Just hold on for a second."

_Hmm…one, two, three, four, FIVE lower cabinets._ Sev shook his head to try to clear it of the voice he now recognized as Temptation. _Which to open first? Which to open first?_

"MO!" Sev cried.

Harry looked up from the parchment in his hands, his eyebrows rising to his hairline. "I'm sorry?"

Sev gasped. _Did I say that out loud?_

"You don't want to help me with the potion?"

_No! I didn't say that!_ Temptation cackled in his ear, making Sev scowl. "Wamp hep! Wamp hep!" He replied, bouncing in his walker.

Harry gave him a strange look. "Okay." He turned back to the parchments in his hand. "I want to introduce you to my method of potion-making before we start. Okay?"

_Maybe you should touch the cabinet right next to you and see if it opens!_ Sev put his hands over his ears in an attempt to block out the voice. _I'm not going to touch the cabinets. I'm not going to touch the cabinets. I'm not going to touch the cabinets! _He pushed himself backwards and away from the closest cabinet just to prove to himself that he wasn't going to give in to Temptation.

"Are you alright, cub?" Harry was looking at him strangely once again.

Sev glanced up, bewildered. "Wamp hep?"

Harry raised an eyebrow at him. "Yeah…uh…" he glanced at the parchment in his hands, "I seem to have lost the formula I'd written down. I'm going to run next door to the library to get a book."

Sev's eyes widened. _Oh no! No, don't leave the room! No! _Sev knew exactly what would happen if Harry stepped out of the room. Sure enough, Temptation began chanting in his ear. _Touch the cabinet! Touch the cabinet! Touch the cabinet! Touch the cabinet!_

"Don't touch anything, Sev." Harry said, throwing his papers back onto his work station and heading towards the door. "I'll be back in two seconds."

_Touch it! Touch it! Touch it! Touch it! _Sev nodded and watched in dread as Harry walked out of the room. _I used to be a spy! I used to be able to control this!_

Sev groaned and glanced at the nearest cabinet.

_Touch it! Touch it! Touch it! Touch it!_

Sev glanced back towards the door.

_Touch it! Touch it! Touch it! Touch it! _

Sev glanced again at the nearest cabinet.

_Touch it! Touch it! Touch it!_

He inched his way closer as quietly as he could.

_Touch it! Touch it!_

Sev reached out…

_**Touch it!**_

…and touched the handle of the cabinet.

The cabinet door immediately slid to the side to reveal…

…legs! Three pairs of _human legs_!

Sev shrieked in alarm and barreled out of the room, into the library next door, and straight into Harry's right leg.

"_**ARGH!**_" Harry screamed in agony and toppled over. Books and papers suddenly went flying everywhere as the teen crumpled to the ground and clutched his right leg to his chest.

Severus froze.

"Harry?!" Ginny's worried voice echoed from the top of the stairs. It was quickly followed by the sound of thundering footsteps. "Harry?!"

Harry groaned in pain and rolled over on the floor. Sev could see beads of sweat begin to break out on his forehead and the infant's breaths began to shallow. "Haweh?!" He squeaked.

"Harry! Great Merlin!" Ginny rushed to his side and rolled him back onto his back. "Harry! Do you want me to call Saint Mungo's?!"

_Saint Mungo's?! _Sev's eyes widened in alarm and he gaped at Ginny's back. "HAWEH?!"

"NO!" The teen gasped, batting Ginny's hand away and clutching his right leg even closer to his chest. Sev could tell he was in serious pain. "No, no, no, no…" He cleared his throat rather forcefully and grit his teeth. Harry's eyes had yet to open, the infant noted. "Sev just…ran into my right leg…"

"OWEH!" Sev cried, rubbing his fist around his chest in the sign for 'sorry'. "OWEH! OWEH! OWEH!"

"It's okay!" Harry forced through gritted teeth. He took a deep breath and quickly released it, opening his eyes then and gaping at the ceiling.

"Harry, are you sure?"

"Yes, yes," Harry replied, panting. "Just…take Sev…I need a painkiller…" Harry pointed towards his lab.

"Haweh?!" Tears began forming in Sev's eyes. Why was Harry in so much pain?! He didn't even bump into him all that hard!

"Come on, love." Ginny lifted him out of his walker and took him into the next room. "I need you to point out a painkilling potion for me."

Sev glanced down at the cabinet he had stupidly opened and noticed that the door had slid shut on its own, much to Sev's relief. At least he wasn't going to get in trouble for that. On the other hand, though, now he had to deal with all the guilt he was feeling from having accidentally bumped into Harry's leg and caused him so much pain. "Wa Haweh?" Sev turned wide eyes on Ginny.

"He's going to be fine, love." Ginny assured him as she rubbed his back and headed towards Harry's stores. "He's going to be perfectly fine. Right now I need you to point out a painkiller for me. Can you do that?"

A groan and a loud thump echoed through the door from the other room and Sev glanced back apprehensively. "Haweh?!" The infant squeaked in distress.

"Come on, Sev! Come on, honey! Point one out. Quickly, love!" Sev bit his lip and gripped Ginny's shirt tightly in his little fist. Turning around, Sev quickly scanned all the different bottles and flasks and vials and jars until he spotted a familiar pink vial on one of the lower shelves. "DAP!"

Ginny picked it up immediately. Uncorking it with her teeth, the teen took a sniff before holding it out for Sev to sniff himself. _Yup, that's definitely the painkiller._ Sev grimaced. He'd always hated the way it smelled.

"Is this the one?" The infant nodded. "Are you sure?" Sev nodded again. "Okay!" Ginny quickly dashed into the library and thrust the uncorked vial in her boyfriend's hand. "Drink, Harry!"

Harry didn't need telling twice. He downed the vial in one gulp and stiffened in anticipation.

Within five seconds, Harry let out one big breath and all the tension in his body released. The pain had gone away.

"Haweh?" Sev called as Ginny placed him back in his walker; his voice sounding small to his ears.

"I'm fine, cub." Harry replied, his voice sore and laced with exhaustion.

"Harry, maybe you shouldn't work on your potion today." Ginny suggested, "Maybe you should just—"

"No!" Her boyfriend interrupted, opening his eyes and fixing her with a determined look. "This is precisely why I _have_ to work on it today!"

"Wa ha?!" Sev shrieked, bouncing in his walker and banging on his little table. "Wa ha? Wa ha? Wa ha?!"

"_Nothing_ happened, Sev!' Harry replied, turning to the distressed baby. "You just bumped into me a little too hard, that's all." From the corner of his eye, he could see Ginny frowning at him.

Sev scowled at him dubiously. "**Mo**! WA HA?!" He wasn't about to believe that Harry was in _that_ much pain from a little bump to the leg. That was ridiculous! Harry was the strongest man in the world! He could take a little bump to the leg without all that drama. No, there was something more here than they were letting on to him.

"_Nothing_ happened." Harry repeated fiercely before pushing himself up to a sitting position.

"Harry!" Ginny cried, alarmed.

"I'm _fine_, Gin!" Harry glared at his girlfriend, and she set her jaw and returned his glare with every bit of intensity.

Sev froze and suddenly fell silent. His gaze moved from one to the other and then back. They were glaring at each other. _Why_ were they glaring at each other?

"I'm fine." Harry repeated coldly before stiffly pushing himself to his feet. Sev noticed how he favored his left leg.

Ginny remained in her crouched position, however. Her arms were wrapped around her middle, as if she were hugging herself. Her gaze was firmly locked onto the fireplace across the room. She looked both angry…and sad.

Harry, for his part, began limping out the door. Sev's eyebrows furrowed as he watched his retreating back. The infant was confused. _What just happened here?_

"Sev? Are you going to help me with this potion or not?" Harry's voice called from the lab next door.

Frowning, Severus turned back to the still-frozen Ginny. "Immy?" He cried in a small voice.

It was as if calling her name snapped her out of a trance. Ginny took a deep breath and turned back towards Severus, gracing him with a small smile. "Go on, baby boy." She incliner her head towards the door. "Go on! I'll be fine." She pushed herself stiffly to her feet and ran her fingers through his baby hair before giving him a small push towards the door.

Sev gazed up at her sadly and asked in a tiny voice, "Wa ha?"

Ginny's smile didn't quite reach her eyes this time. "Nothing happened." She replied, her voice just above a whisper. Sev could hear pain in her words.

"Severus!"

The infant glanced fleetingly towards the door before returning his gaze upward. "Immy?"

"Go on, love." Ginny crouched next to him and gave him a light kiss on the cheek. She then closed her eyes and took a deep breath; and when she opened them again Sev could see the light shining in her eyes once again. "Go on!" Her push became a small shove and she began shooing him towards the door. "Go help Harry with the antidote he's working on!" Reluctantly, Sev began inching towards the door. "And give it your _all_, Sev!" She lowered her voice to a whisper and Sev watched as her arms wrapped around her middle once again. "Pretend as if…pretend as if his life depended on it." And with that, she shooed him out of the library and closed the door in his face.

Severus was more confused than ever.

"Immy?" Sev questioned, patting the door with his tiny hand. He stretched out his senses, just like Harry taught him, and almost immediately sensed a shift in the door's magical aura. Ginny had put a spell on it from the other side. Silencing charms, most likely. "Immy?" He tried once more, but it was useless. She couldn't hear him.

With a huff, Sev turned away from the door and crossed the hall as quickly as his little legs could take him. He wanted to have a _word_ with Harry! "Haweh!" He cried, using the edge of his walker to throw open the lab door and burst into the room. What he saw in there, however, made him freeze. Harry was slumped over the edge of one of his work tables. His face was buried in his hands and he looked utterly defeated. Severus' eyebrows furrowed. What the hell was going on here?! "Haweh?" He squeaked, his voice once again as tiny as a mouse.

"Just give me a second, cub." The teen replied from behind his hands.

Sev glanced at the closed library door behind him, and then turned back to the defeated person-who-looked-very-much-like-Harry in front of him. Severus didn't want to believe that this person-who-looked-very-much-like-Harry in front of him actually _was_ Harry. Harry was the _strongest_ man in the _world_! If this person-who-looked-very-much-like-Harry actually _was_ Harry, then there was something else going on here—something _bigger_—that neither Harry nor Ginny were clueing him in on.

Suddenly, the person-who-looked-very-much-like-Harry moved and Sev watched as he quickly swiped at his eyes before taking his glasses off his head and putting them back on. "So…shall I go into potion-making via auras?"

_That's it?! _Sev gaped at him incredulously. _That's it?! He's just going to ignore everything that just happened here and go back to talking about stupid auras?! _No! Sev wanted to know what the hell was going on here! Sev wanted to know why Harry kept human legs in his lower cabinets! Sev wanted to know why Harry was in so much pain when he bumped into him! Sev wanted to know why Ginny wanted to call St. Mungo's! Sev wanted to know why Harry needed a pain killer! Sev wanted to know why Harry and Ginny were glaring at each other! Sev wanted to know why Ginny locked herself in the library to cry! Sev wanted to know why Harry was crying in here! Sev wanted to know why he felt like crying himself!

All of a sudden, Sev's baby mind took control.

"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuup!" He wailed, holding his arms out and opening and closing his hands in plea. Harry was by his side in a second and lifting him into his arms. Sev screamed into Harry's shirt and allowed his frustrations to drain away through his tears. Why were they not telling him anything?! Why were they mad at each other?! Why were they making each other miserable?! Why were they making _him_ miserable?! Why did Ginny say to give it his all when he went to help Harry?! Why did Ginny say to pretend as if Harry's life depended on it?! Why?! _Why_?! _**Why**_?!

The chest below his ear suddenly began to rumble soothingly as Harry began humming a nonsensical tune. Sev closed his eyes and stuck his thumb in his mouth as he listened to the gentle vibrations and allowed them to lull him to a state of calm and relaxation. The infant was only vaguely aware of his sling being wrapped around him, and of the room swaying back and forth as Harry danced around. Severus only half-opened his eyes when Harry's humming transitioned into soft-spoken explanations about how different potions had different kinds of auras, and how new potions can be constructed by merely putting the right ingredients together in such a way as to create a certain intended color arrangement. He never stopped sucking his thumb as Harry showed him the potion he was brewing at the moment—some kind of antidote to something or another. He heard the rumbling of Harry's chest more than he heard Harry explain what kind of aura he wanted the potion to have and by when. And he was only distantly aware of Harry covering his eyes and muttering a spell.

Yet when Harry lifted his hand from over Sev's eyes, those little eyes widened until they were as big as saucers. Every single thing in the room _glowed_! Sev saw every color of the rainbow coming from each of the ingredients vials on the shelves. There were blues and pinks and purples and reds and oranges and yellows and greens! There were shiny yellow auras and dull grey auras and long swirly green auras and structured, rigid blue auras. There were thin, graceful orange auras and slow, lazy purple auras. There were perky, primly pink auras and long, straight white auras. Then there was the aura of the antidote itself, which was a composite of all the different structures and colors. Sev had never seen anything like it before! It was beautiful, to be sure; yet it didn't quite make sense to him.

"It doesn't make sense." Harry's chest rumbled. Sev's eyebrows furrowed as he gnawed on his thumb. "And that's the problem. If I can manipulate the aura of the antidote so that it makes sense, I can immediately generate a recipe so that the process can be repeated—and the aura recreated—as needed."

_So __that's__ what he was talking about when he said potion-making via aura._ Sev shifted in his sling and resettled against Harry's chest.

"So…are you going to help me restructure this potion so that we can come up with a viable recipe?"

Sev reached out a finger and swirled it through the pretty little rainbow aura in front of him. To his delight, the colors and structures reacted to his finger like water in a pond. _No,_ Sev thought, _but I can play with this aura until I get bored enough that I don't want to play with it anymore._ He yawned and began listlessly manipulating the colors and structures of the aura.

"I'll take that as a yes then." Harry's chest rumbled. Sev didn't hear him. He was too busy playing with the pretty rainbow swirls.

_

* * *

_

Severus was not feeling as nervous as he should've been feeling at the prospect of meeting the Weasley clan. Nor was he feeling as giddy at the prospect of pranking Black, as he should've been feeling, either. No, he was feeling none of those things. Instead he was stuck in this limbo, where everything else didn't matter until Harry and Ginny were both happy again. Something was bothering them, Sev figured—something _big_! The infant was reminded sharply of the other day when Harry had been hiding his scars from him and Ginny. The atmosphere then had been very similar to the atmosphere that hung in the air now at Godric's Hollow. Yet Sev wasn't deluded. He didn't think this atmosphere was due to secrets. No, this atmosphere was more due to the _absence_ of secrets.

The revelation from the other night, that "one more thing" that Sev had reluctantly fell asleep on, was something much _more_ than a "one more thing". It was the naked truth—something so raw and painful that it was affecting both their behaviors.

And it was also affecting Sev.

The infant stood at the door to the kitchen, watching Ginny cook. Harry had left a little while ago in the SUV to go pick up all their guests from the Burrow. Thus, only Sev and Ginny were in the house now. The teenager looked harried. Her hair was a mess, her apron was full of food stains, and her hands and arms trembled as she mixed the bowl of pudding at the counter. Sev's frown deepened. Ginny was usually in her element when she cooked. She herself insisted on cooking almost every night because it made her feel better and a list of other reasons Sev couldn't remember at the moment. Yet right now Ginny did not look in her element, not even in the slightest. Her pudding was flying out of the bowl at times, something smelled like it was burning, the knives on the counter were chopping on overdrive, and Sev guessed whatever she was cooking in that pot should not be releasing as much steam as it currently was.

"Immy?"

The teenager jumped. Her arms jerked, the wooden spoon overshot the bowl, the bowl slipped from beneath her arm, and a loud clanging suddenly filled the room.

_CLANK! CLANK! CLANG! BANG! SPLAT! _

Silence.

Sev's eyes traveled from the mess on the floor, up to the face of the harried young woman standing at the table. Ginny was staring at the mess on the floor with the blankest expression Severus had ever seen on another human being. It was as if she was looking at the mess but was not seeing it. Her eyes were so far away.

"Immy?"

Her name was what brought her out of her trance once again; and when her eyes met Sev's, they filled with tears. "Sev?" She choked on his name and batted at the tears that were beginning to trickle down her food-smudged face. She tucked her hands beneath her armpits and trembled as if she stood under a snowstorm. Meanwhile the kitchen looked as if a different kind of storm just traveled through it; and when she looked around this time, it was like she was seeing it for the first time.

Sev slowly began to inch closer. "Immy?" The infant repeated, his voice filled with concern.

"Made a bit of a mess, haven't I?" She choked on the final two words; and then a loud gasp filled the air before Ginny's trembling hand covered her mouth and the trickles from her eyes became streams.

Sev ran to her immediately. "Immy!" Ginny's legs became too weak to hold her up any longer and she soon collapsed on the floor. Sev stopped right next to her and began bouncing in his walker. "Immy!" He reached out to her. "Immy!" He might have been too small to hold her, but he sure as heck could allow her to hold him! "Immy!" If she could just pick him up, that was!

After a minute or two of tears amid nonstop trembling, the teenager reached out for the infant. "Come here, baby." Ginny wrapped Sev in her arms and hugged him as she would a teddy bear. And for at least ten minutes, the roles between them were reversed in a convoluted sort of way. Ginny was still the one who held him, but for the first time since everything started, it was _Sev_ who was the one providing comfort and a shoulder to cry on.

"Immy…" Sev cooed soothingly, patting her chest in comfort as she rocked him back and forth. "Immy…" He tried to imitate Harry's soothing voice pattern every time he said her name. "Immy…" He cooed and patted her chest and rubbed his nose against hers until her tears began to slow. "Immy…"

Both Sev and Ginny were only vaguely aware of the front door flying open and a commotion coming from the vicinity of the living room. They were only vaguely aware of Harry calling their names amidst a myriad of other voices and sounds and hullabaloo. And they were only vaguely aware of the kitchen door swinging open and Harry standing at the threshold, staring at them.

Sev continued cooing Ginny's name and patting Ginny's chest, even as Harry's footsteps slowly approached. He continued rubbing his little nose against Ginny's, even as Harry knelt down beside them. And he continued providing Ginny with as much comfort as he could, even as Harry wrapped his arms around the both of them and provided his own.

Ginny's tears only began falling harder.

"We'll get through this, I promise." Harry whispered and kissed the both of them atop the head.

All of a sudden, the kitchen door burst open once again and Sev recognized the very distinctive voices of Molly Weasley and Sirius Black, amongst a myriad of others. Yet from the way the entire group shut up within two seconds flat, Sev figured they had been spotted by the pack.

An uncomfortable silence reigned for all of about five seconds.

Then someone cleared their throat rather uncomfortably before the distinct voice of Arthur Weasley ordered in an authoritative tone, "Alright, come along, everyone! Let's all go into the living room and leave them alone for a bit."

"What's going on?" Ron piped up from the back.

"Hush, Ronald!" Molly Weasley rebuked amidst her shooing noises.

"But—"

"Come along, Sirius."

"But—"

"Padfoot!"

The kitchen door swished shut and a comfortable silence reigned once again as the commotion retreated back to the living room.

It took another five minutes or so for Ginny's tears to slow to a more reasonable pace, and both Harry and Sev comforted her throughout. "I promise you, my love," Harry whispered in her ear, "we'll get through this."

"Uh-huh!" Sev added, even though he had no idea what Harry was talking about. The infant grinned and reached his head up to rub his nose against Ginny's, drawing a smile from her for the first time since her tears started.

"There you go. See, sweetheart?" Harry chuckled, kissing Sev on the forehead. With a wave of a hand, he set the kitchen about cleaning itself up, and ordered the food to finish preparing itself. "Come on, love." Harry stood up and began coaxing Ginny to do the same. "I know what'll make you feel better."

Ginny snorted as she got back to her feet, managing to keep a firm hold on Severus the whole time. "Really?" She raised an eyebrow at her boyfriend.

"Oh, yes." Harry chuckled playfully and winked. "I'm psychic!"

All of a sudden, the opening notes of a song began floating through the room from the record player on the window sill.

_I sit and wait  
Does an angel contemplate my fate?_

Sev smiled around the thumb in his mouth and got comfortable in Ginny's arms…

_And do they know  
The places where we go  
When we're grey and old?_

…as Harry wrapped his arms around the both of them and began swaying them around the room.

_Cause I have been told  
That salvation lets their wings unfold_

Ginny took a deep, shuddering breath…

_So when I'm lying in my bed  
Thoughts running through my head  
And I feel like love is dead  
I'm loving angels instead_

…and began to relax in Harry's arms.

_And through it all  
She offers me protection  
A lot of love and affection  
Whether I'm right or wrong  
And down the waterfall  
Wherever it may take me  
I know that life won't break me  
When I come to call  
She won't forsake me_

"I'll _always_ be here for you." Ginny smiled.

_I'm loving angels instead._

"The both of you." Sev smiled.

_When I'm feeling weak  
And my pain walks down a one way street_

Unbeknownst to the three slow dancers, the kitchen door slowly began to inch open.

_I look above  
And I know I'll always be blessed with love_

The crack soon grew bigger.

_And as the feeling grows  
She breathes flesh to my bones  
When love is dead  
I'm loving angels instead._

Now it was rather wide.

_And through it all  
She offers me protection  
A lot of love and affection  
Whether I'm right or wrong  
And down the waterfall  
Wherever it may take me  
I know that life won't break me  
When I come to call  
She won't forsake me_

"I love you."

_I'm loving angels instead._

Ginny looked up into Harry's eyes. Harry looked down into hers. Their foreheads met in the middle and together they both leaned down to nuzzle Severus, who giggled around his thumb.

_And through it all  
She offers me protection  
A lot of love and affection  
Whether I'm right or wrong_

_And down the waterfall  
Wherever it may take me  
I know that life won't break me  
When I come to call  
She won't forsake me_

The door was almost completely open now.

_I'm loving angels instead._

Instead of sharing a kiss this time, they both leaned down to kiss the baby in their arms.

"Aww…Eez vewy sveet, yes?"

Everyone in the room, including Harry, Ginny, and Severus, turned towards Fleur, who was currently one of the fourteen heads at the kitchen door.

"Honestly!" Ginny rolled her eyes. "Can no one dance in this house without everyone else spying on them?"

Tonks snorted. "Yeah, Sirius!"

"What are you talking about, Dora?!" The animagus squeaked defensively. "You're here too!"

"OOOH! Ooo hav leetle bebeh?"

Sev scowled and blew raspberries at her.

Fleur shrieked, everyone jumped out of the way, Ginny snorted, and Harry hissed into Sev's ear, "Five minutes time-out later before bed."

Sev giggled at the shrieking Veela and decided it was entirely worth it.

_

* * *

_

Arthur smiled as he approached his daughter and the infant Snape, "Hello, Severus! It's very good to see you alive and well." He offered his hand to the infant.

But before Severus could even blink, Molly had pushed past her husband and enveloped both the infant and her daughter in a rib-crushing hug. "Hello Severus!" She exclaimed in their ears.

"Immy!" The infant cried, trying to wiggle his way out from between the two ladies.

"Mum, you're crushing him!" Ginny groaned, "And me!"

"Oh, dear…" Molly released them, but just as quickly, she took Sev's face between her hands and gave him a big wet kiss on the cheek. The infant grimaced. "I'm very glad you're alive, Severus!" She grinned. "You know, when Ginny sat us down the other day and explained everything to us, we didn't know how we felt about the situation. But Ginny stuck around and she, her father, and I all talked about it, and we agreed that it was a bit strange, though not unheard of. There was that man who has been in the papers for a few weeks now. Sweetheart, what was his name?"

"Elson, I think."

"Aidan Elson! And we were following his story rather closely because Arthur and I found it rather interesting, actually. Well, anyhow, we realized that if it was strange for us, then it must be even stranger for poor Ginny and Harry. But then they took it so _well_! And then Ginny told us about how she felt about you and Harry and the entire situation. She _loves_ you, dear!" Molly emphasized this by squeezing Sev's cheeks between her hands, making the infant squeal and whine.

"Immy!"

"Mum!"

"Molly!"

"Oh! I'm so sorry, dear!" Molly released Severus' face, but not before placing a much gentler kiss on the cheek that was not already leaning against Ginny's chest. "Anyway, long story short, we had a long heart-to-heart talk and…well…" Molly glanced at her husband.

"What Molly's trying to say, Severus, is 'Welcome to the family!'" Arthur grinned, opening his arms as if expecting a hug.

Severus merely blinked at him and continued to suck his thumb as he listened to Ginny's heartbeat.

"You want to give my dad a hug, sweet?"

Sev blushed and buried his face in Ginny's chest, shaking his head in the process.

The teenager sent her dad an apologetic smile. "He's a bit shy."

"That's quite understandable, Severus." Molly replied, rubbing the infant's back.

"Well, isn't it good ol' Professor Snape! He's looking good, isn't he, Fred?"

"He most certainly is, George." The twins approached from either side of their parents.

"Boys, play nice!" Molly warned. "Remember what we talked about?"

Sev peeked out from his hiding spot to watch the twins.

"Honestly, mum, we're not two anymore."

"We're twenty!"

"You don't have to keep telling us the same thing—"

"—over and over again!"

"We heard it the first time."

"And the second!"

"And the third!"

"Yeah, but the real question is, 'Did you actually take it in?'" Arthur mumbled under his breath as he turned and headed towards Remus, Sirius, and Harry. Molly pointed a warning finger at them before turning back towards the dining room.

"Where are we all sleeping tonight, sweetheart?" She asked over her shoulder.

"I'll tell you in a minute!"

"Hey, Mr. Snape!" Fred smiled, tapping the baby on the shoulder. Sev's eye turned towards him. "A little bird told _us_ that you might be interested in…" he lowered his voice considerably, making the baby sit up in interest. "…helping us _test_ one of our products—"

"—on a certain animagus." George finished, whispering in his other ear.

Ginny scoffed and began walking away from them, taking Severus with her. "Mo! Immy!" The infant pushed up and began reaching for one of the twins. "Wamp hep! Wamp hep!"

"Ginny!"

"No!"

"Immy!"

"Now wait just one minute there, dear sister!" The twins jumped in front of her to block her path.

"Allow him to help us and we'll do it to the Veela as well." Fred whispered in her ear. Ginny narrowed her eyes at him.

"Wamp hep, Immy! Wamp hep, Immy! Wamp hep, Immy!" Sev argued, bouncing in Ginny's arms from the excitement.

"Whatever it is, no." Harry broke in, taking Sev from Ginny's arms and heading towards the door.

"Aw, come now, Harry!" Fred frowned.

"Don't be such a spoil-sport!" George added.

"Besides, it's not against you."

"Ah, but it _is_ against someone, isn't it?" Sirius smiled, his eyes alight as he jumped into the conversation. "Well who is it? Come on!"

"Whoever it is, Sev's not going to be helping you." And with that, Harry marched towards the door to the dining room.

Sev pouted and stared back at the twins longingly. But then one of them winked at him and smirked, making Severus grin. _Oh yeah! It's going down!_

_

* * *

_

"Peb-by!" Severus bumped his red donut-shaped plastic ring against his high chair table to get the little metamorphamagus' attention.

"Ah!"

"Wap!" Sev turned towards Harry, who was in the middle of a conversation with Charlie, and purposefully dropped his plastic ring on top of Harry's foot. Without even turning back, the teenager picked up the plastic toy and placed it back of Sev's tray, causing both infants to dissolve into uncontrollable laughter.

A chuckling Tonks turned towards her husband. "Remus, what are they laughing at?"

"I've no idea." The werewolf replied with an amused smile of his own.

"Peb-by!"

"Ah!"

"Wap!" Turning back to Harry, Sev dropped his toy again. And once again Harry retrieved it and placed it back on Sev's tray, causing both infants to dissolve into giggles once more.

Once their giggles subsided, Sev started the cycle once more. "Peb-by!"

"Ah!"

"Wap!" And over and over Sev dropped his toy, and over and over Harry retrieved it, and over and over both Sev and Teddy burst into laughter.

"What's so amusing?" Sirius asked in Remus' ear.

As the two best friends were engaged in conversation about what the infants found amusing, Sev caught Fred's eye. The twin was sitting next to Sirius and flicking his eyes in the animagus' direction. He then twitched the hand next to Sirius' glass of water. Severus grinned.

"Peb-by!"

"Ah!"

"Wap!" Sev narrowed his eyes and aimed as best he could. _Here goes nothing!_ The infant pulled back and put all his muscle into launching the plastic red donut toy into the air. Within seconds, it hit Sirius square in the middle of the forehead.

The animagus blinked and then frowned, rubbing his head in irritation. "What'd you do _that_ for, Severus?!" He scowled, bending down to retrieve the red donut toy.

It took all of half a second for Fred to dump whatever was in his hand into Sirius' glass of water.

"Sev, apologize!" Ginny ordered, missing Fred's slight-of-hand as Sev took all her attention.

Severus managed to suppress his grin, transforming it into a sour look instead. "Owy." He muttered as Tonks handed him his red toy back.

Sev watched in delight as Sirius took a drink of water and then turned back to his conversation, oblivious to whatever he'd just consumed. For about a minute or two, nothing happened; but that was okay since George signed a three against his watch, which Sev took to mean a three-minute wait before the show began. And sure enough, exactly one minute later, Sirius' face began to take on a pinkish hue.

"Padfoot…are you alright?"

Sirius furrowed his eyebrows at Remus. "Of course I am! Why?"

A grin began to blossom on Sev's face.

"No, noth—Um…"

The infant's grin grew in direct proportion to how much Sirius' nose shrunk.

"Sirius, I don't think you're okay." Remus amended.

"What?" A high-pitched nasal voice replied, startling everyone into silence.

Giggles began bubbling up as soon as Sev noticed how long Sirius' ears had gotten, and how big his two front teeth were.

"Boys!" Molly Weasley's reproachful voice boomed from the other end of the dining room table. "Fred! George!"

"What? _Us_?!" Amazingly, both twins managed to look genuinely affronted.

"Severus!" Ginny's voice sounded almost exactly like her mother's as she rebuked the giggling infant.

Yet Sev couldn't help himself. The baby laughed like he had never laughed before as he watched Sirius' eyes shrink to two black, beady dots.

"Why do I sound like a chipmunk?!" The animagus squeaked angrily. "And what did you two do to me?!" He tried to send his most terrifying glare towards a giggling Fred. Unfortunately, because Sirius now looked like a hybrid between a human and a fuzzy pink bunny, his terrifying glare was having little to no effect.

Suddenly, a snort resounded from the head of the table, making everyone's head turn in Harry's direction.

"Harry!" Ginny hissed as she lightly slapped her boyfriend on the shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Gin, but you have to admit," Harry's shoulders began shaking as he pointed in his godfather's direction, "It's very good!"

The fuzzy pink bunny huffed and scowled at his godson.

"Why _thank you_, Mr. Potter!" Both twins puffed up their chests and looked rather proud of themselves.

"Peb-by!"

"Ah!"

"Bubbee!" Sev pointed in Sirius' direction and as soon as the younger infant saw the fuzzy pink bunny, he began laughing hysterically beside his best friend.

Teddy's laugh triggered his mother's, which triggered her husband's, which triggered Bill's, which triggered Arthur's, and before anyone could blink, most of the table was sharing a laugh at Sirius' expense.

The fuzzy pink bunny glared at them all and his scowl deepened. "Great! Yeah. Laugh it up! I'm so _glad_ you're amused!" He squeaked. Sirius picked up his glass of water and splashed the rest of it in George's face, cuffing Fred on the back of the head as he pulled his hand back. The twins didn't even blink. They continued laughing despite it all.

As he waited for the laughter to die down (and his face to transform back), Sirius sat back in his chair and eyed the giggling six-month-old by the head of the table. The little guy had just played his first prank on him; and Sirius had to admit it was a pretty darn good one. _You should be feeling proud of the kid._ A voice said at the back of his mind. The thought made the animagus pause. He _should_ be feeling proud of the kid, he realized. Severus had just pulled his first prank! Granted, the joke had been on _him_, but that was beside the point.

The fuzzy pink bunny's eyes began to gleam in the candlelight. His nose wiggled and his whiskers twitched as a smile began tugging at the corner of his little mouth. Sirius' bunny-sense was tingling. He could smell a Marauder in the making.

"Peb-by!"

"Ah!"

"Bubbee!" Again, the little metamorphamagus burst into giggles.

_Make that __two__ Marauders in the making!_ Sirius smiled and quickly began thinking about how he was going to train his little Marauders behind Harry's and Remus' backs.

_

* * *

_

It was one in the morning and The Den was finally quiet as everyone had finally settled down for the night. Charlie and Percy were sleeping downstairs, Ron and Hermione in the corner bedroom, Mum and Dad across the hall, Bill and Fleur in the new room next to them, Fred and George in the new corner bedroom, and Remus, Tonks, and Teddy in Sev's room next door. Sirius was once again sleeping in his dog form at the end of their bed, and Severus was sound asleep between them.

"How do you think it went today?" Harry whispered into the silence.

"Better than expected, actually." Ginny replied. "I think telling them in advance was a good thing. It gave them time to get used to it." She ran her fingers through Sev's baby hair. "To see the bright side of the situation, I guess."

Harry chuckled. "Mum's quickly turning into the doting grandmother."

Ginny snorted. "And Fred and George are transforming into the perfect uncles."

"As I feared." Harry smirked. "Sirius is too, I think."

"Yes." Ginny agreed.

Silence filled the room for a while until it was broken by Harry's sigh. "I'm sorry about today." He said, turning slightly to face his girlfriend.

Ginny's eyes shone in the moonlight as she gazed up at her boyfriend. A small smile tugged at her lips. "It's alright, Harry."

"No, it's not." Harry shifted slightly and reached over to wrap his arm around both Sev and Ginny. "I promise you, my love—you and Sev, both—we _will_ get through this." He leaned over and rested his forehead against hers. "We _will_!"

"I already believe you, Harry." Ginny replied drowsily, reaching up to give him a featherlike kiss on the lips. "I already believe you."

And at last the only sounds that filled the night were the chirping of crickets and the occasional bark and growl from a dreaming animagus.

* * *

**Oooo...something's up. I wonder what it is. ;-)**

****

"Angels" by Robbie Williams

**Next up, Harry's birthday has finally come and the boys distract him for the day while the girls and the faculty set up for the party. Severus takes an interest in Quidditch and Harry asks a favor from a certain Minister of Magic.**

**Thank you everyone who REVIEWed yesterday! You're wonderful, the lot of ya! Please, don't hesitate to drop a line. I'm always interested in what you readers think. **


	25. Happy Birthday, Harry!

"Hey, Harry?"

"Hmmm?"

"It's a nice day out." Ginny remarked as she gazed out the kitchen window. "Why don't you take Severus out and go flying around?"

"I don't think Sev likes flying, sweetheart." Harry replied as he compared his lesson plan against the standards he and Remus devised the other day.

"Wamp fy!" Sev argued as he thundered into the kitchen in his walker. "Wamp fy! Wamp fy! Wamp fy!" The contraption squeaked as the infant bounced in his seat.

Harry peered at him from over the rim of his glasses. "You want to fly." He repeated dubiously.

_Why? Is that so hard to believe?_ Sev tried putting on his most innocent face and gracing Harry with his single-toothed grin.

Suddenly the floo flared green and out of the flames stepped Sirius, broom in hand. "Hey, pup! I have a great idea! Why don't we all go out and enjoy the day, eh? Have a bit of a fly?"

Harry had just opened his mouth to respond when Merlin's voice filled the room. "Ahem! Sir Henry?"

The teen's head jerked towards the door. "Yes, Sir Merlin?"

"Sir Remus is at the door. Shall I let him in?"

"Of course."

"Hey! Just in time." Sirius muttered as the portrait hole opened.

"Harry, did you notice it's a nice day out?" The werewolf began as he and Teddy strolled into the room. "I was just wondering—"

"Okay, stop!" The teenager held up both his parchment-filled hands as he eyed each of the people in the room. Everyone's attention focused on him. He narrowed his eyes at them. "Why do you all want me to go outside all of a sudden?" He questioned suspiciously.

All the adults eyed each other.

"Uh-oh." The infant muttered.

Harry's eyes narrowed further. "Why did he say 'uh-oh'?" He asked, pointed at Severus.

"Uh-oh!" Sev repeated, looking up at Ginny guiltily.

"Oh, for Merlin's sake!" Ginny rolled her eyes. She opened the kitchen window, letting the sweet summer breeze blow into the room. "Harry, the Quidditch Pitch is empty, there's not a cloud in the sky. Come on!" She tried reaching for the pieces of parchment but he pulled it out of her reach.

"No! Not until someone tells me what's going on."

"Nothing's going on."

"Wamp fy!" Sev bounced.

"I haven't a clue."

"Harry, you've holed yourself inside for the last few days working on lesson plans."

"Those haven't been the only things I've been working on, Gin." The teen argued with his girlfriend.

"Regardless, you've been in here _working_." She retorted.

"Sounds boring!" Sirius remarked, making Sev grin. The animagus glanced towards the infant. "When was the last time you played with Severus, Harry?"

The young wizard looked offended. "I play with him _every day_, Sirius."

"Mow!"

"What do you mean 'no'?"

"He said 'more', Harry." Ginny clarified.

"Mow peh!" The infant bounced. "Wamp fy!"

"He wants to fly!" Sirius joined in.

"Wamp fy!"

"Want fly!"

"Wamp fy!"

"Want fly!"

"Wamp fy!"

"Want fly!"

"_Wamp fy_!"

"_Want fly_!"

"_**Wamp fy**_!"

"_**Want fly**_!"

"_**WAMP FY**_!"

"_**WANT FLY**_!"

"Alright, _**FINE**_!" Harry threw his lesson plans down onto the table in frustration and grabbed his robe from the back of his chair as he stood up. "We'll fly!" He gave both Sev and Sirius the evil eye. The infant giggled and the animagus grinned. Harry rolled his eyes. "Just give me a minute to get my things." He muttered as he made his way into the bedroom.

"You know, Severus, you and Sirius work better as a team than you do as rivals." Remus remarked with an amused smile, earning himself a scowl from the infant.

"Couldn't have said it better myself, Moony." He held out a hand to the infant. "Give me five, cub."

Severus scowled at the mutt's assumption that it was okay to call him 'cub'. That was _Harry's_ nickname for him, and no one was allowed to use it except Harry! Taking his two fingers out of his mouth, he blew raspberries at the animagus before slapping his palm with his drool-soaked hand. _There! That ought to teach him._ The infant smiled smugly.

"You, my young friend, have much to learn about insulting a professional insulter." Sirius pulled a wipe from his pocket and proceeded to clean himself up. "I expected that."

"Mo!" Severus frowned.

"Alright, alright, that's enough." Ginny broke in as she approached from the bedroom, Sev's little coat and beanie in her hands. "Come on, sweet." She lifted him out of his walker and took him to the living room to change him.

"Padfoot, if we're going to play Quidditch, it's going to be slow and low." Harry remarked as he walked out of the bedroom, broom and diaper bag in hand.

"Aw, come on, pup! I can see it in your eyes, you want to go higher and faster." He gestured towards Remus. "Just leave the kid with me and Moony. We'll watch him while you let out some of that tension I know you got in there."

Harry raised an eyebrow at his godfather. "I don't think so, Padfoot."

The animagus looked offended. "What? You don't trust us?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Of course I trust you! I trust you with my life. Not his, but _mine_." Remus snorted and Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Wamp fy! Wamp fy! Wamp fy!" Sirius took Harry's broom and the diaper bag as Ginny handed an excited Severus over to Harry.

"Want fly, want fly, want fly." The teen imitated distractedly.

"You want his sling or his carrier?" Ginny asked.

"Give me his carrier. It's better for flying."

As Ginny helped Harry strap Sev in, Sirius approached Remus and whispered in his ear. "So is everything set?"

"As soon as Harry crosses the wooden bridge, the faculty will come in to help with the set-up and Ginny will call the rest of the Weasleys." Remus replied, his voice exceedingly low. "Some of Harry's friends—the DA, Dean, Seamus, Luna, Neville—are all coming as well."

"How are they going to explain Severus?" Sirius frowned.

"Ginny's going to tell them he was orphaned due to the war and that they're taking care of him for a bit."

"Is his name still going to be Henry?" Remus nodded. "And the Weasleys and everyone else know to play along?" The werewolf nodded yet again. Sirius was silent for a moment and then grimaced. "It's a bit messy, isn't it?"

Remus sighed. "Some of the Order is coming as well—the ones who knew Harry personally during the war."

"Kingsley." Sirius raised an eyebrow.

"Ginny's hoping Harry will have the foresight to start the process for legal guardianship. Hopefully, everything can go smoothly from there."

"Like hell!" Sirius looked at Remus as if he had just gone bonkers. "The moment the name Harry Potter hits a Ministry document, the press is going to learn about it. Severus will be exposed!"

"This will _all_ come out eventually, Padfoot!" Remus argued. "It's better if Harry have legal guardianship when it does, don't you think?"

"Legal guardianship won't protect him well enough, Moony." Sirius retorted, shaking his head. "Not like adoption will."

"Well you can't just jump straight to adoption, Padfoot. And besides…" Remus shrugged, "…legal guardianship has more power behind it than you give it credit for."

"No, Moony." Sirius glanced towards his godson before lowering his voice some more. "_Money_ and _connections_ have more power behind them than _you_ give them credit for."

"Where are you going with this, Padfoot?" Remus' eyebrows furrowed in concern.

"I _know_ the way these dark families run, Remus." Sirius unconsciously checked on his godson yet again. "If Harry's serious about protecting Severus—_really_ protecting him—then he should just think of bypassing legal guardianship altogether."

"Severus isn't going to go for that, Sirius."

"You all should convince him to!"

"Harry's not going to want to do anything Severus won't want to do; not when it comes to stuff like this." Remus argued.

"Hey! Are we going?" Harry said as he approached the whispering duo. "It's guys' day out, apparently. Ginny's staying in to gossip with Tonks."

"It's not gossip, Harry!" Ginny interjected from the den.

"Of course it's not." The teen rolled his eyes.

"Don't say I didn't warn you." Sirius muttered at Remus before turning to smile at his godson. "Listen! I got a great idea."

"I'd be surprised if you ever ran out of them, Padfoot." Harry chuckled. "Let me know when you're done gossiping, sweetheart!" The teen called behind him.

Sev giggled. "Ga—bip!"

"_Goodbye_, Henry!" An exasperated voice replied as the portrait hole closed.

"Have a good time today, Sir Henry, Master Severus."

"Thank you, Sir Merlin." Harry threw a smile over his shoulder.

"Oh, and Sir Henry?"

"Yes?" The group stopped as Harry turned to face the portrait.

"Happy Birthday!" The old wizard smiled kindly.

Harry grinned. "Thank you, Sir Merlin." The teen tipped his invisible hat at the painting before turning and heading down the corridor.

"Yes, Sir Henry, Happy Birthday!" Sirius said in a mock-announcer voice from Harry's right.

"Happy Birthday, Sir Henry!" Remus joined in the ribbing.

"Ha—peh Bef—bay, Ehw Haweh!" Severus giggled, bouncing in his carrier.

"Aw shut it, all of you!" Harry rolled his eyes but the smile stayed on his lips nonetheless.

Sirius wrapped an arm around his godson's shoulders. "So…how does it feel to be eighteen?"

"No different than it felt to be the seventeen I was yesterday."

"I can't believe you were planning to work on your birthday."

"I wasn't working. I was just finishing the stuff I hadn't finished yesterday!" Harry retorted.

"In other words, working." Remus interjected with a laugh.

"Whatever." Harry rolled his eyes. "So what was this idea you had, Padfoot?"

"Oh yes!" Sirius took a golden snitch out of his pocket and tapped it with the tip of his wand, shrinking it slightly. "Here, try this on for size, Severus." The animagus held the flying ball within the infant's reach, but Severus merely frowned at it. "Come on! I didn't do anything to it." The animagus pushed

Severus glanced up at Harry. The teen peered at the snitch briefly before turning back to the infant. "He didn't do anything to it, cub." He ran his fingers through Sev's baby hair. "Go ahead and take it."

Severus eyed Sirius suspiciously once more before reaching out and gripping the golden snitch tightly in his hand. The ball fit perfectly. As soon Sev started pulling the snitch closer for further inspection, the little ball's wings started beating rapidly, startling the infant and causing him to release the ball.

"Whoa!" "Hey!" "Ah!" "Whoops!" On reflex, Harry reached up and caught the snitch before it could get any farther.

"Still got it, I see." Remus chuckled. On his chest, Teddy cooed in delight.

"Keep a good grip on it, cub. These things are slippery." Harry commented as he handed the snitch back to Severus.

The infant frowned at the golden ball, blowing raspberries at it before snatching it back and gripping it tightly in his palm. This time, the fluttering wings scared him not as he brought it closer for inspection.

"I figured we could fly slow and low and have him practice chasing the snitch." Sirius said, gesturing towards the inquisitive infant.

"That's a great idea, Padfoot." Remus commented as the trio sauntered through the clock tower courtyard.

"Sounds fun to me." Harry glanced down at Severus. "What do you think, cub?"

Severus didn't hear him. He was too busy studying the interesting little ball in his hands. It was a pretty little thing, all smooth and shiny. The wings weren't beating as fast now as they were a second ago. Now they were just fluttering lazily up and down and up and down. Severus poked the base of the tiny wing before running his fingers through the miniscule feathers. It looked _so_ pretty! "Mmmm!" The baby cooed with a smile, bouncing in his carrier.

"Looks like he's taking a liking to it." Remus pointed out.

"Looks like." Harry nodded.

"Haweh!"

"Yes, sir?"

Severus held up snitch up to Harry's face. "Mip!"

"Snitch!" The teen chuckled.

"Mip!" The infant grinned. Gripping the tiny ball tightly in his hand, Severus began shaking the snitch as vigorously as he could.

"Whoa there, cub! You're going to get that thing dizzy."

Sev giggled. "Peb-by!"

"Ah!"

"MIP!" Sev slowly transferred the ball from his right hand to his left and began waving it in the little metamorphamagus' face.

"Oooooo!" Teddy's eyes widened.

"Mip! Mip! Mip!"

"Why don't you try releasing it for a bit, Severus?" Sirius suggested.

"Mo!" Sev snapped, narrowing his eyes at the animagus. "Mime!"

"Sev! Watch it!" Harry warned, sending the infant a stern look.

"Mime!" Severus whined, peering up at Harry with sad eyes and hugging the snitch close to his chest.

"Of course it's yours, Severus. I gave it to you!" Sirius rolled his eyes. "I was merely suggesting actually _playing_ with it."

"There. You see now? Sirius gave it to you."

Severus smiled and settled back against Harry's chest. Gripping the snitch between his two small hands, he grinned at it. "Mime." He declared in a satisfied tone of voice.

"Don't you have something to say to Sirius, cub?" Harry raised an eyebrow at the infant.

"Uh?" Sev peered up at Harry, perplexed.

"Something like 'Thank you' perhaps?" He nudged the baby ever so gently.

Severus huffed and pouted. Peering at the mutt from the corner of his eye, he said in his most put-upon tone of voice, "Ank—ooo."

"You're welcome." The animagus smiled kindly.

Severus hugged the snitch to his chest protectively and kept shooting suspicious glances in Sirius' direction, as if expecting the animagus to take back his pretty flying ball at any moment.

"Oh, for Merlin's sake! Would it help if I walked all the way over here?" Sirius asked sardonically, stepping a good ten feet away from Harry and Remus.

Sev grinned. "UH-HUH!" He cried in reply, yelling at Sirius as if they stood on opposite ends of a long tunnel.

Rolling his eyes, Sirius blew raspberries at Severus before falling in step beside Harry once again. The infant giggled at him and blew raspberries in return. Sirius blew raspberries back. Teddy squealed in delight and blew raspberries as well. Sev laughed and blew some more at Sirius. The animagus blew some at Teddy. Teddy blew some at Sev. Sev blew some back. Sirius blew some at Severus and then at Teddy. The two boys hit him back with a double dose of raspberries, making the animagus cringe and shield his face behind his arm.

"HA! We wimp Peb-by!" Sev slowly formed his left hand into a thumbs-up gesture and waved it in Teddy's face.

This time, not only did Teddy laugh, but so did Remus, Harry, _and_ Sirius!

"They _win_, Padfoot! They _win_!" Harry laughed, pointing an amused finger at his godfather.

"Bested by two infants. You're losing your touch, my friend!" Remus added with a laugh.

"Say what you will. I shall have my revenge!" Sirius declared dramatically before dissolving into laughter. He was quickly followed by Remus and Harry and then Teddy and Sev.

_

* * *

_

The Quidditch pitch looked positively naked without the house colors and banners to decorate its spectator towers. The view was more than a bit depressing. Yet the moment Harry stepped onto the field, he could still smell that familiar aroma—the smell of freshly cut grass, the odor of wood, wet with the morning dew, the lingering scent of the night as it dissolved into the day. It was the smell of _Quidditch_ in all its stinking glory. Yes…Harry loved that smell!

"Mip! _Mip_!" The infant on his chest cooed as he waved the snitch back and forth.

"Oh, it still has that smell." The teen remarked.

"What smell?" Remus asked curiously.

Harry took a deep breath. "_That_ smell."

"What smell?" Sirius piped in.

"I don't smell anything." The werewolf added.

"Peh, Haweh! Peh! Peh! Peh!"

Sirius ran forward and jumped onto the back of his broom, stopping to hover in front of Harry and Remus. "You should try letting that thing fly for a bit, Severus." The animagus nodded towards the snitch. "I charmed it so that it doesn't go very fast…or very far." He shrugged. "Try catching it like Harry and Ginny like doing." And with that, he shot towards the sky, whopping as he gained both height and momentum.

Harry, Sev, Remus, and Teddy all watched him ascend until all they could see was a moving black spot against the clear blue sky. "Well…you can certainly take the man out of the boy, but you can never take the boy out of the man."

"Ah!" Severus agreed.

"I think Sirius is the only one who completely fits that description." Remus remarked with a smile.

"Oh, I highly doubt Sirius is the _only_ one." Harry replied, meeting Remus' eye. The two shared a short laugh.

All of a sudden, there was a fluttering of wings and Harry's chest began to shake as Severus began bouncing vigorously in his carrier. "Mip! _Mip_! _**Mip**_!" The snitch fluttered and zipped to and fro, taunting the infant by hovering just within his reach before quickly zipping back out of it. "Haweh, mip! Haweh, MIP!" Sev's little feet began kicking Harry's stomach as the baby stretched his little arms as far as they could in an effort to catch the snitch. "Haweh! _**MIP!!!**_"

"Alright! Okay, cub!" Harry glared briefly at a chuckling Remus before jumping onto the back of his broom and slowly gliding in the direction the golden ball had gone.

_Gotta catch the snitch! Gotta catch the snitch!_ Severus chanted in his head as he stretched his little fingers out as far as they could go. "Fafew, Haweh! Fafew!"

"Sev—"

"Fafew, pea!" The wind started zipping through Sev's hair as he felt Harry pick up speed. The snitch now floated right in between Sev's two hands. _Get it, Sev! Get it, get it, get it!_ The infant was just about to close his hands around the golden ball when it suddenly changed directions, zipping out from between his hands and towards the goalposts.

"Uh-oh!"

Sev giggled and peered up at his caretaker. "Go, go, go, Haweh!" He told him, bouncing excitedly in his carrier.

"'Go, go, go'? Are you sure?" Harry raised an eyebrow at him.

"Mip! Mip! Mip! Cap…mip!" Severus pointed towards the fluttering ball. "FAFEW!"

Harry chuckled and exchanged amused glances with Remus, who was hovering on his own broom close by. "'Full speed ahead,' I think that was."

"Sounded like it." The werewolf replied with a smile.

"Fafew!"

"Hold on, cub. Here we **GO**!"

And before Sev could blink, he was soaring towards the golden ball at top speed! The wind blew through his hair, the adrenaline pumped through his veins, and the roar of the crowd rang in his ears. Yes, they were cheering for him! _Sev—er—us! Sev—er—us! Sev—er—us! Sev—er—us!_ Severus could feel their excitement! He _had_ to catch this snitch! He just _had_ to! Stretching out both his hands, the infant reached towards the golden ball. Once again, it zipped out of his reach just as he was close to grabbing it. This time, it zipped above their heads.

"You have to be quicker than the snitch, cub. Just think, 'I'm quicker than the snitch!'" Harry whispered in his ear as the teenager steered them in the direction of the elusive ball. "Tell your hands, 'You have to be quicker than the snitch!'"

_You have to be quicker than the snitch!_ Sev chanted in his head. Once again, Sev reached for the pretty golden ball. The roar of the crowd was deafening. He was so close! _So_ close! He could feel its wings brushing his fingertips. _Al—most—there!_

All of a sudden, a dark blur zipped by in front of them, startling Severus and making him lose his concentration momentarily.

"No! You got to focus, cub! _Focus_! Otherwise, the other seeker might take advantage of your lapse and grab the snitch before you!"

"Yes, he might!" A voice cackled from their right. Before Sev could blink, Sirius Black was flying right next to them, wearing that infernal smirk on his face.

"MO!" Sev cried, turning back towards the snitch and reaching for it with all his might. "Mime! Mime! MIME!"

"Better get it before I do then!" Sirius narrowed his eyes at Severus playfully.

Suddenly, the snitch zipped left, right, and then straight up, all while Sirius was talking. Ever the attentive seeker, Harry zipped right on after it, leaving his godfather in the dust. He pushed his broom just a little bit faster this time so that Sev could react more quickly. "Come on, Sev, be quicker than the snitch. Quicker than the snitch!"

_I'm quicker than the snitch!_ Sev could feel the adrenaline pumping through his veins. He could hear Sirius quickly closing in behind him. He could taste the excitement. He could hear the roar of the crowd. He could smell the aroma of the pitch. He could feel the tiny feathers of the snitch as they brushed against his palms. _I'm quicker than the snitch._

Severus snapped his palms shut around the golden ball, trapping it between his two tiny hands.

"He got it!" He could hear Harry exclaim excitedly above him. "He got it! Remus, he got it!"

"He caught it?"

"Yeah!"

Severus grinned at the fluttering ball between his fingers. The roar of the crowd was deafening. He could hear _Glahblahblah WINS! Glahblahblah WINS! _The name of the house was garbled, but Sev didn't really care at the moment. He had caught the snitch! _He_, Severus Snape, had just caught the golden snitch!!! Oh, this was the _happiest_ moment of his life!

Oblivious to the goings-on inside the baby's head, Harry waited for his godfather to catch up to him before sharing the good news. "Oh, shut it! He had someone flying for him. It's not entirely fair."

"Shut it yourself, Padfoot. You know you let him win." Harry elbowed his godfather playfully as they glided towards the goal posts, where Remus was hovering.

Sirius looked offended. "I did no such thing! That would imply I like him."

"Oh, but you _do_!" Harry chuckled.

"You're delusional."

"Peb-by!"

"Ah!"

"Mip! Cap…mip! Cap…mip! Cap mip! Cap mip! Cap mip! CAP MIP!" Severus exclaimed, bouncing excitedly in his carrier as he waved the snitch in Teddy's face. The little metamorphamagus grinned and cooed, imitating Sev's excited gestures.

"You weren't going that fast, were you, Harry?" Remus asked in concern.

The teen shook his head. "No. It just looked that way."

"Hey, Sev! How 'bout another go at it. What do you say?" Sirius exclaimed excitedly, pointing to the snitch in Sev's hands.

The infant glanced at his closed hands for a minute before turning to grin at Sirius. Tipping his head back, he peered inquisitively at his caretaker. Harry raised an eyebrow. "What are you looking at me for? It's up to you. _Do_ you want to have another go at it?"

Sev glanced at his enclosed hands once again. The snitch's fluttering wings still tickled his palm. The roar of the crowd still rang in his ears. The aroma of the pitch still filled his nostrils. The whole experience of _Quidditch_ still lingered in his mind.

_Did_ he want to do it again? You're damn _right_ he wanted to do it again!

Sev grinned playfully at Sirius before opening his hands and releasing the tiny golden ball.

Before Remus could even blink, a strong gust of air blew by him as both Harry and Sirius zipped after the golden ball. "That look like fun, Teddy?" The werewolf asked his giggling son. "You'll be up there with them someday." He added, rubbing Teddy's tummy and planting a kiss atop his head. "If things keep heading the way they are, you and Sev will both be on the Gryffindor Quidditch team in no time." The infant giggled up at him and cooed in response. Remus chuckled. "Yup…Severus has more of a seeker instinct in him, I think." The werewolf mused. "And judging from the way you seem to like these goal posts, I'd say you'd make a first-rate keeper, eh?" The baby cooed once again and reached towards one of the pretty rings gleaming in the sunlight. His father chuckled as he ascended slowly on his broom to oblige him.

"Mime! Mime! Mime!" Remus heard a familiar voice screech from across the pitch.

"It's not yours until you nab it, short stuff!" A second familiar voice echoed in reply.

_Bffffft!_

_Bffffft!_

Remus laughed at the two boys' antics across the field as his own little boy began to study the goal post intently. "Soon, Teddy bear. Soon." He muttered as he planted another kiss atop his son's head.

The next two hours passed quicker than Sev expected them to. This catching-the-snitch business was _fun_! He and Sirius had zipped around the pitch in an effort to catch the snitch at least five times now; and out of those five times, Severus had caught the snitch thrice, much to the annoyance of a certain animagus.

"Three out of five, Padfoot. He bested you."

Sirius frowned at his godson as he landed on the ground and jumped off his broom. "He didn't _best_ me. I _let_ him win!" He retorted.

"Ah…and here I thought that meant that you liked him."

"Just shut it, Harry!" The animagus snapped before stalking ahead of the group and away from his chuckling godson.

"We—wimp!" Sev exclaimed, waving around his tiny snitch as if it were his prize trophy.

"Yeah, we win, cub." Harry nodded, planting a kiss atop his head. "It's just that Sirius is a sore loser."

"I am _no such thing_, Harry!" A voice boomed from somewhere ahead of them.

"A sore loser with great hearing, that is." Remus interjected with a laugh.

"Peb-by!"

"Ah!"

"We—wimp!" Sev waved around his golden snitch and the little metamorphamagus giggled playfully.

A few minutes later, Remus, Harry, and the two boys sauntered out of the Quidditch pitch to find Sirius waiting for them at the top of the nearest moor. "Well come along then!" He gestured for them to hurry. "I'm hungry! Let's go! Chop-chop!"

"Yes, don't you know to never keep a hungry dog waiting?" Remus muttered, causing Harry to break into laughter.

As the three made their way back into the castle, they talked about the goings-on in the Quidditch world now that the war was over, while the babies babbled about something or another in their own special language. Apparently, not a single game of Quidditch was played by any English, Scottish, or Irish team during the course of the war. It was as if everything normal had come to a total standstill as terror had gripped the island nations.

"But that's kind of what you expect during a war, isn't it?" Remus pointed out. "Especially when you're a dictator like Voldemort? Anything that the people consider fun must be the first to go. You take away their happiness, and the more you spread sadness throughout the land."

"They become easier to control." Sirius added.

"To a point, that is." Harry interjected.

"And we reached that point during the final battle." Sirius smiled, wrapping an arm around his godson's shoulders and steering him through the halls of the fourth floor and towards his quarters.

Harry grimaced, "I still say I didn't want a final battle."

As Sirius gave Merlin the password, Remus remarked, "It was a war, Harry. Those _all_ boil down to final battles."

"Yes, well I—" Yet Harry never got to finish his remark, for in that moment, the portrait hole swung open and…

"_**SURPRISE!!!**_"

Harry's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open in shock.

"Eh—pie!" The infant on Harry's chest exclaimed with a giggle, his arms and legs bobbing up and down in excitement. Most of the people in the room laughed at the adorable sight.

"I _**knew**_ it!!!" The teenager cried out with a grin, making the rest of the room laugh as well. He pointed to the chuckling werewolf and animagus on either side of him. "I knew you two had _something_ up your sleeves! Asking me to go outside at virtually the same time; when does _that_ ever happen?" He turned to the group and spotted the faculty among them. He pointed to them as Ginny approached. "And you! I haven't seen _any_ of you all day. You've all been hiding from me!" The rest of the teachers laughed at him as Ginny wrapped her arms around the back of his neck. His arms immediately wrapped around her waist as well.

"Happy Birthday, my love." She smiled lovingly up at him.

Harry graced her with the smile he reserved just for her, and his eyes shone with adoration as he murmured a, "Thank you," before leaning down to give her a long, passionate kiss. The gathered crowd 'ooh'-ed and 'aw'-ed at the unusual display of affection. Meanwhile, between them, Severus cooed and bounced in his carrier before turning towards the crowd, taking his fingers out of his mouth, and waving at them with a smile. A flash of light and an even bigger 'aw' filled the room as Ginny and Harry broke their kiss and the birthday boy turned his attention to his guests.

"Thank you all for coming!"

Ginny directed everyone towards the food table as Harry worked the room, wanting to greet each of his well-wishers personally before doing anything else.

"Harry!"

"Ron! Hermione!" The men shook hands while Hermione reached in for a sideways hug. Severus waved a drool-soaked hand in her face and the young woman chuckled as she waved back with a smile.

"Look who showed up to the festivities." Ron gestured behind Harry and before anyone could blink, Neville, Seamus, Dean, and Luna came up beside him.

"Hey! Look at all of you. How're your summers going?" Once again, the men shook hands while Harry hugged Luna.

They talked briefly about their summer activities before Dean gestured towards Severus.

"Who's the kid?"

"Didn't you hear Ginny, mate?" Seamus interjected.

"No, not really." Dean shrugged.

"This is Henry." Ginny answered, coming up from behind Harry to lift Sev out of his carrier. "He was orphaned during the war and we're taking care of him for a while."

"You're taking care of him?" Neville's eyes widened. "Blimey! You're taking care of a kid?"

"Must be difficult." Luna commented.

Dean eyed the couple with a raised eyebrow. "Are you sure you can handle all of that?"

"Of course we can!" Harry replied with a frown.

"Not to be insulting, mate. I meant no offense." Dean raised his hands in a placating manner, "I just meant…the professors told me you're teaching this coming year."

"Plus you're doing Auror training." Seamus added.

"And taking care of a kid on top of that?" Dean looked a bit skeptical.

"Look, we're fine." Ginny answered, hugging Sev to her chest protectively. The infant was sucking his thumb and watching Harry's friends closely. "Raising Henry is about ten percent work and ninety percent fun, from the way I see it."

"Whoa, whoa! Wait a minute. Hold on. _Raising_ Henry?!" Dean's frown quickly transformed into a scowl.

"What is your problem, Dean?!" Ginny snapped, getting in his face.

"My problem?!"

"Hey, hey! Calm down! Relax!" Seamus, Neville, and Luna pulled Dean away while Harry, Ron, and Hermione forcibly turned Ginny around.

"Hey, sorry about that, mate!" Seamus called back to them. "We'll talk later. After…" he inclined his head towards his best mate and made a gesture which Harry took to mean, 'After Dean has calmed down.'

"He's just a bit jealous, is all." Ron commented, squeezing his sister's shoulder in support. "Hasn't been the same since…well…"

"He's jealous of me, that's what it is." Harry added with a smirk. "'Cause I have the most beautiful girl in the world!"

Ginny rolled her eyes but couldn't suppress the small smile that crept onto her face. "Oh, shut up, Harry."

Harry chuckled and moved on to greet his other guests while Ginny took Sev into the bedroom to nurse in private. The professors all offered him well wishes before asking how Severus was doing, among other things. Harry answered them politely and made small talk for a few minutes before excusing himself and pulling Dumbledore aside. He told the headmaster about how he was sorting through his old house and how it was guaranteed that he would be getting most of his old possessions back, with the exception of a few disputed items here and there that he had to discuss with both brothers. The old wizard thanked him profusely, but Harry assured him there was no need.

The members of the DA all congratulated him on the new teaching position and the ones who were returning the following year expressed their excitement at learning more defense techniques from him. They were, after all, used to his style of teaching already.

"I wonder how the Slytherins are going to react to your methods of teaching, Harry." Nigel mused aloud.

"Yeah, all the Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs, and Gryffindors already know your teaching style." Colin Creevy added.

"Someone's bound to challenge you—that's for sure." Hannah Abbott threw in.

"You're going to be a fair grader, though, aren't you? No unjustified point-taking?" Justin asked.

"Of course!" Harry nodded.

"Not like Snape used to be, right?"

Harry gave them a weak smile and nod. They talked for a few minutes more before the birthday boy excused himself and moved on to greet the Weasleys.

"How do you like your party, dear?"  
"It's great, mum. Thank you."  
"Ginny recruited us to help plan the festivities—"  
"—along with little Henry, of course."  
"You're going to love what she and the little guy made for your birthday present, mate."  
"Oh, eez vewy bootifil!"  
"Dear, is little Henry alright? I tried to get him from Ginny earlier and he started crying."  
"Molly, I just said you should probably give him time!"  
"Oh, hush!"  
"No, no, he's right. Er…Henry just needs time to get used to you, is all. Don't worry, mum."

"Harry!" The teenager turned at the sound of his name to find Dumbledore beckoning him over to a very familiar group of people.

The young wizard politely excused himself from the Weasleys and made his way across the room to greet some of the members of the Order of the Phoenix.

"Harry Potter!" A familiar deep voice exclaimed with a laugh.

"Minister Shacklebolt." Harry chuckled and held out a hand.

The black man took it with a smile, "Oh, we can drop the formalities, can't we, Harry?"

"For you? Anything, Kingsley." Harry smirked. The teen shook hands with the rest of the group and made small talk with each of them for a few minutes before excusing himself and pulling Kingsley aside. "How busy is your schedule today, Minister?" He asked.

"I'm free for the rest of the day, Harry, why?" The older wizard raised an eyebrow.

Harry quickly scanned the room with his eyes before stepping closer to the minister and lowering his voice. "May I have a word with you later, then? After I get something to eat, I mean? I have a bit of a favor to ask of you."

Kingsley smiled and placed a reassuring hand on Harry's shoulder. "For the boy who saved the wizarding world, anything." He winked and inclined his head towards the other Order members. "You know where to find me."

Harry nodded his thanks before excusing himself and finally heading towards the food table with a relieved sigh. After liberally filling his plate with finger foods, Harry scanned the room for his girlfriend and found her sitting by the fireplace, talking to Hermione, Tonks, and Luna, Severus in his sling across her chest. Reaching out through the mental link he shared with her, Harry nudged her slightly, causing her to look up and meet his gaze. The two shared a secret smile.

As Harry began making his way towards their little social group, a sharp, shooting pain coursed through his right leg, making him freeze in his tracks. Across the room, Ginny stood up so quickly, she startled Severus, causing him to release the small snitch he had been playing with.

"MO!" He squealed, squirming in his carrier in an effort to catch the little ball once again. "Mime!" As the small golden ball quickly zipped around the room, all the guests suddenly became preoccupied with trying to catch the tiny thing, which effectively drew their attention away from Harry.

Ginny watched across the room as Harry took a deep breath and closed his eyes. The plate he was holding shook slightly as all his magical efforts quickly zapped him of energy. Sweat broke out on his forehead just a Minister Shacklebolt made a jump for the snitch, nearly catching the small ball. Ginny watched as Harry took another deep breath and held it.

"Ha, ha! I got it!" Professor Dumbledore exclaimed, grinning triumphantly at small ball in his hand.

As a cheer and a laugh erupted through the room, Ginny watched as Harry expelled his breath and relaxed his shoulders. The pain had gone.

Harry's eyes fluttered open and his green met her hazel. Moments later, Ginny was overwhelmed with a sense of reassurance and love. _We will get through this. I promise._ The words flowed into her mind like water. They had come from Harry, no doubt. _I promise._

"Here you go, young Henry!" Dumbledore smiled, handing the tiny flying ball back to its rightful owner.

"Mine, mime, mime." The infant cooed, hugging the tiny ball to his chest.

Ginny smiled up at the headmaster. "That was quite the catch, Professor."

"I'll say!" Tonks grinned, her hair flashing bright pink. "You must've jumped higher than Kingsley to reach that thing!"

"It's a pity I never tried out for my house's team when I attended Hogwarts." Dumbledore chuckled.

"I would've thought you would, Headmaster." Harry commented, coming up from behind the old wizard.

"No, no, I was more the academic person and not the Quidditch hero."

"What's the difference?" Luna drawled. Everyone in the immediate vicinity glanced at her.

Dumbledore, on the other hand, chuckled, "You know what, Miss Lovegood? I have no idea." And with that, he politely excused himself to resume his conversation with some of the members of the Order.

Half an hour later, things smoothed over between Dean and Ginny and everyone soon began enjoying themselves. Harry noted, with some amusement, that the volume at the party began to increase in direct proportion to how much the liquor in his liquor cabinet began to decrease. The cutting of the cake was both highly anticipated (considering the cake was made by Qizilbash Quality Confectionary, the same people who made Cauldron Cakes) and highly amusing. Severus had sat against Harry's chest, eyeing the cake adoringly, as Molly Weasley lit the candles. And when it came time to blow said candles, Severus had insisted—nay, _demanded_—that he help Harry blow them out. The teen gave him an indulgent look before nodding silently, and together Severus and Harry blew out the eighteen candles on the three-layered cake.

Severus had been about to settle back down into his sling, content with waiting for his piece of cake, when a spark and a tiny flame caught his eye. One of Harry's tall candles had lit itself back up again. Frowning, Severus leaned over and blew it out once again. Another spark and tiny flame signaled the rebirth of another one of Harry's candles. Sev quickly turned to that candle and blew it out as well. Soon enough, another candle reignited on the far corner of the cake. Sev blew that one back out as well. Now the first candle had relit yet _again_! Sev took care of it in a hurry. And yet another lit. He blew it out. And another. He blew it out. And another, he blew it out; and another, he blew it out; and another! He blew it out!

"Haweh!" The infant whined, scowling up at his caretaker as he dived back into his sling.

Harry chuckled at him. "Oh come on, cub, I was only joking." He stroked the back of Sev's head through the material. "You want to blow out one more?"

"Mo!"

The teen merely chuckled as he carefully took the cake cutter and made the ceremonial first cut before he let Mrs. Weasley take over.

As her mum cut up the cake and passed it out to the guests, Ginny took Sev into her arms before handing Harry a large rectangular box whose tag read, "To Harry on your eighteenth birthday! Love, Little Henry and Ginny."

"Oh, oh! Arthur, get the camera ready!" Molly called when she saw what present Ginny handed Harry. She had seen the present as Ginny wrapped it this morning and wanted to see the look on Harry's face when he finally opened it.

"This is the one you made?" Harry asked, his eyes alight with excitement.

"Mm-hmm." His girlfriend grinned. "Put quite a few hours into it as well."

"Opem!" Sev whined, waving for Harry to unwrap the gift. The infant was bouncing with anticipation.

"Okay, okay! Alright." Harry wore a gigantic smile on his face as he set aside the lovely ribbon and tag before ripping through the Quidditch wrappings to reveal a plain cardboard box underneath. Silence filled the room as Harry ripped off the spello-tape and pulled open the flaps of the box to reveal…

…a gorgeous black robe made of the finest material Harry had ever seen!

"That's not the gift." Ginny whispered in his ear as Sev shook his head playfully.

"It's not?" The birthday boy asked in surprise.

Ginny smirked. "Pull it out." She pushed. "There's something unusual about it."

Harry stepped back from the table and did as she bid. Soon the guests had a full view of the front of the cloak and the 'ooh's started accordingly.

"Wow!"

"Hey! Look at that!"

"It's gorgeous!"

"Your own crest, mate!"

Harry peered at them quizzically before turning the cloak around and examining the front of the robe. Sure enough, there _was_ something unusual about it. The inner lining of the cloak was made of royal blue satin and there, in the spot where a house crest would have normally been, another crest lay embroidered into the material. It was not like any crest Harry had seen before and it was incredible!

The primary colors were royal blue and gold. The supporters on either side of the shield signified royalty as opposed to nobility, and the shield itself was divided into four triangles of alternating color. The top blue triangle displayed a golden lion, the left yellow triangle held a green snake, the yellow on the right housed a white wolf, and the blue triangle at the bottom featured a golden hawk.

"The lion stands for Gryffindor house, of course." Ginny explained. "That's you. The snake is from the Black family, the wolf stands for Remus, and the hawk is from the original Potter crest…or what we could find of it."

There were two scrolls on the crest—one at the bottom, and the other at the top. The bottom scroll displayed the family name in bright red letters: Potter. Meanwhile the top scroll presented the family logo proudly.

"You see…we couldn't decide between _amor est vitae essentia_, which means 'love is the essence of life', and _amor vincit omnia_, which means 'love conquers all'. Thus, we put _both_ on there. We figured you could choose the one you wanted in the end." Ginny finished.

"I love them both." Harry answered softly. A gentle smile played at his lips as he ran his fingers over the crest Sev and Ginny made him. "It's perfect." Harry's eyes shone with love and happiness as he locked eyes with his girlfriend and leaned over to give her a short but sweet kiss on the lips. "It couldn't be more beautiful." He whispered before leaning in to give Sev a kiss atop the head. The baby smiled around the two fingers in his mouth. "Thank you."

"You should put it on, Harry!"

"I will! Now, please, have some cake!" And with that, the teenager threw the cloak over his shoulder and secured the clasp at the same time he began passing around pieces of cake. "I'm going to make it my official crest, love." Harry murmured as he handed Ron two pieces of cake, plus one for Hermione. "The official Potter crest."

Ginny's eyes widened in surprise. "The official one?"

"The official one." Her boyfriend nodded.

"Harry, are you sure?"

"Absolutely!"

"Hey, Harry!"

The teenager turned towards the familiar voice with a smile, "Yes, Minister—"

"Ah, ah, ah!" The black wizard raised an eyebrow at him.

Harry snorted. "Kingsley."

The former auror chuckled at him as he took the offered piece of cake, "So…would now be a good time to discuss that favor you wanted to ask me?"

Harry's eyes widened. "Oh! Oh, yes, yes, of course!" Harry excused himself from the two Weasley women and gestured in the direction of the master bedroom. "Let's just go somewhere a bit more…private, perhaps?" As soon as the pair were safely inside the bedroom, Harry closed and locked the door, placing a whole set of silencing charms on it before casting a _Muffliato_ between him and Kingsley just in case.

The elder wizard raised an amused eyebrow at him as he fed himself some cake. "Should I be worried?"

"No, no," Harry chuckled nervously, "It's just that I'm a bit paranoid."

Kingsley snorted. "A bit." He nodded. "So…what is it I can do for you, Mr. Potter?"

"I would be…_very_ much in your debt if you could help me attain…" Harry took a deep breath, "…guardianship papers."

Kingsley's eyes widened. He had not been expecting this. "_Guardianship_ papers?!"

"Papers for legal guardianship of a minor." Harry nodded. "Yes."

The black wizard was silent for a moment before the gears in his head began to turn. "Is this for little Henry out there?" He pointed his fork towards the door.

"Yes…and no." Harry grimaced as Kingsley threw him a confused look. "The legal guardianship _is_ for that baby out there. However…his name is not really Henry."

"It's not?"

Harry took a deep breath. "It's Severus." He hesitated slightly. "Severus Snape."

Shacklebolt's eyes widened until they were as big as saucers. The piece of half-eaten birthday cake lay forgot in his hand. "How…I don't understand."

Harry nodded and began telling the entire story from the beginning. "You know that story about Aidan Elson, right?"

By the time Harry was done with the tale, Kingsley was sitting on their rocking chair, looking contemplative. "Well…this situation is a lot cleaner than Mr. Elson's, I must say."

"But no different?" Harry asked apprehensively.

"No, no different." Kingsley assured him. He was silent for a moment, his finger tapping his lips in thought.

"So…is it going to be possible?" Harry asked, leaning forward on his perch on the bed.

"Yes, yes, it's quite possible." The black wizard assured him. "I'm just thinking about how we're going to keep this from the press."

"Yeah, that's what I was worried about as well."

"Severus would be exposed if the papers were to learn of the guardianship."

"I thought the stuff that went through Wizarding Child Protective Services was confidential, though." Harry questioned.

"_Technically_ they are confidential, yes." Shacklebolt grimaced. "But there are, ahem…'bugs'…everywhere." Harry made a disgusted sound. "It's something I'm working on fixing at the moment. This Aidan Elson business, as a matter of fact, was supposed to remain confidential, but you saw how _that_ turned out." Kingsley grimaced and began rubbing the wrinkles on his forehead.

"Well is there anyone you know inside the WCPS that can help us out?" Harry asked hopefully.

"Well I'm the Minister of Magic. I'm supposed to know everyone." Shacklebolt joked.

A smile began tugging at Harry's lips. "Come on, Kingsley." He pushed. "Is there anyone that you know that's loyal to you? Anyone that can help me out…and keep it quiet at the same time."

Suddenly, Kingsley sat up in his chair, a smile lighting up his face. "You know what? I just might."

Harry's eyes widened. "You might?!" He asked excitedly.

"_We_ might!" Kingsley nodded, gesturing between himself and the teenager. "You know Hestia Jones? She's a member of the Order."

"Isn't she here today?" Harry asked, pointing towards the door.

"Actually she is, I think. Anyway, she works in Child Protective Services. I can't believe I forgot about her a second ago! _She_ can help us out." Kingsley smiled.

"From start to finish?"

"From start to finish, absolutely." The older wizard nodded, "She's a social worker. She takes the cases. And the best part—she can definitely keep secrets."

"That's great!" Harry's face lit up with a smile. "Perfect! That's exactly what I needed!"

_

* * *

_

"What do you suppose is going on in there, Albus?" Slughorn slurred, swinging his cup of brandy towards the closed bedroom door.

"I don't know." The headmaster answered. The men were silent for a minute as they watched Miss Weasley, carrying a sleeping Severus, knock and then disappear into the room.

"Kingsley's in there, isn't he?" Arthur asked as they continued to watch the closed bedroom door.

"Yes, Harry's asking him for a favor, I believe." Molly answered, feeding herself a piece of cake.

"I wonder what that favor could be." Remus added.

"Yes, one wonders." Dumbledore commented, his eyes twinkling slightly and a smile tugging at his lips.

Moments later, the door crept open and Kingsley stuck his head through the crack and looked about the room. His eyes soon stopped in their direction. "Hestia!" He called. "Hestia!"

Dumbledore, Slughorn, Remus, Sirius, Arthur, and Molly all exchanged curious looks as Hestia Jones rushed by them and stopped at the bedroom door. They watched as Harry and Ginny appeared at the door and began shaking hands with the woman before Kingsley shooed them all inside and shut the door once again.

"Now I'm jealous." Sirius added sardonically.

"What does Hestia have to do with anything?" Arthur asked.

"I think I know." Dumbledore took his wand and cast a _Muffliato_ on the group before indulging in one of his favorite pastimes: gossiping.

* * *

**Next up, Severus has the flu! The poor dear...Strong bonds begin to develop as Harry and Ginny nurse him back to health.**

**PICTURE (See Ch. 2 end note on how to access it): Potter Crest/Coat of Arms designed by Sev and Ginny**

**Thanks to all my wonderful REVIEWers and readers! You guys are awesome! As per usual, please keep them up. Ya'll are probably wondering why the updates are slowing down. I do have quite a few more chapters written, but I'm not completely done with the story just yet. I'd like to be, but as I'm a senior at college/university, and I don't want to screw up my last semester, finding time to actually write is rather difficult. But do know that I'm working on it, and you all have at least 2-3 weeks to go before my posting catches up to my writing. Just thought I'd let you know that. :-)**


	26. Family Sick Day

"Harry?"

"Hmmm?"

"Is Severus ill?"

The teenager's head shot up from his mountain of papers and his eyes locked with his girlfriend's. "Why?!" He asked, instantly alert.

"He's feeling a bit warm to me." Ginny replied, moving her hand from Sev's forehead to his neck. "More than a bit warm, actually!"

Harry was out of his seat and by their side in an instant. He kneeled by the armchair where Ginny was sat, nursing a drowsy Severus, and touched the back of his hand to his little neck. "He _does_ feel a bit warm!" Harry's eyebrows furrowed.

"Sev, honey?" Ginny stroked his forehead, but the infant merely shrugged her off and kept on drinking. His eyes remained firmly shut.

"You okay, cub?" Harry cupped the back of the child's head and proceeded to run all the medical diagnostics he knew how to perform. It didn't take long for him to recognize the culprit. "I think he has the flu, love."

"The flu?!" Ginny's eyes widened in alarm.

"Calm down, Gin. It's not terribly horrible." Harry shifted a bit and laid a hand on Sev's little tummy. He quietly ran another diagnostic. "Fever, slight headache, muscle aches—"

"He's shivering."

"—chills, he's tired, has a bit of a runny nose, and I think his stomach is a bit unsettled."

"Should I keep nursing him then?"

"Yeah, yeah," Harry nodded, pushing himself off the floor and onto the coffee table. "Definitely. He…I think he's getting medicine just by feeding right now."

"So that's why he's been feeding more often than usual."

"Has he?" Harry raised an eyebrow.

"This is the fifth time he's nursed today and it's only…" she looked around for the clock, "…eleven o'clock. He normally doesn't nurse this often."

"Well I think he's going to be nursing for the rest of the day. I don't think he's going to have the strength to eat solid foods for the next three days at least."

"Oh, love…" Ginny sighed and stroked Sev's head with her thumb. The infant sighed in contentment and cooed as he drank. "Should we call Madam Pomfrey?"

"Yeah." Harry nodded. "Go on to the bedroom. Lie down with him. I'll floo-call her." He helped her stand and walked with them to their king-sized bed, pulling the comforter over the both of them as soon as they were settled. Then he went to floo-call the school matron.

"Harry!" The teenager paused at the threshold and glanced back inquisitively. "He might need a fever-reducer. He's getting awfully warm."

The teen nodded and dashed to the bathroom to get some from the medicine cabinets. As he passed by Ginny to hand it over, he also dropped a quick kiss on top of Sev's forehead. "Hang in there, cub. You can beat this. Okay?" Though Sev's eyes had yet to open, he smiled around Ginny's breast and cooed contentedly, making Harry smile. The teenager gave his girlfriend a quick peck on the lips as well before sprinting out of the room and towards the fireplace.

After tossing some floo powder into the hearth, he called out for the infirmary and stuck his head in the flames. A hazy view of the hospital wing greeted him. "Madam Pomfrey?" He called. There was a bit of commotion coming from the right and Harry immediately turned his head in that direction. Sure enough, the school matron came marching from that direction at a quick pace.

"Yes? What can I do for you, Professor Potter?"

Harry still blushed at being addressed as such. "First of all, Madame, would you _please_ call me by my first name?"

"Harry?" The healer replied, raising an eyebrow at the teenager. Despite the familiarity, her tone remained no-nonsense.

"Sev's sick, Madam Pomfrey." Harry answered. "My medical diagnostics say it's the flu, but I'd appreciate if you could take a look at him as well."

The matron nodded and wiped her hands on her apron. "Very well." She then made some shooing motions. "Step aside, Harry. I'm coming through."

No sooner had Harry's head cleared the flames that the fire flared green and out stepped the school healer, wand in hand. "Thank you, Madame."

"Where is he, Mr. Potter?"

"This way." And Harry began steering her towards the master bedroom.

_

* * *

_

To say Severus felt horrible would be the understatement of the century. His stomach felt funny, he thought his head was about to explode, his throat was itchy, he felt both hot _and_ cold at the same time, whenever he coughed his throat hurt, and he refused to open his eyes because the light just made his head hurt even more.

"Mmmm!" He whined. "Mmmm!" Sev began signing 'no' and 'light' over and over again with his hands.

"We turned down the light, sweetheart." Ginny's soothing voice said next to his ear. "You can open your eyes now."

It took a few minutes for Sev to settle down and find the courage to do so. Sure enough, the lights were dimmed to a very dull glow which had no effect on his head whatsoever. Looking around for the first time, Sev found himself nestled between the sheets on the big bed, Harry and Ginny stretched out on either side of him. Their positions reminded him very much on Godric's Hollow. Ginny lay on his left. She was in her nightgown, her back propped up by pillows, and a book entitled _Professional Seeking Strategies_ lay open against her chest. She smiled down at him as he peered up at her, and Sev felt her smooth fingers running through his soft baby hair.

"How do you feel, sweet?"

Sev bit his lip and began shaking his head. "Mmmm!" He whined, signing 'no' and finger-spelling 'G-O-O-D'.

Ginny's smile transformed to one of amusement. "Oh, we know that, love. Madam Pomfrey's already been here and gone."

"You're sick, cub." Harry interjected from his right.

Severus turned his head towards him and found the teen settled on top of the sheets. Like Ginny, his back was propped up by pillows, but he still wore his regular daytime clothes as opposed to his nightwear, although Sev noticed he was unusually barefoot. He seemed to be doing some paperwork, if the amount of parchment scattered on and around their bed was anything to go by, but as soon as Severus' gaze had settled on him, he looked up from his papers and greeted the child with a warm smile. "It's the muggle flu." He said. "It's not terribly horrible. You'll still experience the same symptoms as regular muggle victims, but your magic should help you fight it." Sev heard Ginny clear her throat behind him. Harry shot an amused glance in her direction. "That, and the antibodies you're receiving whenever you nurse from Ginny, that is." A smile tugged at the corners of his lips. "So whenever you feel hungry, you be sure to let us know. That's your body's way of telling us that it needs more foot soldiers for its war against the invaders in your body."

Sev frowned. That didn't sound very pleasant. He had an invader in his body? Did he mean sort of like a curse? Sev had a curse in his body?! The infant's eyes widened in alarm before his face quickly transformed into a scowl. _Who_ put it there?

"You had a bit of a fever a while ago, love, so we gave you some children's fever reducer to help bring it down." Ginny added.

"Madam Pomfrey was over about an hour ago." Harry continued. "She confirmed it was the flu. Gave us a few potions that may help you fight it as well." He turned to switch the papers in his hand for the papers on the bedside table. "You should be in the clear after three days or so."

"Do you want anything, Sev?" Ginny asked. The baby turned his head towards her. Sev stared up at her for a second, his thoughts uncharacteristically blank; then all of a sudden he was able to process what she said and recalled that he was actually a bit thirsty. He signed 'thirsty' against his mouth. "Do you want milk or water, sweet?"

"Wawa." Severus replied verbally but soon regretted it from the way his throat ached after he talked.

"Harry—"

"I'll get it." The teen replied. Harry jumped off the bed and padded barefoot into the living room, reading the top parchment on his pile of papers as he crossed towards the kitchen. Halfway through the den, Harry's fire flared green and the flames leapt incredibly high. The teenager didn't even flinch, though. He had cast a spell on his floo enabling it to recognize intruders and kick them out accordingly. Now only those he knew and approved could be let in. Thus, when his godfather stepped onto his hearth unannounced, Harry didn't even blink.

"Good afternoon, Sirius." He mumbled towards the paper he was reading. He hadn't even paused in his journey to the kitchen.

"Harry, I have good news and bad news." The animagus announced, dropping onto the nearest easy chair and propping his feet up onto the low coffee table.

Harry shot a curious look towards his godfather before throwing his papers onto the kitchen counter. "Let's hear the bad news first." He replied, opening the ice box and sticking his head inside.

"I'm going to be joining you in Auror training." Sirius replied. "Just for a year, that is."

Harry kicked the ice box door shut on his way to the counter, two of Sev's bottles in hand. He raised an eyebrow at his godfather. "And…the good news would be?"

"I'm going to be joining you in Auror training." The animagus repeated, a smirk on his face. "Just for a year, that is."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Sirius, that's _one_ piece of news."

His godfather snorted. "See, it could've been good or bad, depending on how you looked at it."

"I see it as good." Harry quickly replied, filling one of the bottles with water.

"I see it as bad." Sirius retorted.

"Sirius, you've been out-of-commission for over seventeen years!" Harry argued.

"I don't see myself as having been out-of-commission." The animagus scowled, "I have been fighting in the war for the past three to four years, have I not? And I'm still alive, aren't I? That should say something!"

"Well it obviously doesn't say anything to Kingsley." Harry purified the water and warmed it up slightly so that it would soothe Sev's throat on the way down.

"And that's right irritating, that is!" Sirius crossed his arms and pouted. "I don't see why I have to go through training again."

"You said it was only for a year."

"Even then!"

"Padfoot, I'm in it for _three_." Harry retorted as he began scouring the cabinets in search of the lemon and honey.

"And I don't see why _that_ is, either!" Sirius continued. "I mean you defeated _Voldemort_, for Merlin's sake! If anyone doesn't need Auror training, it's you."

"I don't agree."

"And why not?!"

"Well you can never be too sure." His godson replied, pouring some honey onto a teaspoon.

Sirius scoffed and scowled at the fire burning in the hearth. "That's what Kingsley said as well."

"Oh come on, Padfoot. What's so terrible about taking a year to brush up on your skills?"

"My skills are already brushed up on!" Sirius argued. "I don't need to be stuck in some ridiculous room for a year, being run ragged through these outrageous scenarios and simulations by people half my age, and to be looked down on and rebuked like a rookie by said people half my age!"

"First of all," Harry started, spooning some lemon into Sev's water, "_I'm_ half your age. I highly doubt the training instructors are going to be people my age. More than likely, they'll be people Moody's age."

"That just makes them more even more likely to look down on me and criticize even more harshly."

"So this is your nervousness talking." Harry raised an eyebrow at his godfather as he shook both bottles to mix them evenly.

"I am _not_ nervous!" Sirius replied, peering at his godson over the top of the easy chair and looking indignant.

"Oh, you're not?"

"I'm _pissed_ is what I am! More than pissed, actually." He resumed his pouting at the fireplace.

Harry sighed as he tested the temperature of the water against his wrist. "Who are you pissed _at_?"

"Kingsley!"

"Kingsley." Harry murmured under his breath.

"I don't understand why I have to go through this!"

"And here we are back at the beginning." The teen muttered, padding towards the bedroom, bottles in hand.

"I was a perfectly good Auror seventeen years ago," Sirius started, getting up to follow his godson into the bedroom, "I may have had a twelve-year vacation in hell, but when I got out I was still perfectly good at what I did. He _knows_ all this! Why does he have to make me go through this shite!"

"Sirius!" Ginny scowled at the animagus.

"Oh, it's not like you don't say it either, Gin." Sirius rolled his eyes. "And it's not like he's a real baby either. I've heard him say worse things before." The animagus buried his hands deep in his pockets and scowled at the carpet.

"I think Kingsley _does_ know all this, but I don't think it's _Kingsley_ who's actually making you go through training again." Harry placed both bottles on the nightstand before picking up a drowsy Severus and nestling him in his arms as he sat back down on the bed. "I think _Kingsley's_ doing is the fact that you're only going through it again for a year as opposed to three."

The thought made the animagus look up and narrow his eyes at his godson. "Are you saying it's the bureaucracy that's making me do this?"

"That's what I think." Harry nodded. "I think Kingsley went to bat _for_ you as opposed to against you." Leaving his godfather in that contemplative state, Harry turned to the half-awake infant in his arms. "Hey!" He shook the tiny bundle gently. "Hey, cub!" The small six-month-old let out a big yawn before his eyes fluttered open completely. "You still thirsty? Want a bit of water?"

"Mmmm." Sev nodded lazily before closing his eyes once again and making himself comfortable against Harry's robes.

"What's wrong with the kid?"

"He's sick, Padfoot." Ginny answered, making some notes in her book.

"Ah!" Sirius nodded. The animagus threw himself onto the foot of their bed with a sigh before crossing his arms behind his head. "It must've been Mundungus Fletcher." He mused. "You never know _what_ that sorry-excuse-for-a-man has these days. Moony and I are convinced that he's a carrier of virtually every muggle and wizard disease on record."

"That's disgusting." Ginny replied behind her book, her face screwed up in distaste. "Are you sure he was at the party?"

"Did you notice how quickly your impressive collection of alcohol became a lot less impressive?"

"I was under the impression that was Slughorn." Harry replied, holding the bottle of water to Sev's lips. The infant latched on and began drinking hungrily.

"No, Slughorn isn't as heavy of a drinker as Mundungus is." Sirius replied, peering at his godson and his ward from his end of the bed.

"I don't think _anyone_ is as heavy a drinker as Mundungus is." Ginny grimaced. "The man borders on alcoholic."

"Oh, he more than borders, I think." Sirius stood up and quickly transformed into his dog form before hopping back up onto the edge of the bed and settling down.

"Padfoot, you _do_ know we have two other bedrooms in these quarters. You can _have_ one of them for now, if you wish." Ginny said, eyeing the dog over the edge of her book.

_Woof!_ The dog barked lazily before settling his head back down and closing his eyes.

"Just leave him be, love." Harry remarked before turning back towards the baby in his arms. Severus was still drinking hungrily from the bottle of water Harry held to his lips.

"Did you warm it up?"

"Yup."

"Did you add lemon and honey to it?"

"Mm-hmm." Harry gave her a small smile. "Just like mum used to make." He turned back towards Sev and stroked his tiny hand. "What do you think, cub? Molly Weasley's patented cure for a sore throat, this is. It's guaranteed to be gone by the morning." The baby cooed contentedly before releasing the bottle and settling against Harry's chest, his eyes firmly shut. Harry sighed, "Ah…what's going on in that mind of yours, I wonder."

_I feel like shite!_ A voice at the back of the baby's mind cried. Severus couldn't agree with it more. Everything in his body ached! His arms ached, his legs ached, his chest ached, his eyeballs ached, his _bones_ ached! Possibly the only thing in his body that didn't ache at the moment was his throat; but that was likely due to whatever miracle water Harry had just fed him. Otherwise, it would've ached as well along with the rest of his body. "Mmmm!" Severus groaned and shifted to find a more comfortable position against Harry's chest. His caretaker's comforting heartbeat wasn't being as comforting as it normally was.

"Mmmm!" He whined once more. He was feeling hot! Severus scrunched up his forehead and began wriggling with a vengeance, trying to shake off all the blankets and such that covered him. _Why_ did Harry and Ginny insist on putting so many layers on him?! It wasn't like he needed them anyway! _Get it off, get it off, get it off!_ He began kicking out roughly, whines and groans accompanying his more powerful kicks.

"Hey, hey! Whoa, cub!"

"Sweetheart?"

"Hooooooop!" He whimpered. "Hop!"

"He's hot, Gin." Harry translated, glancing at his girlfriend in concern.

"I'll go get a cold towel." Ginny replied, jumping off the bed. "Should we give him another dose of fever reducer?"

"No!" Harry shook his head as he began disentangling Sev from the blanket he had been holding him in. "We just gave him a dose. It's dangerous if we overdose him."

"Hop!"

"Yes, I know, cub. I know." Harry laid the infant down on top of the soft sheets and felt his forehead. It felt a bit too warm for his taste, yet it was clammy at the same time. He could feel Severus shivering beneath his touch. "Hold on, alright? Ginny's getting a nice cold towel for you."

"Hooooop!" Sev moaned, wriggling from beneath the hand and rolling towards Harry's side. "Hoooooop!"

Harry sighed and scooted downward so that he lay on his back next to Severus. The infant was now virtually glued to his left side. Ever so gently, Harry wrapped his left arm around him, cradling him as best he could.

"Hoooooooop!" The infant cried miserably.

"I know." Harry crooned, infusing his voice with a bit of calming magic. "I know. Shhh…" Harry began patting a steady rhythm against the infant's back as he started humming a nice, soothing melody that always used to calm him down whenever he felt a bit under the weather. "Mmmmmm Hmmmm Mmmmm Mmmm Mmmm…" He immediately felt Severus begin to relax next to him. "Mmmmmm Hmmmm Mmmmm Mmmm Mmmm…" Harry opened his eyes and smiled at the ceiling. "Padfoot, you remember this song?"

"Remember it?" An amused voice replied from the end of the bed. "I sang it to you."

"Mmmmmm Hmmmm Mmmmm Mmmm Mmmm…"

"I remember it was your fifth year…"

"Mmmmmm Hmmmm Mmmmm Mmmm Mmmm…"

"…over the Christmas holiday…"

"Mmmmmm Hmmmm Mmmmm Mmmm Mmmm…"

"…and you were sick with the muggle flu, just like the cub over there."

"Mmmmmm Hmmmm Mmmmm Mmmm Mmmm…"

Sirius chuckled at the ceiling. "And I remember one night…"

"Mmmmmm Hmmmm Mmmmm Mmmm Mmmm…"

"…your fever was so high, it was keeping you awake…"

"Mmmmmm Hmmmm Mmmmm Mmmm Mmmm…"

"…and because you were awake, Moony and I were as well."

"Mmmmmm Hmmmm Mmmmm Mmmm Mmmm…"

"And I remember you didn't want to go to sleep…"

"Mmmmmm Hmmmm Mmmmm Mmmm Mmmm…"

"…so I sang you that song."

"Mmmmmm Hmmmm Mmmmm Mmmm Mmmm…"

"And Moony joined in as well after a bit…"

"Mmmmmm Hmmmm Mmmmm Mmmm Mmmm…"

"…and then it sounded like this."

And together Sirius and Harry began humming the same song in perfect harmony. Their deep notes blended together and the music flowed around Severus in accordance with the flow of white magic all around him. Every aspect of Sev' world merged and swirled and wrapped around him like a warm, comforting blanket. It soon got harder and harder for Sev to stay awake.

"Shall we have one more go at it, pup?" He heard Sirius ask at the end of the bed. "I love this song."

Harry's soft comforting pats soon became gentle hypnotic massages and Sev heard his caretaker chuckle just before the beautiful, soothing music once again filled the room.

"Mmmmmm Hmmmm Mmmmm Mmmm Mmmm…"

Severus felt a soft, cool towel begin to sponge him gently and within minutes, the combination of the cool towel, the white magic, the music, and the massage had Severus dwelling at the threshold of slumber.

"Go to sleep, baby boy." An angelic voice whispered in his ear. Sev smiled and with a final sigh, he let his consciousness silently drift towards the land of nod.

_

* * *

_

"It doesn't really take a _Wingardium Leviosa_, you see. What I found out while I was experimenting with wandless magic was that _all_ manner of magical creatures can do it. It just takes enough hard work and dedication to see it through."

Harry was sitting cross-legged on the bed, explaining the basics of wandless magic to a nursing Severus while a slew of bedroom objects and toys revolved around his head.

Sev peered up at Ginny curiously and the teenager smiled down at him while she wiped away a lone drop of milk that leaked out of the side of his mouth. "You can try some of that later, sweet, when you're feeling up to it."

"Yeah," Harry nodded, "Some of this stuff takes a lot of energy, especially since you're just getting started."

"Excuse me, Sir Henry?" Merlin's voice boomed from the portrait hole.

"Yes, Sir Merlin?"

"Professors Dumbledore and Slughorn are at the door. Shall I let them in?"

"Of course!" Harry nodded. "Yes, yes. Tell them we're in the bedroom." He turned to his girlfriend. "Do you want me to get the nursing shawl?"

Yet before she could answer Severus unlatched and began shaking his head. "Are you done, cub?" The infant nodded. "Are you sure?" Another nod.

"It's just as well." Ginny picked him up and placed him back down between them so that she could effectively fix her nightgown.

"Hello?" They heard Slughorn inquire from the doorway.

"We're in here, Professors!" Harry called.

"Ah! They're in the bedroom."

"Mmmm-BA!" Sev cooed, trying to reach for one of the floating toys from his position on the bed. Harry chuckled and bumped one of the revolving toys towards him. Sev squealed and began batting at it with a vengeance.

"You like that, cub?" Harry grinned.

"Ha, ha, ha!" The infant laughed, batting his baby snake's dangling tail.

"Is that fun?" Sev began chewing on his index finger before turning towards Harry with a smile. He nodded playfully. Harry laughed. "Yeah?" Another nod. "Yeah, huh?"

"Mmmm-BA!" Severus grinned as Harry leaned down and brushed the hair from his fringe before placing a kiss on his forehead.

"That's always fun, isn't it?" The teen began rubbing the baby's tummy just as Dumbledore stuck his head in the door.

"Hello! I hope I'm not interrupting anything?" The bubbly man smiled as he stepped into the room.

"No, no, Professor." Ginny smiled and shook her head as she retrieved her Quidditch book from the nightstand.

"Sev was feeling a bit under the weather today," Harry informed them, "so we're all having a big, long sleep-in until he gets better."

"Oh!" The headmaster smiled, "That sounds fun."

"I didn't know you had a dog, Harry." Slughorn remarked as he studied the big sleeping dog at the edge of their bed.

"Oh, he's not ours." Ginny snorted.

"Professor Lupin's then?"

Harry grinned and began chuckling as he answered, "That dog's my godfather, Professor." He nodded towards Padfoot.

"I beg your pardon?" The big man looked confused.

"Sirius Black is an animagus, Horace." Dumbledore answered with a smile.

"An animagus?" It took a second, but the light soon dawned in Slughorn's eyes. "Oh!" Then he paused. "_**OH**_!" Everyone soon began laughing softly.

"Mmmm-BA!" Sev cried and began reaching for his floating lion cub. "Mmmm! Mmmm!" He whined. Harry lowered it down towards him with a smile and the infant grinned when his little fist closed around the cub's tail.

"I'm sorry to hear that you're ill, Severus."

"Wait, Sirius Black is your godfather, Harry?" Slughorn raised an eyebrow at him.

Harry snorted softly before turning towards the men, "Begging your pardon, sirs, but was there something one or both of you wanted?"

"Oh."  
"Oh!"  
"Oh."  
"Oh, yes."  
"There was something."  
"It'll just take a minute."  
"Just a small thing really."

"I need to go over a press release with you." Dumbledore said.

"And I was wondering if you'd kindly help me brew the inordinate amount of potions needed between the Hogwarts infirmary and St. Mungo's." Slughorn added.

Harry nodded and began discussing the issues with both men. Severus stopped paying attention at that point. He was getting too distracted by the pretty toys Harry was levitating above his head. Hugging his little lion cub to his chest with one hand, Sev reached up with the other and started batting at one of the dangling claws of his stuffed raven. "Mmmm! Mmmm! Coo!"

Sev felt the bed shift beside him and looked over to find Ginny placing her book back onto the nightstand before scooting down on the bed until her head lay next to his. "Whatcha doing, love?" She whispered with a smile.

Severus grinned at her and then reached up to bat at the raven's claws once again.

"Ah, I see. Is that fun, sweet?"

_You should try it._ A voice echoed at the back of Sev's mind. The baby's legs and arms began bobbing up and down in excitement. When his badger toy floated within reach, Sev giggled in delight before batting at one of its little legs.

"You know what'll make it even more fun?" Ginny whispered. Sev peered up at her curiously. The teen gave him a mysterious smile. Seconds later, the letters from Sev's alphabet puzzle began joining the floating toys in the air. "Let's make words, Sev. What do you say?"

Severus giggled and squealed in delight as he reached for the 'S' near Harry's hand.

"Let's spell 'Severus'. How's that?"

"Uh-oh!" The infant bit his lip and peered at Ginny guiltily. "Mo mow."

"No more?" Ginny raised an eyebrow.

'S-E-V-E-R-U-S' The infant finger-spelled his name for her before holding up two fingers and singing 'S' and 'E'.

"Ah, I see!" Ginny nodded. "Well, let's see how we can fix that." She reached out and plucked the 'S' and the 'E' out of the pack before shooing all the other letters away. She then let those two letters float well within Sev's reach. "Now…I don't know if Harry's explained this to you yet, but magic is largely an extension of your will." She whispered in his ear. "That's…sort of the definition of magic in its most basic form. Thus, if you do it right…and you put enough effort into it…what you want…" Ginny reached a finger out and poked the 'S', causing it to wobble slightly in the air. Sev's eyes widened when a second 'S' soon began floating out from behind the first, "…is largely what you get."

Sev squealed in delight and began bobbing his arms and legs up and down excitedly. _That was so wicked! That was wicked! I want to do it now!_ "Meh! Meh! Meh!" He croaked, his voice sounding hard and rough.

"Hey, cub, try not to use your voice too much." Harry interjected, pausing in his conversation with the two professors. "You're still sick, regardless of whether or not you feel better at the moment. You need to rest."

"He's right, baby boy. That smile is all I need to see." Ginny nuzzled his ear, making the infant grin. Sev stuck his finger in his mouth before turning to smile at her.

"That was an impressive little display of magic, Miss Weasley." Slughorn complimented.

"Why, thank you, Professor." Ginny gave him a small smile. "Severus was just about to try it himself, weren't you, Sev?"

The infant grinned and reached a finger towards the floating 'E'. _I want there to be two of you!_ He demanded of it in his head. Sev then gave the 'E' a tiny poke. The blue letter wobbled slightly in midair, but other than that nothing happened. Severus immediately turned disappointed eyes upon Ginny.

"Oh, come now, love, you have to do better than that!" She replied.

"You have to put your _will_ into it, cub." Harry added. "Otherwise, you won't get any results."

"Scream it in your head, Sev." Ginny encouraged.

Severus sighed and turned back to the offending letter. He narrowed his eyes at it. _Damn you!_ He cursed at the 'E'. _I don't like you!_ Sev grit his tooth against his gums and fixed the 'E' with a mean look. He, Severus, was going to win this little challenge if it was the last thing he did! He reached out a finger towards the stupid little letter and a voice screamed at the back of his head. _I want there to be TWO OF YOU!!!_ Then the infant jabbed the 'E' with as much force as he could muster, sending the 'E' flying backwards! Everyone watched as it soared upwards until suddenly it stopped and from within the first 'E' flowed out the second.

"Whoa! Hey!" "Yes!" "Outstanding!" "Very well done!" A small cheer moved around the room, waking the black dog from his slumber.

_Woof!_ The animagus barked, his eyes bleary and half-open.

Severus cooed in excitement and his arms and legs began bobbing up and down energetically.

"See? I told you you could do it, love." Ginny whispered in his ear before giving him a small kiss on his cheek.

"Excellent job, Severus!" Dumbledore praised. "Excellent job!"

"Now how about those potions I need, Harry?" Slughorn interjected, steering them back to their original conversation.

As the men resumed their boring conversation, Ginny lowered the now-complete set of letters down so that she and Severus could effectively spell his name. "Practice your dexterity, Sev. I'll get a letter, then you get a letter. Right?"

Sev grinned and reached out with his drool-soaked hand towards the 'S' floating nearby.

"Careful, love." Ginny whispered playfully. "Careful. Don't hit it too hard, else it'll fly away."

The infant hesitated slightly and then bit his lip in concentration. _Slowly, Sev! Slowly…_A voice instructed him from the back of his mind. _Slowly…_Ever so gently, Severus touched the letter to the palm of his hand, just as he would a pea, and carefully closed his fingers around it.

"That's my boy," Ginny gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "Now bring it here next to the 'E'." The teenager plucked an 'E' out of the group of letters and brought it within Sev's line of sight. It took a bit of time, but the infant was able to place the floating 'S' where it rightfully belonged. "Excellent! Now how 'bout that 'V'?"

Ten minutes later, the letters directly above Ginny and Sev's heads effectively spelled 'S-E-V-E-U-S', Harry noted with some amusement.

"Uh-oh!" The teen widened his eyes jokingly. Sev peered at him curiously. "What happened to your 'R'?" The baby cocked his head in confusion for a moment before glancing back at the floating letters.

"Oh no, sweetheart! We forgot your 'R'!" Ginny winked at her boyfriend.

"Alright, Harry, we won't take up any more of your time." Dumbledore interjected, stuffing a rolled-up parchment back in his pocket.

"Yes, yes, we're quite sorry for the interruption." Slughorn added.

"No, no, it's fine." Harry waved them off. "Was there anything else you wanted me to help you with?"

"No, I think that was about it." The headmaster answered after a moment of thought. "The potions and the press release for later this month. Yes, that was it." He turned to Slughorn for confirmation and the big man nodded. "Excellent! Alright…we'll show ourselves out. Severus, I hope you feel better soon."

"Yes, yes, my boy!" Slughorn added, "Get well soon!"

The infant ignored them. He was too busy trying to reach for his 'R' so that he may complete his name.

"Sev, you wanna say 'bye'?" Harry pushed gently.

"Buh-bye." The child answered absentmindedly.

Rolling his eyes, Harry stood up to walk the professors to the door. When he returned to the bedroom, he stopped in the doorway for a moment to take in the beautiful scene before him. Sev was lying in the very middle of the king-sized bed, all manner of children's toys and letters floating above his head. Ginny's head lay next to his as she joined him in play. The candlelight reflected off the joy and laughter in their eyes as they spelled out 'H-A-R-R-Y' and 'G-I-N-N-Y' in the air. For a moment, Harry felt like he was watching them from behind a glass window; he could see their faces but hear no sound. It was during times like these that Harry was most in touch with his emotions. A gigantic smile spread across Sev's face and he started laughing joyously. Next to him, Ginny began laughing hysterically as well. The infant's arms and legs bobbed up and down in excitement, while the woman began kicking her legs in laughter. Then she turned and wrapped her arm around the child's waist. She nuzzled Sev's ear with a smile and the baby leaned into the touch. Sev bit his little lip, his single tooth peeking out from behind his upper lip as it pulled up into a smile. Harry watched as he closed his eyes and sighed, the smile only growing bigger as Ginny whispered sweet words into his ear.

Harry could feel the ghost of a pain in his chest. This was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his life! He loved this. He loved _all_ of this. He loved every damn moment.

He loved _them_!

He loved them so much, it hurt.

The ghostly pain became even more real. He had a family now. He didn't know how it happened, but he had a family now.

Thus…he had something to lose now.

Something _big_!

"Hey you!" Ginny's teasing voice broke into his thoughts.

Harry looked up at her, a bit disoriented. "Huh?"

"What are you doing just standing there?" She raised an eyebrow at him.

Harry forced a fake but convincing half-smile onto his face. "Oh…just contemplating the meaning of life and all of that." He joked, pushing off the doorframe.

Ginny rolled her eyes, "Leave the philosophizing to the philosophers, love, and come join us. Come on!" She pat the free side of the bed next to Severus.

Harry dropped onto the mattress with a chuckle, his head lining up next to theirs under the cloud of floating letters and children's toys.

"What should we spell now?" Ginny asked.

"How about Potter?" Harry suggested.

"Excellent! Sev, if you would just replicate the 'T', please?" The infant squealed in delight and quickly did as she bid.

"You're doing such a great job today, cub." Harry praised him. "Your magic is improving by leaps and bounds." The infant smiled and basked in the warmth of Harry's approval.

They had all just finished spelling 'Potter' when a low _Woof!_ had them all peering towards the edge of the bed. Padfoot was still lying down, but now his head was up and he was alert and gazing at them curiously. _Woof!_

Harry snorted. "Good afternoon, Padfoot! Have a good nap?"

_Woof!_ The canine barked gruffly.

"Pa…poo!" Sev babbled between them. "Pa…poo…Pa…poo…Pa…poo…Pa-poo!" The infant grinned at Harry.

The teen chuckled "You want to spell 'Padfoot' next?"

"Pa-poo!" Sev immediately began reaching for the 'P'.

"Guess that's a 'yes'." With a wave of a hand, Harry widened the bed slightly so that there was now an extra space beside him. He pat the sheets invitingly, "Come along, old boy!" The big black dog immediately settled down next to him and rested his head on Harry's outstretched arm. The teen wrapped the arm around him and scratched him behind the ears. "Now…" he turned back to Severus with a smile, "…where were we?"

"Pa-poo!"

And when Sev drifted to sleep an hour later, the letters above his head spelled 'Severus', 'Harry', 'Ginny', 'Potter', 'Padfoot', 'Moony', 'Teddy', 'Tonks', 'Ron', 'Hermione', 'Molly', 'Arthur', 'Bill', 'Fleur', 'Fred', 'George', 'Percy', 'Charlie', and 'Nana'.

And the word Sev fell asleep spelling?

F-A-M-I-L-Y

_

* * *

_

Severus' annoying cough woke him from his peaceful sleep several hours later. The infant's chest hurt, his throat hurt, his eyes felt watery, he couldn't breathe, and on top of that, he was feeling hot again! "Mmmmm!" He whined, immediately regretting even making the sound, as it only irritated his throat some more.

_WOOF! WOOF!_ He heard a dog bark somewhere below him. The harsh noise was quickly followed by approaching footsteps and two familiar voices.

"Of course we'll take him over the weekend." The voice that sounded like Harry said. "He's always welcome with us. You know that, Remus."

"Yes, yes, I know." Remus' softer baritone joined in the mix.

"You do know we're going to be at Godric's Hollow, right?" Sev heard Harry's voice pull up beside him and the infant immediately began kicking at his blankets.

"Hooooooooooooop!"

"I know, cub." Harry crooned softly as he began untangling the baby from the sheets. "I know."

"Yes. Actually, Dora and I were counting on that." Remus answered.

"What's wrong with Andromeda?" The cool room air met the infant's sweat-soaked skin as Harry finally freed him from the blankets' evil clutches and lifted him into his arms.

"She's been a bit depressed lately over Ted's death, and that's why we want her to move in with us."

"But won't seeing Teddy help her heal? I mean, the baby's bound to lift her spirits." Sev felt himself being carried to what sounded like the bathroom.

"Yeah, but we want to be sure that Dromeda's…'okay' first." The werewolf answered, "You know…that she hasn't gotten too depressed or anything of that sort."

"You want to be sure she isn't crazy." Harry summarized candidly.

Severus could practically hear Remus cringe. "Yeah, but don't let Dora hear you say that."

"Don't worry." A nice warm sponge began massaging his clammy skin. It felt so nice; Sev sighed blissfully and began relaxing into the touch.

"How long as he been sick?" Remus asked hesitantly.

"Don't worry. The worst part is over." Harry replied, "He should be back to normal in about a day or two. He was doing fine a while ago, actually. By Saturday he'll be raring to go play catch-the-snitch with Sirius again. He won't give Teddy anything."

"I was worried about him as well, you know." The werewolf sounded slightly offended.

"I know." Harry assured him. "I know."

"So…is it the muggle flu?"

Severus yawned and stopped paying attention at that point. Harry's sponge bath/massage was making him sleepier and sleepier by the moment. Now all he wanted was some of that miracle water Harry gave him earlier so that his stupid throat would stop bothering him and he could go back to sleep.

A few minutes later, as if reading his mind, Harry finished his sponge bath, changed him into some dry clothes, and lifted him into his arms. Sev felt his position being shifted so that he was in the lying-down position, and moments later, the tip of a bottle touched his lips. The infant latched on by instinct and, much to his relief as well as his surprise, it was that miracle water that Harry gave him a while ago! _Huh…he's good._ The voice at the back of his mind commented. Sev cooed in agreement and began to drink hungrily. His throat almost immediately began to feel better.

"Sleep, cub." He heard Harry tell him. The teen began to hum the tune from earlier as he danced around the room. Soon, the combination of the miracle water, Harry's dancing and humming, Remus' soft mumbling, and Padfoot's faint snoring lowered the infant back into the waiting arms of sleep.

_

* * *

_

When Severus came to once again, he saw a big red blur zipping from one end of the room to the other.

"Ginny! Are the steaming bowls ready yet?!" The big red blur screeched.

Severus immediately recognized that voice. It was the voice that made him cringe.

"Mum! You're going to wake him up!" The teenager hissed from the doorway, a steaming bowl of something in her hands.

"Too late for that." Harry mumbled from the rocking chair. Sev glanced over and noted that the teen was once again doing paperwork. Yet the baby could make out a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

"Oh! Severus, darling!" Molly waddled over like mother duck and immediately began to fluff his pillows and tuck in his sheets. "How are you feeling? I heard you were sick! Do you feel feverish? Is your throat achy? Is it itchy? Can you see me well? How many of me do you see? I hope you're not having blurry vision, poor dear! Is your stomach feeling strange? Are you dizzy?"

_If I wasn't, I am now._ A voice drawled at the back of his mind. Sev wanted to scowl at all her fussing, but found he hadn't the energy to do it. Besides, Ginny's scowl was enough for the both of them.

"Mother, would you please _stop_!" She demanded, sounding completely exasperated.

"In a minute, dear." She snatched the steaming bowl of whatever from Ginny's hands and laid it on the bedside table. Molly waved her wand at the bowl and the steam immediately began floating in his direction. "Now that should do wonders for your nose."

_Nothing's wrong with my nose._ Severus frowned.

"Did Harry and Ginny make you my special recipe for a sore throat?"

"I already told you we did, mum!" Ginny argued from the other side of the room.

"Good! Now come on, Ginny, I'll show you a recipe for a nice stomach-soother." She quickly waddled towards the entrance to the bedroom, Ginny hot on her heels.

"Mum, there's nothing wrong with his stomach." The volume dropped as the bickering ladies retreated into the kitchen.

"How do you know that? There might be. It'll be useful to know this should it come up."

"Mum…"

"Come on!"

"Honestly!"

_Woof!_

Severus began kicking at all the sheets Molly wrapped around him until he could move once again. As soon as he could breathe easily, he peered past Padfoot towards the bedroom door and blew raspberries at the silhouettes of the two ladies. _Bffffffft!_

"Easy there, cub. She's just being herself." Harry mumbled from behind a piece of parchment. "You can't fault her for that."

Severus huffed and dropped back onto his pillow. _I most certainly can and I most certainly __will__! She's always been too mother hen-like. It's quite irritating!_

"Have I showed you the recipe for getting his fever down without needing a fever-reducer?"

"Mum, why—"

"Oh, never mind. I'll show it to you right now."

Ginny groaned.

"Mo wike!" Sev croaked at Harry.

"Get used to it, cub." The teen replied, not even looking up from his stack of papers.

Molly's voice soon began increasing in volume. "There's this wonderful book written by Gilderoy Lockhart on—"

"Mum, you can't honestly believe he wrote that book! Not after everything Harry and I told you about him."

"Of course not, dear." The Weasley matriarch laid yet another steaming bowl of a different whatever on the other nightstand and with a wave of her wand had the steam floating in his direction once again. "Whoever he stole the information from has a lot of wonderful remedies to all the ailments of the flu. Oh! Have I showed you the recipe—"

Ginny sighed and rolled her eyes, "No, but I bet you're going to show it to me anyway."

"It's this wonderful little alternative to the stomach-soother." Molly continued without a hitch, zipping out the door once again. "And it's so _simple_ as well!" Ginny scowled and slowly trailed behind her.

_Woof!_ Sirius barked softly. _Woof!_

Harry watched as Severus peered at the dog, and the dog peered back. They silently stared at each other for a fraction of a second before Padfoot stood up from the edge of the bed and padded over to Harry's usual side. The infant kept his eyes on him the entire time. Slowly, Padfoot laid himself down next to the baby and stretched out across Harry's half of the bed. Severus continued to stare idly. The dog turned to meet the baby's eye and Harry watched in amusement as both the canine and the infant turned away and let out a big yawn at exactly the same time.

"Ginny! Where are your carrots, dear?" A voice shrilled from the kitchen.

"What do you need carrots for?!"

Severus flopped back down onto his small pillow, and next to him Padfoot silently took over Harry's. They both shut their eyes simultaneously.

Harry watched as Sev raised his tiny hand and pat Padfoot on the back lightly. "Mipe-Mipe." He mumbled.

Padfoot whined in agreement.

On his rocking chair, Harry chuckled silently as he turned back to his paperwork. _Night-night, boys. Night-night._

_

* * *

_

**Next up, Teddy stays over at Godric's Hollow for the weekend and although Sev finds the prospect exciting at first, Jay-Lucy begins to rear its ugly head. There be trouble on the horizon!**

**Apologies for not posting for several days. My lab class was being intense. I do hope you enjoyed the chapters so far; a big THANKS to all my REVIEWers; and please don't be shy to drop a line. I'm always interested in your opinion. :-) **


	27. The Magic Words

**WARNING: Three swats**

* * *

Severus yawned and tried to roll over onto his stomach. His efforts were blocked, he soon found out, by two pillows that were stuffed closer to his body than they usually were. The infant furrowed his eyebrows. _Strange._ The last time Severus remembered waking up like this, Ron, Hermione, Sirius, Remus, Tonks, and Teddy had stayed over and…

_Teddy!_

The baby's eyes widened. Severus wiggled slightly so that he could peer past the nearest pillow, and sure enough—there he was! "Peb-by!" Sev squealed in excitement.

"Shhh! Don't wake him, sweetheart." Sev heard Ginny whisper from the far side of the room.

"Mmmm!" The infant whined. He kicked his legs and wriggled his body in an effort to call her attention to him. As much as he liked Teddy being here, Sev didn't appreciate not being able to move. "Mmmm!"

"Okay, okay, love." He heard Ginny's approaching footsteps and stilled his actions until she came into his line of sight. The teen smiled down at him. "Good morning, Severus."

Sev smiled. "Mow-ming."

Ginny chuckled and lifted Sev into her arms. She carried him through his usual morning routine as she whispered the news into his ear. "So…Remus' floo is being connected to the network today so they'll be able to use their own floo from now on. Although that's not the real reason Teddy's staying over at the Den this weekend. Andromeda—that's Teddy's grandmother, Tonks' mother—is moving in with them on account of Tonks is very worried about her. Remus, however, doesn't want to take any chances. There's a remote chance that Andromeda might be a little _too_ depressed about Ted's passing. Ted—that's Tonks' father, the man they named Teddy after. He passed a few months ago. Snatchers, I think." Sev began sucking on his thumb as he leaned into Ginny's chest and continued to listen. "Anyway, he wants to make sure she hasn't gone crazy in the month or so she's been living alone. I think he may be overreacting a bit, but who am I to judge?" She shrugged.

Ginny slowly lowered herself down to her side of the bed, careful to not wake the sleeping infant, and positioned Severus so that he could effectively eat breakfast. As soon as the infant was latched on and set, Ginny wrapped her arms around him and continued her whispering news, "Harry's over at the Dumbledore place today. He says it's almost done. There are a few things he still needs to discuss with both Albus and Aberforth, but other than that, he says, we should be ready for a new grumbly old neighbor with a bunch of stinking goats in about a month or two." Sev giggled and immediately began choking on the milk. "Whoa, Sev." Ginny chuckled, sitting him up and patting him on the back until he stopped coughing and began breathing easily once more. "Are you alright, love?"

Sev grinned at her. "Googoogoogoogoogoogoo!" The infant made a low grumbling sound in his throat and then began giggling.

Ginny laughed as well. "That's how Aberforth sounds like, isn't it?" She grinned, her eyes alight with laughter. "Grumble, grumble, grumble, grumble, grumble, grumble, grumble!"

Sev burst into another round of laughter as Ginny hugged him to her chest. "Googoogoogoogoogoogoo!"

"Grumble, grumble, grumble, grumble, grumble!"

"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! Googoogoogoogoogoogoogoo!"

"Grumble! Grumble! Grumble!"

"Hey! What's going on here?" Harry asked as he stuck his head in the doorway.

"Harry!" Ginny whispered with a smile. "We're imitating Aberforth. Care to join us?"

"Googoogoogoogoogoogoo!"

"Grumble, grumble, grumble!"

Harry chuckled as he walked into the room. "Maybe later, love." He leaned in to give Ginny a quick kiss before dropping another atop Sev's head. "Good morning, cub."

"Mow-ming." Severus grinned up at Harry, baby drool dripping down his face.

"Look at you!" Harry shot him a small half-smile as he made his way to the other side of the bed. "Are you prepared and ready for the day? There's a special project I want to work on with you."

Sev opened his mouth to respond, but before he could get a word out, a rustling of sheets drew Harry and Ginny's attention away from him.

"Teddy bear!" Harry grinned and leaned across the bed until he was face to face with the little metamorphamagus. The infant made a cooing sound as he stretch his little arms and his eyes fluttered open to meet Harry's. "Hi there, Teddy bear!" The teen greeted, "Have a good sleep?"

Teddy looked confused for a fraction of a second before his face screwed up tightly and he began to cry. "Ahhhhhhhh!"

"Hey! Hey, now…" Harry immediately picked his godson up and cradled him against his chest. "Hey now, cub, what's all this?"

As soon as the word 'cub' left Harry's mouth, Sev's neutral expression began to get considerably darker. _He's not the cub, __I'm__ the cub!_ Did Harry forget that or something? "Haweh!" He called, bouncing on Ginny's lap. "Haweh!"

The teenager turned back towards him, but never paused in his dancing around the room with Teddy. "Yeah? What is it, cub?"

Sev immediately began to reach for him, "Meh!"

"Shhh! Come now, Sev. Harry's busy with Teddy at the moment." Ginny interjected, adjusting Sev so that he lay against her chest.

"Mo, meh!" Sev turned sad eyes towards Ginny, "Meh! Meh!"

"Oh Merlin, don't tell me this is his jealousy coming up again!" Harry grumbled as he rubbed the crying infant's back.

"Again?" Ginny frowned. "What do you mean 'again'?"

"He had some jealousy issues last time regarding Teddy. It was the time when you went to talk to mum and dad about him."

"Meh! Meh! Meh!" The infant continued to whine, wriggling and trying to get away from Ginny's grasp.

"And what did you do about it?" His girlfriend raised a worried eyebrow at him.

"Wha—Nothing!" Harry replied, cringing as the volume of Teddy's cries increased yet again. "Oh, come now, cub. Mum and dad just stepped away for a little while. They'll be back later." He said in a soothing voice.

"Nothing? Why did you do nothing?" Ginny frowned.

"Meh! Meh! Meh, Haweh, meh!" Sev was able to push away from Ginny enough to start crawling across the bed, but the teenager had him back in her grips in no time.

"I distracted him for a bit. It worked when it did. What was I supposed to do?" Harry adjusted his grip on Teddy as his right arm began to grow numb.

"MEH!" Severus squealed at the top of his lungs. "MEH! MEH! MEH!" Sev's squeals intensified Teddy's crying.

"You shouldn't have done _nothing_, Harry. You should have done _something_!"

Upon noticing that Harry was not going to pick him up any time soon, Sev's childish brain took over, his face screwed up, and he began to cry as well. "AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

Soon enough, what started out as a peaceful, quiet Saturday morning at the Den had decayed into a crying match between the four and seven month old infants.

"Aw, Sev, not _now_!" Harry groaned. "Come on!" He mumbled under his breath.

"Sweetheart!" Ginny started rocking Severus in her arms. "Come on, baby. Calm down!"

"MEH!" The infant squeaked into Ginny's chest. "MEH!"

As Sev's cries intensified, Teddy's did as well and both Harry and Ginny were at a loss with what to do.

"Harry!" Ginny shouted over the din. "Maybe you should give me Teddy. He could be hungry. That's why he's crying so much."

"He misses Remus and Dora!" Harry yelled in reply.

"I know that! But he might be hungry as well."

"Meh, meh, meh, Haweh! MEH!"

"Okay, alright! Shhh…Shhh…" As Harry approached the bed, Sev immediately began pushing away from Ginny and towards Harry.

"Easy, Severus. Easy!" Ginny was able to hold the infant back, but just barely. "Harry, why don't you put Teddy down on the bed before you pick up Sev?" She suggested.

Harry nodded and eased the crying infant back down onto the mattress.

"Meh, HAWEH!!!"

"It's alright, Teddy. It's going to be alright." Harry whispered to his godson before placing a light kiss on his little forehead.

"HAWEH, HAWEH, HAWEH!" Sev began bouncing violently in Ginny's lap.

"_Alright_!" The teenager replied, straightening up and walking around the bed frame to Ginny's side. "Okay, cub. Come 'ere!" He opened his arms and the moment he was in range, Severus pushed off of Ginny and dove into them with all his strength. "Whoa! Okay…" As Harry adjusted the child in his arms, Severus buried his face in Harry's shirt and began crying into it. "Ah…" Harry sighed, "…Severus."

"Meh, meh, meh…" The infant chanted into his robes. "Meh."

Harry rolled his eyes. "I hate to break it to you, cub," he said gently, "but not everything is about you."

"Mo Peb-by!" Came the muffled reply.

"Harry, if this jealousy thing persists any further," Ginny interjected as she positioned Teddy against her chest, "we're nipping it in the bud." The infant must've realized what was happening, for the moment he was near Ginny's breasts, his cries began to calm and he began reaching for them. "Because when it comes to jealousy, the longer you ignore it, the worse it'll become."

"Yeah, that's what Sirius said." Harry replied. He slowly began to sway from side to side, establishing a rhythm in order to calm the infant down.

"Well then Padfoot's right." As soon as she got Teddy properly latched on, the infant's cries stopped completely. Instead, he began to coo contentedly. "There we are, sweetheart."

Sev, on the other hand, was still sniffling against Harry's shirt. "Ah, cub…" The teen sighed. He cupped the back of the infant's head with his free hand and began messaging his scalp with his thumb. "What's the matter, eh?" He asked gently. "Why are you so jealous of Teddy? He's your best friend! You have to talk to me, cub." He leaned in and planted a kiss just on top of Sev's left ear. "Come on, baby boy." Harry's gentle ministrations and hypnotic swaying soon calmed the infant down and he turned his head in order to listen to Harry's soothing heartbeat. That brought him face to face with his caretaker and the infant reached up playfully and lightly bumped his forehead against Harry's.

"Oh…now you're happy, aren't you?" Harry raised an eyebrow at him and Severus smiled and began to suck his thumb. Harry frowned. "This is getting serious, Severus."

The use of his full name made Severus blush and bury his face back in Harry's robes. He didn't like the tone of Harry's voice. "Pa-poo?" He asked innocently.

"I'm not talking about Padfoot, and you know it." The teenager replied, his voice getting sterner by the second.

Sev whined and shook his head against Harry's clothes. _No! I don't want to talk about it!_

"Severus, this jealousy thing is going too far." The teen lectured as he stopped dancing and walked around the bed, "Whatever the reason, this thing you have against Teddy ends right now. This is your absolute last warning!"

Sev frowned and pushed up against Harry's chest. "Mo!"

Harry's raised an eyebrow at him, "No?"

_Teddy has his own set of caretakers! He can't have mine!_ He argued in his head. "Mmmm!" Sev whined and pointed to his head. "Im!"

"I'm not going to go inside your head again. Just project your thoughts at me." Harry replied.

Sev peered at him, confused.

"Look into my eyes and scream whatever you want to say out in your head." Harry replied.

The pair locked eyes and although Severus had no idea what he was doing, he tried Harry's suggestion anyway. _"Teddy has his own take-carers! He can't have __mine__!" _

"Severus, he's not trying to have yours!" Harry argued, "_No one_ can have yours!"

"_He's trying to __steal__ mine, then!"_

Harry rolled his eyes. "Teddy's not trying to steal anything."

"_He can't have you!"_ Sev shut his eyes and shook his head. "Mo! Mo! Mo!"

"Teddy is my _godson_, Severus." Harry replied. "And even if he wasn't my godson, I'd still be taking care of him in the same manner."

The teenager's words made the infant pause and Sev turned back to Harry with the most miserable look the teenager had ever seen. All of a sudden, wave after wave of sadness flooded Harry's mind as Sev's eyes filled with tears and he buried his face in his caretaker's robes once again. "Ahhhhhhhhh!!!"

Harry exchanged a confused look with Ginny. "Did you feel that?"

"Harry, I think a muggle could have felt that." His girlfriend replied, looking concerned.

"Sev?" Harry sat down on his side of the bed and began to rock the infant back and forth. "Come on, cub. Talk to me!" He practically begged. "What's wrong? Why is this such a big issue?"

_Because it is!_ A voice argued at the back of Sev's mind, increasing the intensity of the infant's cries. It wasn't fair! It wasn't fair at all! Teddy had his own set of parents to love him and care for him and call his own. Sev didn't have any of that! And on top of that, Teddy had a godfather to love him and care for him like a second parent, and Sev didn't have that either! It wasn't fair _at all_!

"Talk to me, Sev, please!" Harry's chest rumbled as he pleaded with the infant.

"Mo!" Severus wailed, refusing to talk about the unfairness with the same people who were making it unfair.

"Come on, honey!" Ginny added, "You have to tell us what's wrong so that we can try to make it better."

"Mo!" Sev screamed into Harry's shirt once again. He turned his head towards Ginny and what he saw made him blind with tears and fury. Teddy was breastfeeding from _Ginny_! "_**MO**_!" Severus dove towards the other infant, trying to push him away. "MO! MO! MO! MO! MO!"

"Severus!" "SEV!"

Fortunately, both Harry and Ginny were faster than Sev. Ginny had stood up and moved out of the way before Sev could even reach Teddy, and Harry had gotten up on the other side of the bed, pulling the older infant up with him as well. The sudden movements made the little metamorphamagus unlatch from Ginny and the abrupt absence of his morning meal caused the infant to start crying once again. Now Harry and Ginny found themselves back where they started, with both infants wailing and crying once more.

"Severus! Why did you do that?!" Harry couldn't help chastising the infant in his arms.

"MO MEWMEW! MO MEWMEW! _MO MEWMEW_!!!" He shouted at Ginny.

"You tried to hurt Teddy because he was breastfeeding from me?!" Ginny cried in disbelief.

"_**MO MEWMEW**_!!!"

All of a sudden, the windows exploded outward, showering the backyard with shards of glass and wood splinters. The bed frame started shaking violently, banging against both the carpet and the wall. Then, suddenly, all sorts of objects from the surrounding tables and the bookcases started flying at Ginny and Teddy.

The teenager gasped, wrapping Teddy protectively in her arms and shielding him with her body.

"Severus, NO!" Harry roared. Stretching out his magic, Harry quickly constructed a shield around both his girlfriend and his godson, shielding them from the dangerous objects flying at them. The makeshift weapons froze in midair as they impacted the invisible shield. "Stop it _**now**_!" He bellowed at the infant in his arms.

Harry's order snapped Severus back to reality, and the sight of several pairs of sharp scissors as well as a big, shiny letter opener hovering in midair, mere inches from Ginny's back, acted as a bucket of cold water for the infant. The reality of what just happened suddenly hit him. He had almost killed Ginny and Teddy!

"Okay, you're going in time-out." Harry declared, putting his foot down on Sev's behavior. "And then after that, you and I are having a long 'discussion' about your behavior."

"Mo." Severus protested half-heartedly as Harry marched out of the master bedroom and towards Sev's empty room down the hall. After the rest of the family left the other week, they had put away all the spare cots and the three new rooms were bare once again. With a wave of his hand, Harry summoned a couch cushion from the sofa downstairs and caught it just as they were crossing the threshold. He placed the cushion in the corner of the bedroom opposite the door and plopped the shocked infant down on top of it, facing towards the corner.

"You're spending thirty minutes in here, Severus, no ifs, ands, or buts!" Harry declared firmly. "And you're in here because this little bit of jealousy against Teddy has grown to _phenomenal_ proportions! I should've listened to Sirius when he told me to deal with it a few weeks ago. I'm disappointed in you, Severus!"

Harry's words were like a punch to the gut and for the thousandth time that day, Sev could feel tears pooling in his eyes.

"I know what just happened in there was a gut reaction, but it was a completely _unnecessary_ reaction! Do you understand me?"

Sev wanted to curl up into a ball and die.

"Now I want you to sit here for half an hour and think long and hard about why you're jealous of Teddy to the point where you become a _threat_ to your own best friend."

Oh, now Sev _really_ wanted to curl up into a ball and die!

"I'm going to be sitting against _that_ corner," he pointed to the opposite corner across the room, "the whole time, trying to calm down." Sev glanced across the room. "When I come to get you, you and I are going to have a long, long, _long_, long talk about what just happened here and most especially _why_, following which you will receive three swats and a grounding. And you are going to be _honest_ with me during our talk. Do I myself perfectly clear?" He finished sternly.

Sev hung his head and sniffed at the floor. He nodded mumbling, "Yep, ehw," in the most miserable voice imaginable.

"Good." Harry moved to stand, but paused halfway. Hesitating only slightly, Harry crouched back down and placed a gentle kiss atop Sev's head. "Ah, cub…" He sighed as he stood back up and crossed the room, "What's going on in that head of yours, huh?"

_What's wrong with me?!?!?!_ A voice cried at the back of Sev's mind. Had he really just tried to _kill_ Ginny and Teddy?! Had everything that he thought just happened _actually_ happened? Severus groaned and flopped down onto the cushion. What kind of person was he?! What did it say about him if his gut reaction to jealousy was to kill the people who were making him jealous?

_Murderer!_ A dark voice whispered in his ear.

_No!_ Severus argued. _No, no, no! I'm not that way anymore! _

_You just tried to kill Ginny and Teddy. Of course you are!_

_No, I'm not!_ Sev began patting his free ear, trying to force the scary voice out of his mind. _I'm not! I'm not! I'm not!_

_Oh, yes, you are!_ The voice cackled joyously. _You are! You are! You are…a…MURDERER!!!_

"MOOOOOOO!" Severus screamed before breaking down into tears.

_Murderer! Murderer! Murderer! MURDERER!_

_Occlude, Severus._ An altogether different voice suddenly echoed in his mind.

The infant gasped and his eyes flew open. The tears subsided almost immediately. That voice almost sounded like…

_OCCLUDE, cub! Don't listen to it!_

…Harry! A smile instantly erupted across the infant's face.

Severus closed his eyes and dove into his mind. His little five-year-old self immediately appeared in his mind's eye. _There, back at the very obscure corners of his infant brain, a white entity, much like the one who helped him banish those dark images from his mind two months ago, hovered just at the edge of his awareness._

"_Murderer!"_

_Little Severus abruptly shot around and there, standing not far behind him, like the ghost of Christmas past, was his father. Tall and intimidating, Tobias Snape wore a scowl that could scare the devil himself; his eyes, clouded by ice and shadow, could pierce through steel and see straight into the darkness in his soul. "Murderer!" He bellowed at little Severus before taking huge strides in his direction. Sev's eyes widened and he immediately turned and dashed straight for the white light that he knew was Harry. "MURDERER!" The voice roared yet again. It was closing in on him, Severus knew._

"_MURDERER!"_

"_Harry!" Concentrating with all his might, Severus put all his strength into running towards the white light. As he quickly approached the entity, the light began retracting into itself and soon enough, Harry stood in its place. _

"_MURDERER!" Sev felt a hand brush his back and that prompted a sudden burst of energy that propelled the child forward faster than he thought possible! "MURDERER!"_

"_Occlude, cub." The image of Harry instructed him from where he stood. "Occlude!"_

"_Harry!"_

"_MURDERER!!!"_

"_Mmmm!" Sev whined. As soon as he reached the teenager, he immediately dove behind Harry's legs, hugged them for all he was worth, bit his lip and squeezed his eyes firmly shut. _

"_**MURDE**__—" _

_And suddenly…there was silence._

_Severus waited._

_And still...there was more silence._

_Severus cracked an eye open._

_And even more silence met his ears._

_Severus opened the other eye._

_Yup…still silent. _

_Severus looked around._

_Nothing different._

_Severus opened Harry's legs and stuck his head out from between them._

_Tobias Snape was gone!!!_

_Sev looked up in surprise and met Harry's amused gaze._

"_Hello there!" The teen greeted with a friendly smile. _

_Sev, his eyes still wide with shock, peered back at the empty spot where Tobias Snape had been before turning questioning eyes up on Harry once again. _

"_Are you going to get out from under there, or do I have to stand like a ballerina the entire time?" Harry asked, amused at Sev's stunned reaction._

_Severus paid him no heed. "What happened?!" He squeaked. _

"_Well…" Harry bent down and pried each of Sev's hands from his legs before stepping back and lifting the five-year-old into his arms, "…I occluded for you." He answered simply. _

"_But…how?" Sev was confused. How could Harry occlude __for__ him? Sev didn't think that was even possible._

"_Oh, it's quite possible, cub." Harry replied. "Let me explain." _

_All of a sudden, the white void they had been walking in puffed out of existence and Severus and Harry found themselves walking along a white sandy beach. The water was crystal clear and blue; Sev could see straight to the bottom. The sun was out, and there was not a cloud in the sky. Somewhere in the distance, two palm trees sat close enough together and a hammock hung between them. Sev noted that they were heading in that direction. _

"_Do you know what a magical bond is, Sev?" Harry asked after a moment of silence._

"_A magical bond?" Severus' eyebrows furrowed. "Isn't it…like a bond…of magic?" The child cringed at how he had just stated the obvious. _

_Harry chuckled. "It is, yes." He nodded. "It's a mental bond, for the most part." _

"_Mental bond?" Sev echoed. "As in…your minds are connected? Isn't that like legilimency?"_

"_Not quite." Harry shook his head. "Legilimency was what I was doing to you two months ago when I went inside your mind and showed you how to banish your thoughts and guided you through everything." _

"_But you're in my mind right now." Sev interjected. _

"_Yes, but in a different way." Harry pointed out. "When I entered your mind just now, I did it __**not**__ through legilimency, but through a __**link**__ between our two minds."_

"_There's a link between our two minds?!" The five-year-old asked in surprise._

"_Yes." Harry nodded, "There is a link. There is a __**magical bond**__ between us." _

"_Wicked!" Sev's eyes lit up in excitement. "So I can go in your mind too?!" _

"_Technically you can," Harry replied, "__**However**__…mental links are tricky things. Ginny and I found that out the hard way. She and I share a link and it took us __**months**__ to learn how to so much as mentally __**nudge**__ one another, never mind communicating or delving into each other's minds." _

_Severus visibly sagged. "So it's hard." He surmised with a frown. _

"_Aye, but I have full faith in you, cub." Harry replied with a smile. "Within a few months, you'll be nudging me, you'll be able to talk to me without eye contact, you'll be able to take short trips into my mind; but for now this connection is going to remain one-way. Okay?" _

_By this time, they had reached the hammock between the palm trees and Harry climbed in, wrapping Severus in his arms and nudging the hammock to get it to swing. Sunlight filtered through the leaves on the palms and Severus took a minute to allow the rays of sunlight to warm his face. He leaned back against Harry's strong chest and relaxed in his embrace, allowing the roar of the waves to calm him. _

"_Harry?"_

"_Hmm?" The chest beneath him rumbled as Harry grunted in reply._

"_So when you say this connection is one-way…does that mean that you're in my mind right now?"_

"_Mm-hmm."_

"_So when you said you occluded for me…?"_

"_I meant that I occluded for you." The teen answered._

"_So does that mean you're controlling my mind right now?" Sev asked worriedly. _

"_No, cub. It means that I'm helping you along." His caretaker replied. "No one can control your mind but yourself. Now…I believe you have something you need to be thinking about right now? Let's discuss magical bonds another time." Harry tried steering them back on topic, "You have ten minutes. I suggest you spend those minutes thinking about why you're about to make me do something I really don't want to do." _

_Severus grimaced and tried wrapping Harry's arms even tighter around him. "Do I have to?" His question came close to a whine._

"_Yes." The teen answered without hesitation._

_Sev scowled. "If I told you I already know, can we spend the ten minutes talking about magical bonds?" He peered up at Harry pleadingly. _

"_No…" Harry raised an eyebrow at him, "But we can spend the ten minutes talking about why you're so jealous of Teddy." He retorted. _

"_I don't wanna talk about it!" The complaint definitely came out as a whine this time. _

"_So you'd rather I punish you and just leave it at that?" Harry raised an eyebrow at him._

"_I rather you not punish me at all." The child retorted with a pout. _

"_Not going to happen, Severus, not with what just happened in that room, and you know that." Harry replied firmly. _

_Sev stuck his thumb in his mouth and scowled at the distance. "It's not fair!" He mumbled around the appendage._

"_What's not fair?"_

"_That he has everything!" The child exploded. Taking his thumb out of his mouth, Severus wiggled out of Harry's embrace and turned over, sitting up so that he could meet the teenager's eye. "He's got parents who love him, he's got you for a godfather, and now Ginny's giving him mewmew!" Sev ranted almost nonsensically._

"_Sev—"_

"_And I don't have __**any**__ of that!" The child could feel tears stinging his eyes and he brushed them away irritably. "I don't have parents who love me, and I don't have a godfather! Everyone else has a godfather, but I don't!"_

"_Severus, stop!" Harry ordered firmly, causing the child to pause mid-rant. Severus looked speechless for a second and that second was all Harry needed. "Who says you don't have parents who love you?"_

"_Well I don't!" _

"_Who are Ginny and I, then?" Harry asked with a raised eyebrow. "The next door neighbors?"_

"_Well—"Severus started to say something, but paused. Did Harry just imply that he and Ginny saw themselves as his, Severus', parents?_

"_Severus, do you have any idea why I call you 'cub'?" The child kept silent. However, Harry could almost see the wheels turning in his head. "I'll have you know that moving through the bowels of the Ministry of Magic right now is a petition for legal guardianship of one Severus Tobias Snape, now a minor, by one Henry James Potter. One Ginevra Molly Weasley is listed as co-guardian, because Ginny wouldn't have it any other way; and one Remus John Lupin is listed as sponsor and secondary guardian in case something should happen to both Ginny and myself—a position he accepted with pride, might I add. Should anything happen to him, you would be entrusted to one Sirius Orion Black—surprising, I know," Harry nodded, "but he volunteered, believe it or not. Should anything happen to him, the Weasleys would care for you, and I doubt I would have to appoint anyone else after that." Harry fixed Severus with a look, "Now…what was all this about not having parents who love you, nor a godfather to care for you?" He raised an eyebrow at him. _

_Severus was speechless. Harry applied to be his guardian? His __**legal**__ guardian?! And Ginny too?! And Remus was on there? And the mutt as well? "Well…I…" Sev didn't know what to say! Heck, he didn't even know what to __**think**__! It was all too much to take in all at once._

"_Ginny and I have been filling that parental role for two months now, Severus. I thought you understood that." Harry explained. _

"_Well…I…did." Severus frowned. Actually, he'd never really thought about it before! Harry and Ginny were just…there. Sev never really paid them any heed. They were the ones who took care of him. They were his constants. He always sort of expected them to be there by default. They were there when he was learning to adjust. They were there when he was hungry. They were there when he needed a change. They were there to comfort him when he cried. They were there when he went to sleep. They were there when he woke up. They were there when he learned to crawl. They were there when he got his first tooth. They were there…Well…they were there through __**everything**__! _

_Sev's eyes widened. They were there…through…everything. The insight struck a chord with Severus. Harry and Ginny really __**were **__like his parents, he realized! Well…sort of…maybe…in a way._

"_If you did, then why all this?"_

_Sev ignored the question in favor of a better one, "Who would my godfather be, then?" _

_The teen's eyes widened in surprise, "Pardon?"_

"_If you and Ginny are sort of like my parents, who would my godfather be, then?" The child asked excitedly. _

_For once, Harry was floored at the way this conversation was jumping from one topic to the next. "Well…um…" Normally, Ron would've been his first choice, but he highly doubted the redhead would consider it a compliment to be named the former Severus Snape's godfather. "Er…" He cleared his throat uncertainly. "Well…if Ginny and I are sort of like your parents, then…Remus would sort of be like your godfather." _

"_Remus?" _

"_Yeah, I think it's appropriate." Harry nodded with a half-smile. "If Teddy has Remus and Dora to love him and me as a godfather to act like a second parent, then you would have Ginny and me to love you with Remus as a godfather to act as a second parent to you—which he would be anyway once the guardianship papers go through." _

_As usual, everything else in Harry's statement zipped through Sev's head except for one particular part. "You love me?" He asked almost breathlessly. The look of pure shock on his face was shocking in its own right._

_Something about Sev's tone of voice told Harry the child didn't quite believe what he was saying. "Cub…" Harry sighed. Pulling himself up, the teen lifted Severus and shifted positions so that he was sitting cross-legged on the hammock with Sev nestled in his lap, wrapped in his arms. "Of __**course**__ we love you!" He told the speechless five-year-old. "We love you so __**very**__ much! Do you think Ginny would volunteer to breastfeed just any old baby off the street?"_

"_She gave Teddy mewmew just now!" Sev argued with a pout._

"_Yes, but Teddy is special. AH!" Harry raised a finger to stop Sev's protest before it started, "He's a different kind of special. Let me explain." He pointed to Sev's little chest. "__**You**__ are special to Ginny and me like Teddy is special to Remus and Dora." Harry nodded. "Okay? With me so far?" The teen waited patiently as the child hesitantly imitated his movements. "Good. Now…__**Teddy**__ is special to __**me**__ in the same way that __**I'm**__ special to __**Sirius**__, __**and**__…in the same way that __**you**__ are special to…?" He raised a questioning eyebrow at Severus._

"…_Remus?" Sev answered with uncertainty._

"_Remus." Harry nodded._

"_But does he know all this?" The child asked worriedly. _

_Harry smiled and jerked his head to the side, "Take a look." _

_All of a sudden, the beach puffed out of existence and the hammock they were swinging in just as quickly transformed into an easy chair. They were back in Harry's quarters at Hogwarts. _

"_This is me projecting a memory into your mind via our link." Harry whispered in his ear. "I'll teach you to do that once you become proficient at mental communication." _

_There was a loud noise behind them and Severus turned to find the portrait hole swinging open and Remus walking into the room. _

"_Hey, Moony!" The other Harry greeted as he walked in from the bedroom to meet Remus. _

"_Good evening, Harry." The werewolf replied with a smile, "How goes the paperwork?" _

_The teen made a disgusted sound, "I don't understand why these forms have to be so incredibly long. I could swear I've answered the same question ten times now!" _

_Remus chuckled, "Yes, Kingsley told me once everything settles down, he wants to sit down and revise all the redundant paperwork." _

"_Thank Merlin!" Harry muttered, taking a sip of coffee. Like a good host, the teen offered Remus food and drink, but the older wizard politely declined. "By the way, Moony, since you're here, I'd like to ask you for a favor. Well…a sort of favor." Harry shrugged. "Actually, it's not really a favor. It's more of a request—"_

_Remus raised a hand to stop his babbling, "Harry, just spit it out." The werewolf replied, amused. "I actually came here to request a small favor of you as well; but you go first." _

_Harry nodded and the two men took a seat on the couch. The teen pushed aside his ever-present paperwork for a moment and leaned forward in his seat. He seemed a bit hesitant to Severus. "I, uh…I don't quite know how to ask this." He chuckled nervously. "Um…" He grimaced. For a moment, Harry looked lost in thought, but soon enough he sat upright once again and met Remus' eye. "Look…Remus, as much as I would love to say I'm a man of no enemies, well…" He shrugged, "…we both know that's not true." _

"_I have enemies as well, Harry." _

"_I know, Moony, but not as many as I do." The teen replied; sadly, he sounded quite resigned to that fact. "And with that in mind, I'd like to list you as Severus' secondary guardian, should anything happen to Ginny and me."_

_Remus' eyes widened in surprise and he was speechless for a bit. "Harry, I…" He blushed and gave a small, nervous chuckle, "I…Wow!" Severus thought the werewolf looked flattered. It was quite possibly the most awkward look the child had ever remembered seeing on him!_

"_Had this been an adoption…I guess…I'd be asking if you would be his godfather." Harry said, emphasizing the enormity of the role he was offering Remus. _

_The werewolf grinned and offered Harry a hand. "I'd be __**honored**__, Harry." He replied proudly. _

_Harry released the breath didn't know he had been holding and took the hand with a relieved smile. "Thank you!" He exclaimed. The moment was soon interrupted by two loud barks from the bedroom._

"_And there you have it!" Harry whispered as the world dissolved around them and Sev blinked to find them back on the beach in the hammock once again. "So he does know." He reiterated, scanning the face of the child on his lap. _

_Severus didn't reply, but the small smile that crept onto his face told Harry everything he needed to know. "Now…shall we return to our original topic of conversation?" And just as quickly as it appeared, the smile on Sev's face vanished and the child blushed, burying his face in Harry's robes. _

"_Whyyyyyyyy?" He whined, his voice muffled by the soft fabric. _

"_Because I will not tolerate that sort of behavior, Severus, and you know it." Harry gently positioned Severus so that he and the child could see face-to-face. _

"_I'm sorry!" Sev blurted out in an effort to get the present conversation to end. "I'm sorry! I didn't see it before, but I see it now. I won't be jealous of Teddy anymore, I promise. Now can we go back to talking about magical bonds?" He turned his puppy-dog eyes onto Harry. _

"_Severus," Harry fixed the child with a firm look, "We'll talk about those later. Right now I want to see whether or not you understand—"_

"_I understand!" Sev responded eagerly. "I understand everything perfectly now! I promise. Everything's crystal clear. Now what were you saying about projecting images into my mind?" _

_Harry narrowed his eyes and Sev unconsciously gulped. All of a sudden, his heart began to speed up in his chest. He knew what that look meant. "Very well, if everything is crystal clear now, let's just hop on out of here and get the spanking over with." _

"_NO!" Sev responded instantly, his panic getting the best of him for a second. _

"_Ah, and now the reason for all the distractions becomes clear." Harry interjected with a tiny smile._

_Severus sat back against Harry's chest with a huff and crossed his arms across his own little chest, a pout forming on his lips. "Fine! I'll talk about it." He grumbled irritably. _

"_Come now, Sev…" Harry sighed and wrapped his arms around the five-year-old, discreetly planting a kiss atop the child's head before leaning in to whisper in his ear. _

_As Harry wrapped himself around him, Severus closed his eyes and leaned into the embrace. He couldn't help himself. He liked this whole hugging business. He hadn't been so keen to do it in his previous life, but now, however, he enjoyed it immensely. He especially liked it when Ginny and Harry hugged him. They were always nice and warm. Harry always smelled like soap, toothpaste, and freshly cut grass, while Ginny's scent reminded Sev of peaches and roses with just a hint of cinnamon on the side. They were the scents he now associated with home._

_Although Harry had planned to say something, he withheld his comments for a while. He had sensed the change in Severus' demeanor and wanted the child to continue to relax. He knew the calmer Severus got, the more he was inclined to be honest with Harry about his feelings. Thus for a few minutes the two boys merely sat there, basking in the warmth of the afternoon sun, and allowing the sights and sounds of their sweet little haven to penetrate into their souls, allowing them to calm their hearts and banish their negative emotions. The crashing of the waves, the squeaking of their hammock as it swung in the sweet summer breeze, the rustling of the palms, the creaking of the tree trunks—they all served to put the child's mind at ease. _

"_Jealousy is a dangerous emotion, Sev." Harry murmured in his ear. _

"_I know." Severus replied sadly. "I was jealous of James Potter once upon a time." _

"_And look at what it drove you to do." Harry felt a shiver travel down Severus' spine and he wrapped his arms even tighter around him. "I know you're not that kind of person, Sev." Harry added reassuringly. "I know that, deep down, you never were that kind of person." _

_Severus sniffed and brushed at the tears that were beginning to sting his eyes. "That's what Lily said." He replied shakily. _

"_Then I know it's true." Harry leaned in and dropped a kiss on the child's temple._

"_I never meant to hurt Teddy and Ginny," Sev murmured, peering up at a blurry Harry through a wall of tears, "like I never meant to hurt Lily. It was a __**stupid**__ reaction! I never wanted __**any**__ of this!" Sev felt himself being lifted up and turned around. Soon enough, he was cuddled against Harry, crying into his chest. _

"_Shhh now…" The teen murmured into his ear, "Calm down. I know you didn't." Harry swung the hammock and rubbed Severus' back as the child purged his guilt into his robes. Harry knew Severus needed this cry. So he kept silent the entire time, allowing the sounds of the crashing waves and the rustling trees to calm the child once again. _

"_So…" Harry started when Sev's breathing began to even out at last, "…are you going to share me with Teddy from now on?" He asked, running his fingers through Sev's hair in a gesture of comfort. _

_Severus was silent for a short while before he replied, "Fine," rather begrudgingly. _

_Harry smiled, "Why don't you think of it like this, cub—Teddy could be like…your little brother." _

_Sev pushed up against Harry's chest and furrowed his eyebrows at the teen, "My little brother?"_

"_Yeah!" Harry grinned, "He's the one who's new to this whole business of being alive and you could be the one helping Remus and I show him how it's done!"_

_Severus raised an eyebrow at Harry before his gaze began turning inward, "I never had a little brother before." He mused aloud. _

"_Well now you kind of do." Harry smirked, "Now you're big brother, and as big brother, of course, one of your jobs is to be the example for little brother, right?" Harry gave Sev an expectant smile. _

_Sev knew exactly where Harry was heading with this. "Right." He answered in a very put-out sort of way. _

"_Which means that you're both going to share Harry and Ginny from now on, right?" _

_Sev frowned at Harry. "As long as Teddy shares Remus and Dora with me!" _

"_Well you're going to be the one to show him how to do that, aren't you?" Harry replied with a raised eyebrow. _

_Sev pouted and buried his face back in Harry's robes. He didn't reply. _

"_Aren't you, Sev?" Harry pushed, nudging the child expectantly. _

_Severus sighed and his shoulders sagged. "Yeah." He replied, sounding very resigned. _

"_That's my boy!" Harry praised as he gave the child a supportive squeeze and planted a kiss atop his head. Despite himself, Severus smiled. "Now…let's get the messy part over with, shall we?" _

_Severus pushed up at pouted at Harry. "Do we have to?" He practically whined. _

"_What do you think?" The teen answered neutrally. _

_Sev huffed and pressed his ear to Harry's chest. Of all the times the teen could have chosen to start being consistent, he had to choose __this__ time! It wasn't fair! Granted, the fact that Harry was rather consistent when it came to rules and consequences gave the child a measure of comfort, but overall Sev thought the entire system was completely unfair! Whoever said rules and consequences had to go hand in hand, anyway?! Sev thought that person should be shot with a muggle gun…in the face! Just because a person had rules didn't mean that they had to have consequences attached to those rules. Severus was beginning to think that whole association of rules to consequences was absolutely absurd! _

"_Come on, cub. Three swats, that's all. Nothing but a bunch of love taps." Sev felt himself being pulled up and the world began dissolving around him. _

_Nothing but a bunch of love taps?!_ Severus was really beginning to question Harry's sanity. _That's easy for __him__ to say! He's not on the receiving end of his rock-solid hand!_ The infant blew raspberries into Harry's shirt.

"Mo wike!" He scowled up at his caretaker.

"Well I don't like it either, so let's get this over with as quickly as possible, shall we?"

Sev watched as Harry repositioned himself on top of the couch cushion, leaning against the corner before stretching his legs out so that he could have a place to lay Severus.

The infant whimpered and gazed up at Harry pleadingly, "Mo wike, Haweh!" He tried turning on his puppy-dog eyes full blast.

Harry was impervious, "Three swats, cub." He shook his head, "Close your eyes, and it'll be over in five seconds."

As Sev felt himself positioned against Harry's knee, he screwed his eyes shut tightly and buried his bright-red face in Harry's arm. How the heck did he end up in this position again anyway?!

SMACK!

Severus whimpered and tried to recall just why he was jealous of Teddy to begin with. Nothing came to mind.

SMACK!

He had thought Teddy had everything that he didn't, but now he realized he was wrong.

SMACK!

Severus felt like an idiot. A really big, super duper, extra, extra, huge, ginormous idiot! He just got corner time, a spanking, _and_ a grounding all because he was too stupid to see what was right in front of him the entire time. He was an idiot!

"You're not an idiot, cub, and you're not stupid." Harry replied as he lifted Severus off of his knee and into his arms. "You're human, and I love you."

A smile tugged at Severus' lips as he felt Harry plant a kiss upon his temple. A wave of pride then flowed into the infant and Severus quickly realized that it had come through the new mental bond he now shared with Harry.

A grin and a blush crept across Severus' face as the infant finally understood that he may have been an idiot…but he was a _well-loved_ idiot, and the 'well-loved' part was all that really mattered in the end.

_**

* * *

**_

"You boys sure love making a mess, don't you?" Ginny commented with a smile as she seized the precious moment by taking a magical picture of Severus and Teddy. The two boys were seated in their high chairs, their faces, hair, hands, bibs, shirts, seats, and tray tables decorated with the spaghetti sauce and tasty green sludge they had for dinner.

Severus grinned at the camera as Ginny snapped another picture before rubbing another handful of green sludge into Teddy's hair. The little metamorphamagus burst into yet another round of uncontrollable giggles before leaning over and rubbing spaghetti sauce all over Severus' face.

"They're just going to keep at it, aren't they?" Harry chuckled as he watched Sev dissolve into laughter and then continue smearing his dinner all over Teddy.

"Oh, yeah." Ginny exchanged an amused glance with her boyfriend and the two shared a short, sweet kiss.

"Boooooo!" Teddy exclaimed before smearing spaghetti sauce all over Sev's hair for the thousandth time that night.

"Okay! Alright!" Harry called a stop to the food fight with the clap of his hands. "You two had enough fun for one night, I think. Got more dinner _on_ you than you did _in_ you, by the looks of things." He mumbled under his breath.

"Bath time, gentlemen!" Ginny announced.

"Bap, bap, bap." Sev chanted with a grin.

"Ba, ba, ba!" Teddy imitated almost immediately.

"Look at that, Sev. Someone likes imitating his big brother, huh?" Harry winked at the seven-month-old infant.

Severus grinned. "Bick bobo!" He exclaimed enthusiastically, bouncing in his seat.

Ginny threw her head back in hysterical laughter before leaning in and giving Severus a big kiss on the cheek. "You're a very good big brother, sweetheart!"

"Okay, here's what's going to happen," Harry announced, calling everyone's attention back to him, "Sev, you're going to stay here and help Ginny clean up for a bit while I go give Teddy a bath." The teen noticed how Ginny threw an apprehensive glance in Severus' direction, "After Teddy's bath is done, Ginny will get him ready for bed, and you and I will have a shower together. How does that sound?"

Sev smiled and began bouncing excitedly in his high chair, "Fowew! Fowew!"

"That's right, cub! A shower." Harry dropped a kiss onto Sev's spaghetti-soaked head as he leaned down to pick up Teddy. "Alright, my little wolf cub, let's go have a bath, shall we?"

"Ba, ba, ba, ba, ba!"

Ginny watched in absolute awe as Sev not only overlooked the fact that Harry was holding Teddy, but also managed to completely ignore Harry's 'my little wolf cub' remark.

"Love?"

Harry paused at the door and peered back at his girlfriend curiously, "Yes?"

Ginny graced him with a charming smile as she flicked her eyes towards Severus, who was busy playing with his food, "You're a miracle worker, Harry"

Harry blushed and smiled shyly, "It wasn't me, Gin."

"Oh it wasn't?" She raised an eyebrow at him.

Harry shook his head, "Three little words, love. Three _magical_ little words." And with that, he left the kitchen, leaving a very wise Ginny to figure it out for herself.

The teenager smiled at his retreating back before leaning in to give Severus a quick peck on the cheek. "I love you, Sev." She whispered in his ear.

Severus giggled around his spaghetti-stained fingers and began bouncing in his seat excitedly.

_Three magical little words, indeed._ Ginny mused contentedly as she lifted the spaghetti-stained infant into her arms.

* * *

**Next up, Ginny's seventeenth birthday has come and the family gathers together to surprise her. Severus and Remus begin to bond, and someone begins to show signs of approaching a phenomenal milestone. **

**As a change of pace: Maraming SALAMAT sa inyo sa pagbabasa ng ito chapter at hindi mahihiyain upang ipagbigay-alam sa akin kung ano ang tingin ninyo. Translation: Many THANKS to all of you for reading this chapter and please don't be shy to let me know what you think! :-) **


	28. The 'Godfather'

Harry rolled his eyes and checked the clock for the fifth time in as many minutes. "Ginny!" He called, annoyed at how long she was taking.

"One more minute, Harry!"

"Uh-uh!" Sev shook his head jokingly.

"Boy, you got that right." Harry muttered under his breath as he threw himself down onto the couch. "You said that five minutes ago!" He retorted aloud.

"This time I really mean it!" Came the reply from the upstairs bathroom.

"Ginny, everyone is waiting for us!"

"Harry, for Merlin's sake! It's lunch at my parents' house. It takes them forever to get the actual food on the table. When mum calls everyone to eat, she actually means 'the food will be ready in a half-hour'. You know all this. What's the rush?!" With that, the door to the upstairs bathroom flew open and out walked Ginny, dressed and ready to go.

"About time." Harry murmured to the infant attached to the sling on his chest. Severus stifled his laughs in Harry's robes.

"Everyone's been acting strange these last few days." The teenager muttered as she rushed down the stairs and then began digging for something in her handbag. "First, you and Sev sneak off to town for hours last weekend at Godric's Hollow, and then my parents practically order me to spend the night here with you. Are they trying to tell me something? That's rather unlike them."

"She's talking to herself." Harry whispered lightheartedly into Sev's ear as he stepped into the fireplace. The infant grinned up at him.

"What are _you_ trying to say, Harry?" Ginny narrowed her eyes at him playfully as she stepped into the fireplace next to him.

"That you're crazy." The teen answered with a smirk.

"Oh, shut it!" Ginny rolled her eyes and lightly slapped him on the shoulder before turning back to her handbag and resuming her digging. "So sue me if I want my hair to look nice for no apparent reason..." She muttered under her breath.

Harry chuckled and pulled a handful of floo powder from his pocket. "You ready, cub?"

"Cow-bew." Sev peered up at Harry and began patting his head lightly. "Cow-bew."

Harry nodded and pulled the excess fabric from the sling away from his shoulder. "In ya go, lad." Severus dove into the folds of the sling and curled himself up as tightly as possible while Harry wrapped the excess fabric around him, making sure that no part of his face was left exposed. "There we are. _Now_ are you ready, cub?" The teen felt a nod against his chest. "Excellent!" He turned back to his girlfriend. "Love?"

"…And then Fred and George wouldn't allow me into their room all of a sudden…" Ginny continued to mutter as she dug even deeper into her handbag, "…which is just a might strange…"

"I'll take that as a 'yes'." Harry raised his hand high and called out in a clear voice, "THE BURROW!"

_BOOM!_

"…and then you and—"

"_**SURPRISE!!!**_"

The unexpected chorus of voices startled Ginny into silence and she finally looked up from her handbag to find a small, familiar-looking group of people gathered around her hearth and smiling joyously at her. There was her entire family, of course, plus Fleur and Hermione, Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, Slughorn, and Flitwick were there, as well as a few members of the Order and a couple of her close Army friends. The same group of Gryffindors, plus Luna, that had come to Harry's surprise party two weeks before now hung around the back of the room, next to a familiar shaggy-haired animagus, his werewolf friend, and said werewolf's family. Behind them all, strung atop the windows at the back of the room, hung a huge Gryffindor-colored banner that read _Happy 17__th__ Birthday, Ginny!!!_

"Oh my…"

"EHW-PIE!!!" A little voice squeaked from the squirming bundle on Harry's chest. The gathered crowd chuckled as Harry worked to free Severus of his cotton bonds.

"You see?!" Ginny exclaimed with a grin. "I told you!" She shoved a chuckling Harry lightly on the shoulder. "I _knew_ there was something weird going on!"

"Yes. Apparently, we were planning each other's surprise parties at the same time."

Sev giggled and pointed at both Ginny and Harry, "Dum-dum!" The gathered crowd cracked up once again.

The two teens laughed at the infant's antics as well before leaning in and sharing a short, sweet kiss. "Happy Birthday, love." Harry whispered.

"Thank you, Harry." Ginny whispered in return.

"MEH!" Sev squeaked, bouncing in his sling and puckering his lips.

Ginny grinned and leaned in to give the infant a quick kiss on the lips as well. "Ha-peh Bef-bay, Immy!"

"Why thank you, love." Ginny kissed the tip of his nose before pulling back and turning towards the crowd. "Thank you all for coming!"

As Ginny quickly found herself in the middle of a big, Weasley group hug, Harry skedaddled to the back of the room to stand beside Remus and Sirius.

"Hey, pup!" "Hi, Harry." "How you doing, cub?"

Severus blew raspberries at Sirius.

"He doesn't like it when you call him 'cub'." Harry informed his godfather, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

"Too bad." The animagus snorted.

"Peb-by!"

"Ah!"

Severus began bouncing excitedly in his sling so Harry positioned himself next to Remus so that the two infants could "talk".

"How was Teddy over the weekend? Nothing went wrong, I hope." Remus asked, a bit of apprehension in his voice.

"No, Teddy was an angel." Harry smiled. "This little guy had a bit of a jealousy issue but—"

"Ha! See! I knew it!" Sirius cackled at his godson, "It came back to bite you in the arse, didn't it?!"

"Alright, alright, you can say 'I told you so', Padfoot. Go ahead." Harry rolled his eyes.

"Oh, I already did." The animagus snickered before slinging an arm around his godson's shoulders and giving him a supportive squeeze.

"What happened?" Remus asked worriedly.

"Oh, nothing big." Harry thought it prudent to not mention the fact that Severus nearly killed both Teddy and Ginny. "He saw Ginny breastfeeding Teddy and threw a hissy fit. I dealt with it. No problem." He shrugged. Harry felt waves of nervous energy emanating from the mental link he shared with Severus and he sent back waves of calming energy in response. The infant soon relaxed in his arms.

"So they're okay now?"

"Yeah, they're fine." Harry nodded reassuringly. "I was able to play with Teddy all weekend without incident. In fact…"

Harry ran his fingers through Sev's hair and sent him a question via their link, _"Would you like Remus to hold you now, cub?"_

Sev peered up at Harry in surprise before biting his lip and glancing at the werewolf a bit apprehensively. "Wa Peb-by?"

"I can hold Teddy while you and Remus get to know each other better, what do you say?"

"Harry?" Both Remus and Sirius were looking at him quizzically.

"I told him about the…" Harry glanced around before lowering his voice considerably, "Ahem…'papers'…" Both men nodded in understanding, "…as well as the fact that I named you 'secondary guardian', Moony."

"Ah!" Sirius chuckled and elbowed Remus playfully, "Godfather, Moony. Welcome to the club!"

"Now little Henry here wants to get to know you a bit more, if that's okay, Remus." Harry smiled and sent another wave of calming energy through his link with Sev.

"Sure! Yeah, uh…" Remus turned around to look for his wife, "Let me just drop this little guy off with Dora. He's a bit hungry."

"Okay."

"Bye-Bye Peb-by!" Sev waved at Remus' retreating back. The small group was silent for a moment as they tracked Remus across the room.

"Ahem! Uh, Harry?" The teenager turned to his own godfather and was a bit taken aback at the awkward look he was getting from the man.

"Something wrong, Padfoot?"

Severus stuck his thumb in his mouth and reclined in his sling, watching the animagus with a critical eye.

"You got a minute?" He tipped his head towards the side door that led to the backyard.

"Uh-huh." Harry nodded and followed Sirius into the garden. The animagus quickly cast a _Muffliato_ between them, garnering a raised eyebrow from both the teenager and the infant in his arms.

"Look, pup, uh…" Sirius scratched the back of his neck sheepishly and began fidgeting in place. Harry thought the behavior was most unlike him. "I was wondering if…" He paused suddenly, stuffing both his hands in his pockets and fixating on a point above Harry's shoulder, refusing to meet his godson's gaze.

Harry furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, "Padfoot?"

"I was wondering if…maybe…" He took a deep breath, "If-you-would-consider-switching-the-guardianship-to-adoption." He spat out rapidly before clearing his throat loudly and faking a hacking cough.

The distraction tactics swayed neither Harry nor the infant Snape. "What?!" "Wah?!" They exclaimed in confusion.

"Did you just suggest I switch the guardianship papers to adoption papers instead?" Harry reiterated, bewildered.

"It's not too late." Sirius mumbled under his breath. His eyes were fixated towards the ground this time, and he was playing with the mud with the tip of his shoe.

Severus was looking at Sirius as if the man had finally lost all his marbles.

Harry exchanged a look with the infant in his arms. "Sirius…" The teenager cleared his throat awkwardly, "…what were we talking about the night we formally met and had just left the Shrieking Shack?" The teen asked suddenly, his tone of voice entirely different. "Where were we and what was our conversation about?"

Sirius rolled his eyes and fixed his godson with a frustrated look. "We were by the Whomping Willow and I asked if you wanted to live with me. Harry, I'm not an imposter! It's _me_!"

"Are you sure?" Harry raised a sardonic eyebrow.

"Dum-dum!" Sev mumbled before blowing raspberries at Sirius and then diving back into his sling.

"You know what? Forget it!" Sirius abruptly did an about-face and began stomping back towards the house. "Forget I said anything."

"What brought it about?!" Harry called out suddenly, making the animagus freeze in his tracks. "What would make you, of all people, suggest it?!" This time, Sirius heard no sarcasm in the teen's voice. Instead, his canine ears picked up on a note of worry, of concern, and the animagus knew that concern wasn't for him.

Sirius sighed at the heavens before turning a sad gaze upon his godson. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. His eyes locked with Harry's and for a fraction of a second, Sirius couldn't turn his gaze away. Suddenly, the animagus began to feel a warm presence flowing into his mind and Sirius quickly forced himself to rip his eyes away from his godson. He couldn't do this.

"Just…just think about it, Harry." He turned and once again began walking towards the house.

"Sirius!" This time, a kernel of fear tinged Harry's voice as he called his godfather back, and it made the animagus cringe. Sirius wanted to kick himself. _He_ had just instilled that fear in his godson. "Sirius, please?!"

The animagus tightened his lips and turned back around. He could see Severus peeking at him from behind the edge of his sling before the infant abruptly turned his worried gaze up at Harry. The teen now looked desperate. "What are you not telling me?"

"Hey! What are you three doing out here?" Remus' voice was the distraction Sirius needed. He quickly ended the _Muffliato_ and turned to face his friend.

"Nothing, Moony!" He checked his pocket watch absentmindedly and peered back at his godson, but only for a second, "I'm sorry, Harry, I…I have to go."

"Go?" Harry echoed, perplexed at the sudden shift in conversation. He quickly began to follow his retreating godfather. "Go where? Sirius!"

"Is everything alright?" Remus asked from the porch. He held open the door behind him, since it was apparent that Sirius was heading inside.

"Forget I said anything, Harry!" The animagus exclaimed as he barreled past Remus and into the Weasley kitchen.

"Well I can't forget it now, can I? You've already said it!" Harry abruptly stopped in front of Remus and, lifting Severus out of his sling, he hastily thrust the infant into Remus' arms. "Stay with Remus for a second, cub." And with that, the teenager darted through the Weasley kitchen after his godfather. "_Sirius_!"

Using his foot to hold open the door, Remus adjusted Severus in his arms until he was sure he had a secure hold on the infant. However, he had yet to take his eyes off the swinging door at the other end of the kitchen, which still reeled from Sirius' and Harry's double impact.

"What was all that about, cub?" He asked, turning worried eyes towards the infant in his arms.

"Pa-poo." Sev replied, scowling at the swinging door. He wanted to hear the rest of the conversation! Why did Harry choose now, of all times, to leave him with Remus?! "Pa-poo wah Haweh!" He pointed at the swinging door and turned his frown unto Remus.

"Padfoot wants Harry?" Remus repeated, completely bewildered.

"Ah-bop!" Sev continued, punctuating his exclamation with a poke to Remus' chest. "Ah-bop _MEH_!"

It took Remus a few seconds, but eventually he was able to translate Sev's baby speak into English. "Padfoot wants Harry to adopt you?" He asked.

"Uh-huh!" Sev nodded, sending Remus a look that clearly said, 'Don't you think that's crazy?!'

"Ah!" The werewolf nodded in realization. Moving his foot, Remus allowed the back door to swing shut behind him as he made his way towards the swinging chair in the middle of the backyard. "And I take it…you don't like that idea?" He ventured a guess.

The werewolf watched as Severus opened his mouth to answer, yet there came no reply. "You don't like the idea of Harry adopting you?" He raised an eyebrow at the infant.

Ever so slowly, Severus closed his mouth and leaned down against Remus' chest. He stuck his thumb in his mouth and Remus heard him begin sucking with a vengeance. The werewolf sighed. "Or is it…that you _do_ like the idea of Harry adopting you?" Remus sat down on the swinging chair and positioned the infant on his lap, leaning against his arm. When he glanced down at Sev's face, Remus locked eyes with an infant who was clearly confused.

Sev peered up at him anxiously and then shrugged. "O-mo."

"You don't know?" Sev shook his head. "Well…" Remus leaned against the armrest and tapped his lip in thought, "…let's put it a different way then." The werewolf paused for a second, mentally debating as to the what was the best way to reword such an important question. "How do you feel…about the idea of Harry being your dad?"

With that, Severus grinned. He knew the answer to _that_ particular question—they just answered it over the weekend! "Wike!" He replied without pause.

"You like it." Remus nodded with a smile. "Good! Alright. Well then…" Remus paused in thought once more. Now he wanted to pinpoint exactly where Severus was hesitant about the idea of adoption. "How do you feel…about the idea of taking the Potter name?"

With that, Severus sagged against his arm and tried to bury himself in the crook. His face scrunched up in a look that didn't quite spell distaste, but didn't quite radiate liking either. "And there it is." Remus nodded with a smirk. He readjusted Severus on his arm so that the infant was sitting up and opened his mouth to reply when the infant cut him off.

"Wah wom Pa-poo?" Sev asked suddenly.

"I beg your pardon?" Remus raised an eyebrow.

"Wah wom Pa-poo?!" The baby repeated, louder this time. He was shooting Remus a look that radiated impatience which, combined with the increased bouncing on his lap, clearly spelled out to Remus that he needed to provide an answer _now_!

"What's wrong with Padfoot?" The werewolf repeated for clarification.

"Wah wom?!" The infant squeaked.

"Well _nothing's_ wrong with Padfoot." Remus answered hastily.

"Uh-uh!" Severus shook his head and frowned at Remus as if the werewolf were a naughty student who he knew had the correct answer but was purposefully giving him the wrong one. "Wah _wom_?!" He cried.

Remus sighed and rolled his eyes. "Severus…I'm not lying to you. _Nothing_ is wrong with Padfoot. This is just how he is!" The werewolf readjusted the infant on his lap so that they could better see each other face to face.

Severus blew raspberries at him.

"Enough of that." Remus admonished sternly, the reaction almost automatic. Severus gave him a strange look before his signature Snape frown once again took over.

"Wah wom?" The infant repeated stubbornly.

"_Nothing_ is wrong. Look…You may not be used to it because this is the first time it's been directed towards you, but Sirius has the tendency to be extremely protective of those he considers part of his family." Severus' face instantly scrunched up into a disgusted look and Remus rolled his eyes. "Yeah, you say that now, but you're going to realize soon enough how much you like it."

"Mo!" The infant retorted.

Remus sighed. "Padfoot's animagus is a dog for a reason, Sev."

_Yeah, he's a mutt!_ A voice spat at the back of the infant's mind.

"He's fiercely loyal to the members of his pack."

_And he's a mutt!_

"And he'll do everything in his power to keep them safe."

_And he's a mutt._

"And that includes swallowing his pride."

_And he's…_Severus could feel his irritation with the mutt quickly drain out of him at Remus' words. _No! Goddamn it! I'm supposed to…I'm supposed to stay annoyed…_The infant growled. _Damn the werewolf! Why does he have to make so much sense?!_

"I think…what you just saw was the very proud Sirius Black _swallowing_ his pride."

Severus' eyebrows furrowed. Sirius Black? Swallowing his pride? For his, Severus', benefit? _Impossible!_ The voice at the back of his mind spat. _He'd never do that._

"Like it or not, Severus, Sirius is loyal to you now."

_See, now that's just bollocks! _The infant blew raspberries at the werewolf. "Mo!" He snapped before turning his head the other way. He was hearing no more of this ridiculous poppycock. "Pa-poo wike Haweh! Mo meh!" He shook his head violently. "MO meh! MO…WIKE…PA-POO!!!" And with that, he scowled at the ground.

"You don't like Padfoot?" Remus repeated lamely, an eyebrow arching to his hairline.

"MO!" The infant snapped, looking at Remus as if the man had just said something scandalous. "Wike HAWEH! Mo Pa-poo!" _Bffffffft!_

"What about your snitch? The one he gave you?"

"Mo!"

"Seve—"

"_**MO**_!!!"

Remus' lips thinned into a line and he rolled his eyes. It was useless. The infant wasn't going to listen to him now.

"Oh…Remus! There you are!" The werewolf turned to find his wife waving him over from the doorway. "Come on! Let's eat before they start cutting the cake!"

"Yeah! One minute, sweetheart!" Remus nodded at her before turning back around with a sigh. "Look, you can think whatever you want to think, cub, but know this: I have known Sirius since we were eleven years old. I know how he tends to act, but I also know what kind of person he is. Now…" Remus stood up, wrapping Severus in his arms as he turned to make his way back towards the house, "…you and Sirius can both tell yourselves that you don't like each other, that you're only tolerating each other for Harry's benefit, whatever. If you want to delude yourselves into thinking that, fine. But here's what I see when I look at the two of you: he cares for you now. He just doesn't want to admit it because of his pride. Likewise, you _like_ how he cares for you now. You just don't want to admit it because of _your_ pride. The both of you are just using Harry as a scapegoat. You _like_ each other."

"Mo!" Sev frowned and blew raspberries into Remus' robes.

"What were the two of you doing out here?" Tonks asked as the pair reached her.

"Just having a bit of a heart-to-heart."

Severus pushed up against Remus' chest and widened his eyes at Tonks. "Moomy wom!"

Tonks raised an eyebrow. This was the first time Severus had shown an interest in having a conversation with her. "Moony's what?"

"He says I'm wrong." Remus rolled his eyes.

Tonks snorted. "Well he's always wrong." She replied with a smile.

Severus grinned and turned back to Remus, patting his chest lightly. "Feeeee? WOM!"

"Dora…" The werewolf growled in a half-irritated voice. "…you're not helping."

"No, you're _wrong_, Remus!" The metamorphamagus replied with a grin. "I'm helping _loads_, aren't I, Severus?"

"Wom! Wom! Wom!"

The werewolf sighed. It was a lost battle.

"Peb-by!"

"Ah!"

"Wom! Wom!"

"Ah!" The other infant grunted in reply.

"Feeeee?"

"Remus, have you seen Harry?" Ginny asked as soon as the four of them emerged from the kitchen. She had two plates of food with her and was searching the room with her eyes.

"Immy! Moomy WOM!" Severus squeaked, earning him a confused look from Ginny.

"Moony's wrong?"

"Harry's upstairs with Sirius, I think." The werewolf replied. "They're uh…sorting things out."

"Sorting things out?" Ginny frowned at them.

"He should be down in a few minutes or so." Remus assured her.

"Moomy wom! Uh!" Severus grunted as he began pushing away from Remus, reaching for Ginny instead. "Immy! Uuuuup!"

"In a minute, love. My hands are full."

"Come along, cub." Remus pulled Severus close and began heading for one of the many mismatched couches that filled the living room.

"Ah! Immy!" The infant peered at her with puppy-dog eyes and reached for her over the werewolf's shoulder.

"She's holding something, little one. She'll be along in a minute." Tonks reassured him as she followed her husband to the couch.

"Well hello there, little Henry!" Dumbledore's exclaimed behind him. Severus felt Remus tap him lightly on the shoulder.

The infant growled and turned back around to face the headmaster with a scowl. _Merlin help me!_ A voice groaned at the back of his head.

"I hear you have two teeth now. May I see them?" The old wizard asked with his most irritating smile.

"Mo!" He would've blow raspberries all over the headmaster had it not been for Remus, who, in anticipation of the move, covered Severus' mouth just as all the spit came flying out.

"Ewwwwww!" Teddy giggled.

"Harry will be hearing about that one." The werewolf hissed in Severus' ear before turning back towards Dumbledore. "Maybe a little later, Headmaster. Somebody's in a bit of a grumpy mood right now."

Severus' eyes widened at Remus and he peered up at the werewolf through narrowed eyes, trying to judge whether or not the man was serious about his first remark.

"Ah!" Dumbledore nodded in understanding and gave the pair a cryptic smile. "Later then, Remus?"

"Definitely." The werewolf nodded as he took a seat on the long orange couch.

"Perhaps after cake." And with that, the headmaster took his leave, murmuring something about finding Minerva and Horace.

Meanwhile, Sev frowned at Remus. "Mo Haweh!" He snapped.

"What I chose to tell Harry and not to tell Harry is up to my discretion." The werewolf replied smoothly.

"Mo!" Severus whined, trying his luck with puppy-dog eyes.

"You have blown your last raspberry, young man."

"Mo!"

"Hey! Hey, look, Henry!" Tonks tapped the infant on the shoulder in an effort to distract him and diffuse the situation. "Teddy has your favorite toy!"

Severus turned to find the little metamorphamagus waving a red donut-shaped object at him. "Ha, ha, ha! Wah!" And the infant threw the object down at Remus' feet. Severus grinned and looked up at the werewolf in expectation.

"I think you're meant to retrieve it, sweetheart." Tonks reminded her husband with a smile.

"How do you figure that, love?" Remus bent down and returned the object to his son, prompting both boys to dissolve into hysterical laughter. Tonks began laughing along with them as well, earning her a bemused smile from her husband. "I still don't see what's so funny about everything."

"You probably have to be their size to figure it out."

"WAH!" Teddy squeaked before throwing his donut down yet again. Remus sighed and picked it back up.

"Oh, you're stuck in the cycle now, Moony." George commented with a smile as he walked by the little group.

"Let's see how long you last at that." Fred added behind him.

"Moomy!" Severus tapped Remus on the cheek to get the werewolf's attention. "Wah!" He pointed down at the red donut toy on the floor at his feet.

Remus could hear Tonks cracking up beside him as he bent down to retrieve the toy yet again. "This is all your fault." He grumbled good-naturedly at his wife.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Dora, do you guys want this?" Ginny said as she walked over, offering them the plate of food she had reserved for Harry. "You might as well. It's getting cold."

"Oh! Thank you!" Tonks took the plate with a smile.

"I'm going to go find Harry."

"Immy!" Sev bounced on Remus' lap and reached up to Ginny pleadingly. "Uuuuuuup!"

"Give me a second, love, okay?" The teen took a knee in front of Remus and gave Severus a big kiss on the cheek. "I'm going to go find Harry. I'll get you in a second. Here, open?" She fed him several spoonfuls of his special formula before passing the small bowl to Remus. "I'll be right back. You be good for Remus and Dora." And with that, she took off towards the stairs.

Severus watched her through rapidly moistening eyes until she disappeared completely from view. Then he turned those rapidly-moistening eyes up on Remus and began to whine in distress. "Mmmmmm! Mmmmmmm!" He started to bounce agitatedly on Remus' lap, pointing to the spot he had seen Ginny disappear.

"Hey…Hey, calm down, cub." Remus murmured, rubbing Severus' back in an effort to forestall the breakdown he could see rapidly approaching.

"Immmmmmmmmmmmmmmmy!" The infant cried, tear drops beginning to cascade down his face. "IMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMY!"

As heads began turning in his direction, Remus passed the baby bowl over to his wife and stood up, cradling Severus in his arms. "Hey, now…Calm down, little Henry."

"IMMMMMMMMMMMMMMY!" Sev squealed into Remus' robes. The werewolf grimaced as he felt tears, drool, and snot begin to soak the front of his shirt.

"Aw, Henry!" A very familiar voice shrilled from across the room. "Aw, baby! What's the matter sweetheart?! Excuse me…"

The sound of Molly Weasley's voice alone was enough to make Severus stop crying, but not for the reasons he wanted to. "Mo!" He squeaked, pulling on the front of Remus' robes and trying to wrap them around him.

"What's wrong, honey?!"

"Mo! Mo! Mo!" He squirmed and tugged on whatever fabric he could get his hands on as he heard the voice approach quickly.

Remus, for his part, was absolutely baffled at the infant's sudden change of mood. One minute, he was dealing with a crying baby, the next he was dealing with an agitated, squirmy one.

"Oh…what happened, Remus?" Molly questioned, stopping in front of Remus and making a grab for Severus.

"MO!" The infant squealed, wriggling so violently that Remus' hold on him loosened for a fraction of a second, causing Severus to fall towards the floor. A cry swept throughout the room and both Remus and Molly dove forward simultaneously in an effort to catch Severus before he hit the ground.

Fortunately, Remus was able to catch him just in time. That moment of chaos, however, was enough to disorient Severus and in the confusion, he began to cry once again.

The werewolf sighed and shut his eyes in frustration. He didn't know how Harry and Ginny handled it. Severus was more of a handful than ten Teddys! "Molly, Molly, please…" Remus waved the overindulgent woman off. "He's fine. He just…He needs some room. Please?"

"Are you sure?" The redhead questioned dubiously, rubbing Severus' back as the infant cried into the crook of Remus' neck.

"Yes, yes, just give it a few minutes." Remus began rubbing the baby's back as he turned away.

"Alright…" Molly consented, sounding a bit disappointed, most likely at Severus' propensity to not want to be held by her.

"Give it time…"Remus whispered with an encouraging smile. He then began swaying from side to side, humming the tune he had heard Harry hum countless times before. "Mmmmmm Hmmmm Mmmmm Mmmm Mmmm…"

It took a few minutes, but Remus' steady swaying and gentle humming was enough to get Severus to calm down and stop crying. He soon settled in the crook of Remus' neck, eyes closed and thumb stuck firmly in his mouth. The werewolf settled his chin on top of the infant's head, basking in the cooing sounds Severus made as he sucked on his thumb. _Oh, if he only were like this all the time._ "Everything alright now, cub?" He asked soothingly.

"Haweh…" Sev mumbled around his thumb. Although the word was a bit garbled, Remus recognized it for the name it was.

"He'll be along shortly, kiddo, just hang on for a little while more, eh?" Remus settled down once more next to his wife but continued rubbing Sev's back nonetheless.

Soon enough, Severus stopped his thumb-sucking, pushed up against Remus' chest, and began looking around as if searching for something. Remus hadn't a clue as to what the child was looking for, but he figured it was something along the lines of Harry or Ginny. All of a sudden, he felt a small, drool-soaked hand tap his cheek to get his attention. "Bowm!" Sev said, gesturing towards the floor in emphasis.

"I beg your pardon?" The werewolf replied dumbly.

The child scowled at him. "Bowm!" He pointed towards the floor once more.

"Sweetheart, maybe you should put him down." Tonks interjected beside them.

"Bowm!" Sev squeaked, pointing towards the metamorphamagus and nodding. "Bowm! Bowm! Bowm!"

Remus sighed. Once again, he felt completely left out. He had no idea what brought about this latest mood swing. "Fine, but there's a word missing from that sentence." He replied, putting a bit of an edge to his voice, just as he had seen Harry do.

"Bowm, pea." Sev responded, his voice altogether different than it was mere moments before. It was nicer, more polite. Remus was so very glad Harry and Ginny were putting an emphasis on manners and common courtesies. Severus was becoming quite a charming little gentleman. Now if only he and Dora could achieve the same thing with Teddy.

"Alright, here we go…" Remus turned the infant over in his arms so that he was facing outward, and then slowly lowered him to the floor. "Easy now…Easy…"

The moment Severus' feet touched ground, a jolt of excitement shot through him. He was using his feet again! He was using his feet again! Severus felt like jumping up and down! "Easy, cub! I said easy!" The werewolf growled in his ear. Sev felt like scowling, but he was too busy being excited to care. "I'm going to set you down on the floor."

Sev gasped. "Mo!" He latched onto Remus' trousers as strongly as he could and held on for dear life.

"Se—Henry!" Remus gasped, the fierce grip taking him by surprise.

"Honey, honey, maybe you should just let him stand. He wants to stand!" Tonks interjected strongly. "Just support his back or something."

"Dora, he can't stand yet—"

"Uh-huh!" The infant argued.

"Let him try!" Tonks added in support of Severus. "Just…support his chest…keep a hand on his chest and his back, but let him _try_, Moony!"

"Bwy!" Sev added with a bounce.

"Okay! Okay!" Remus nodded reluctantly and bent down to sandwich the small infant between his two large hands. Severus had yet to let go of his leg, but his grip on Remus' leg slackened considerably. "Slowly…slowly there, cub." The werewolf could practically feel the trembling of Severus' legs. "Don't hurt yourself."

_Maybe this standing thing wasn't a very good idea._ A cynical voice droned at the back of Sev's head. _No! I want to stand!_ The stubborn half of him argued. His legs, however, had a very different idea. They shook and wobbled and his knees wouldn't lock the way he wanted them to; Severus felt like he was trying to stand on Jell-O. The moment he released Remus' leg, his own legs gave way and had it not been for Remus holding him up, he would've fell back on his arse.

"Oh…what's going on here now?" A familiar voice droned above him. Severus looked up wide-eyed to find Molly taking a seat across from him and Remus. Unlike before, her voice was lower, less screechy and more comforting, more like Ginny's voice. The change in pitch surprised the infant so much that he just stared dumbly for a second. "Are you trying to stand, sweetheart?"

Severus stuck his thumb in his mouth and began sucking on it as his other arm wrapped itself around Remus' leg, hugging it to his chest. He peered at Molly curiously from around the leg.

"Are you trying to stand?" Suddenly, she turned away and waved at someone across the room. "Arthur! Get Ginny and Harry! The little one's trying to stand!"

"Hey look everyone!" One of the twins yelled from across the room. "Little Henry's trying to stand up!"

All of a sudden, everyone's attention turned towards him and butterflies began fluttering in his stomach. Severus blushed furiously and whined, quickly turning back towards Remus and reaching his free arm up in a plea to be picked up. "Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuup!"

A great "Aw" worked its way around the room. "George!" He heard Molly hiss behind him, "You scared him!"

"No, I didn't!"

"You did too!" Fred argued good-naturedly.

"Henry!" Molly called hurriedly. "Henry! Look what I got!"

Severus peered at her from behind Remus' leg and found her waving his stuffed lion cub at him. "It's Roar! Come on! Come get Roar!"

"He doesn't call it Roar, mum!" George argued.

"Oh, how would you know that?!" Molly retorted, waving the lion cub at Severus with a smile that belied her tone of voice.

"Well, he's got to call it something better than Roar." Fred added.

"That's not even a name!" George agreed.

"What about Griffy?" Dean added with a smirk.

"Or Dor!" Seamus joined in.

"Or Griffy-n-dor!" The four of them chorused with laugh.

"I've got your lion, Henry!" Molly conceded with a smile. "Come get it, sweetheart."

Severus stuck his thumb in his mouth and continued to watch her suspiciously from behind Remus' leg. He wanted his lion, sure, but he wasn't about to try walking over to get it. He'd look like an idiot! He hasn't walked in almost three months, and this little body hasn't walked at all; he'd just fall over on his arse on the way there—he just knew it! _No…better not walk…not just yet._

"Come on, honey. Come get your toy!"

Sev peered around the room. Everyone was still looking at him in expectation. He turned around and sent Remus a questioning look.

The werewolf offered him an encouraging smile. "You want to try it, cub?" He asked gently.

Sev bit his lip and peered back at Molly and his baby lion cub.

"Come on, ladies and gents, let's cheer the little guy on, eh?!" One of the twins yelled out before a huge cheer erupted amongst the crowd.

Severus blushed furiously and turned back towards Remus lickety-split. "Uuuuuuuuuuuuuup!" He cried desperately, holding his free arm up and bouncing up and down as best he could.

"Aw!" "Come on, big guy!" "Come on!" "You can do it."

Remus looked down into Severus' rapidly-moistening eyes and saw the breakdown that was just over the horizon. "Alright, alright." He bent down and Sev hooked his free arm around his neck and held on for dear life. "Come on, cub."

"Aw, come on, Remus!" "Yeah, let him try!" "Let him have a go!"

"No, no!" The werewolf waved them off with friendly yet firm smile as he stood back up, wrapping Severus in his arms. "He doesn't want to try it. Let him be." The crowd made a low disappointed noise before turning back to their previous conversations. Soon enough, the room was back to its regular bustle.

"It's alright." Molly said as she stood up off the foot rest and approached Remus with a smile. "Soon enough, my darling." She rubbed Severus' back lovingly and placed a gentle kiss on his exposed cheek. "You'll be up and walking soon enough." She offered him the lion cub and Sev took his thumb out of his mouth for a fraction of a second to hook it under his arm and hug it to his chest. The thumb went straight back in after that. "Maybe he was just waiting for Harry and Ginny." Molly raised an eyebrow at Remus.

"Maybe." The werewolf agreed as he continued to rub Severus' back.

"And what about you, my Teddy bear?" Molly continued with a smile, bending down next to Tonks so that Teddy could see her face. "When are you going to start walking, eh?" Then she turned to Dora suddenly, "Oh Merlin…the moment these two start to walk together…" she gestured back and forth between Sev and Teddy with wide eyes. Remus and Dora grinned at her.

"They're going to have _plenty_ of fun, aren't you, Teddy?" Tonks replied, nuzzling Teddy's ear and making the infant giggle.

"Oh, no doubt there." Remus murmured, a smile tugging at his lips. Sev peered up at him curiously, wondering what the werewolf meant by that.

"So…what'd I miss?!" A familiar voice exclaimed all of a sudden.

Sev pushed up from Remus' chest so fast that he dropped his lion cub along the way. "HAWEH!" He squeaked.

"Whoa there!" Harry chuckled, catching Sev and lifting him into his arms before he could fall out of Remus' grasp. "Are you alright?" The teen's eyes widened slightly at the strength of Sev's grip around his neck.

"Oh, he's fine." Remus replied with a smile. "He tried standing a moment ago."

"No way!" Ginny gasped from behind Harry, turning to Remus and Dora with wide eyes.

"Yes, oh, you missed it, sweetheart!" Molly interjected.

"Mum! Did you take pictures?"

"I think your father did…or Bill…"

"I did, Molly." Tonks replied, smiling at Ginny's relieved look.

"Is that so?" Harry grinned, turning to the baby in his arms and giving him a kiss atop the head. "Did you try standing, cub?"

"Uh-huh!" Came the muffled reply, accompanied by a nod against his chest.

"Really?!"

"He tried walking as well." Molly added proudly.

"Walking?!" Ginny's eyes widened even more.

"Well…I wanted him to." Molly clarified, "I even held out his lion for him to get." She bent down to retrieve the fallen creature, "But the _twins_ over there decided to call the crowd's attention onto him and he got shy and wanted to be picked up again."

"Ah, yes…" Harry nodded with a smirk. "Not very good in front of crowds." He shrugged, "At least not yet." Turning back to the baby in his embrace, Harry gave Severus a little shake. "How about you and I grab something to eat, cub? I'm so hungry I can eat a horse!" He growled playfully. Harry felt something tremble against his chest and the sound of Sev's childish laughter soon floated up to meet his ears. "How about we share, eh? And then after that," he turned and headed towards the food table, "we can help Ginny blow out them candles! Yes!"

Several sets of amused eyes followed the pair across the room.

_**

* * *

**_

"Thank you so much, Professor Slughorn." Ginny smiled gratefully. "I'll be sure to save it for when I need it the most." The teen wrapped the small vial of _Felix Felicis_ back in the protective cushioning from which it came and carefully handed it to her mother.

"I hope that's not during exams and such." Slughorn added playfully.

"That would be _illegal_." McGonagall interjected sternly.

"Oh, I know, Professors." Ginny replied, completely unfazed, "Exams and such weren't what I was referring to when I said, 'when I need it the most.'"

"I thought not, Miss Weasley." McGonagall replied, a hint of a smile tugging at her lips. "I was just…reminding you."

"What did Harry get you, Miss Weasley?" Dumbledore interrupted the exchange with an excited smile.

"Yeah, what _did_ Harry get you?" "He opened your gift first at his party." "It's probably a secret." "A secret what?" "WHOOOOOOOOOO!" "Probably doesn't want to give it to her in _public_!"

Ginny smiled at the juvenile comments flying around the room as she turned to her boyfriend with a glint in her eye. Next to her, Harry sat quietly, absorbing the jokes with naught but a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. Severus sat in his sling, chewing on his fingers and looking between the two of them curiously. Green met hazel and Harry's eyes narrowed playfully as the twitching corner of his mouth grew up into a smirk.

"So…?" Ginny whispered quietly.

"So…?" Harry echoed playfully. Then the smirk on his face grew into a grin and the juvenile comments came out in full force as he pulled a small box out of his right pocket.

"LOOK! It's a box!" "A _velvet_ box!" "Whooooooo!" "A _small_ velvet box!" "WHOOO!"

"Oh _shut it_, the lot of you!" Harry snapped good-naturedly, prompting everyone in the room to burst into laughter. "It's not what you think!"

"Oh, that just _ruined_ the surprise!" "Why would you say that?!" "Of _course_ it's what I think!" "It's jewelry. I can tell." "Obviously!"

Ginny took the small, flat, rectangular box with a roll of her eyes and smile. As stupid as they could act sometimes, she wouldn't trade friends like these for anything in the world.

"It's just something small." Harry whispered in her ear. He sounded a bit nervous to her.

"Harry, I wouldn't care if you just gave me an empty box." She whispered in return. Harry was then flooded with feelings of love and happiness and he was able to pinpoint it back to the bond he shared with Ginny. The teenager smiled. _He_ was her ultimate gift, he realized. Well…him and a little someone else, of course.

Ginny waited until a hush fell over the crowd before she held her breath and popped open the box. The gleam of polished silver was the first to catch her eye. Following that was the spark of something blue.

When the lid finally snapped open, out of the box popped a small charms bracelet with three small charms attached to one side. Ginny smiled and took the small object in her hand. The gleam of the polished silver was mesmerizing, and the charms looked personalized from what she could tell. "Oh…it's gorgeous…" she murmured under her breath so that only Harry could hear her. The teen brought the charms closer for further inspection and confirmed that they were _indeed_ personalized. One of the charms had a baby footprint engraved on it in baby blue ink. The other had a baby handprint engraved on it in the same color. And right in between them, engraved in black and white on gleaming silver, was one of Ginny's favorite pictures of baby Severus. He was wearing his blue overalls and his favorite white shirt; and Ginny remembered that was the day he learned to sit fully upright, and she had taken that picture of him right at the moment he had succeeded.

"They're his own prints, love." Harry whispered next to her. "His right hand and right foot."

Now completely interested, Sev took his fingers out of his mouth and reached for the gleaming bracelet in Ginny's hands. The teen indulged him with a chuckle and, upon seeing his picture engraved on one of the charms, Severus pointed to the charm and graced her with his adorable two-toothed grin. "Meh!" He squeaked proudly. Both Harry and Ginny laughed at the infant.

"Let's see it, dear!" Molly cried eagerly, wondering, like everyone else in the room, what all the commotion was about.

Reluctantly turning away from the object of her unending affection, Ginny held up Harry's gift to the crowd. "It's a charm bracelet."

"Told you it wasn't what you thought." Harry muttered loud enough for everyone to hear. A few of the folks in the group snorted.

"It has little Henry's picture, handprint, and footprint engraved on it." She showed it to her mum, who studied it in awe.

"Oh, it's gorgeous!"

"That's it?!" Dean hissed to Seamus, who was standing next to him near the back of the room. "It's her seventeenth birthday and he gives her a charms bracelet with a baby's picture on it."

"Different things have different meanings to different people, Mr. Thomas." Dumbledore murmured from Seamus' other side.

"Well…yes, sir…but…" Dean didn't know how else to put it. He simply felt that, as her boyfriend, Harry should've given Ginny more than a mere charms bracelet.

"Maybe the charms on the bracelet mean more to her than you think, mate." Seamus shrugged, glancing at his best friend guiltily.

"Oh they most certainly do, Mr. Finnegan." Dumbledore replied. "Look at her face, boys." He said, bending down slightly so that his voice remained low and the conversation between the three of them. "You see how her eyes shine as she looks at each of the charms? And look at her hands as well, boys, her fingers, to be specific." They were gentle, almost reverent, as she fingered each of the engraved pictures on the charms. Ginny's eyes now shone with a light that had never been there before, by Dean's recollection. It was a different kind of light, too, the young wizard noticed. There was more than laughter and love in her eyes now. There was something much, _much_ more than that.

"That is not just _any_ baby's picture, Mr. Thomas, that is little Henry's picture."

"There's a difference, sir?" Dean raised an eyebrow at the old man.

"For you, perhaps there is no difference. However, I assure you, Mr. Thomas, that with _her_...there most certainly _is_."

The three men watched as Harry slipped the bracelet onto Ginny's wrist while the baby watched through wide eyes. Little Henry was grinning around the two fingers in his mouth, and when Harry and Ginny swept in for a quick kiss, he began bouncing in his sling, squealing with laughter. Ginny chuckled at him as she pulled away from Harry and Dean could see the light gleaming off her eyes as she took little Henry's face between her hands and gave him a big kiss on the cheek.

"She loves him." Dean whispered almost unconsciously. Seamus could hear a slight crack in his voice.

"That she does, Mr. Thomas." Dumbledore murmured in return. Seamus felt him reach a hand out to grasp Dean's shoulder in support. "That she does."

Seamus' eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "She loves Harry?"

"She loves the baby." Dean corrected in a low voice.

The Irishman's eyebrow rose at that. "Reckon she loves Harry as well."

"Well _obviously_!" Dean rolled his eyes. Within seconds, though, he snorted under his breath and his shoulders began to shake in silent laughter.

"There we go, mate!" Seamus nudged his best friend playfully. "Cheer up! There are other lasses out there. You'll find one soon enough."

"He's right, Dean." Dumbledore added with a twinkle in his eye and he squeezed Dean's shoulder supportively. "Perhaps you should leave Miss Weasley be for now on. Hmmm? It seems she has found happiness for herself."

"Yeah, mate, you should do the same." Seamus nudged Dean once again. His friend shrugged noncommittally.

"_It seems she has found happiness for herself…"_ As Dean turned back to the birthday girl and watched her blow out the candles on her cake along with the infant in her arms, Dumbledore's words echoed in his mind. He realized he couldn't hold on to her any longer. It wouldn't be fair for either of them. The pang of jealousy in his gut couldn't be helped, though. _Merlin, she looks happy…_

"He better take care of her." Dean growled beneath his breath.

"I have no doubt he will, Mr. Thomas." Dumbledore replied, "No doubt at all."

* * *

**Next up, news gets out regarding Harry and Remus' teaching positions and Remus, Dora, Teddy, and Sev are witness to a disturbing row between Harry and Ginny. **

**PICTURE (See Ch. 2 end note on how to access it): Ginny's Charms designed by Sev and Harry**

**THANK YOU to all my readers and those who REVIEWed last chapter. You're wonderful! :-) As usual, please don't be shy to let me know you're there. It takes two seconds to leave a one-word review. :-)**


	29. Behind Closed Doors

The floo in Harry's quarters flared to life just milliseconds before a bushy-haired girl stepped onto the hearth and quickly began navigating around the chairs and the playpen in the living room.

_WOOF!_ The big black dog, stretched out on the couch, barked lazily at the girl's entrance but otherwise refused to move.

"Good morning, Sirius." The girl replied distractedly.

Half a second later, the floo flared to life once again and out staggered a lanky, fire-haired young man. "Hermione! For Merlin's sake!" He hissed at his girlfriend.

_WOOF!_ The big black dog barked once more.

"Oh shut it, Padfoot. You're not even a real dog." He grumbled, cursing as his shin banged against the low coffee table in front of the fireplace.

"Harry!" Hermione called before she knocked loudly on the master bedroom door. "Harry! Ginny!"

"_Must_ you do this at _this_ hour of the morning?!" Ron growled. "It's not even _that_ big of a deal!"

There was a series of loud bangs before the door to the master bedroom flew open and a bleary-eyed, unshaven, shirtless Harry staggered out, wand at the ready. "What? What's happened?!" He cried in alarm.

Hermione quickly snapped open a copy of the Daily Prophet and shoved it in his face. "Have you _seen_ the headline on the Prophet this morning?!" She practically screeched.

Harry instantly froze in place and gaped at his best friend. "_Hang_ the Prophet! What's the emergency?!"

"_That's_ the bloody emergency." Ron growled as he rubbed his bruised shin and scowled at his girlfriend.

"Wha—" Harry squinted at the colossal headline on the front page of the paper Hermione was shoving in his face and was barely able to make out the words in the dark. _Extra! The Chosen One and the Werewolf to Teach at Hogwarts this Coming School Year, An Insider Claims!_

Harry's jaw tightened in mild irritation and his wand immediately dropped back to his side. "_That's_ the big emergency?!"

"Told you it wasn't that big of a deal." Ron grumbled.

"Of course it's an emergency!" Hermione retorted. "It means there's a leak inside Hogwarts!"

Harry rolled his eyes and released a huge sigh of relief. "Ginny!" He called as he turned back towards the bedroom.

"Harry?!" Ginny's voice echoed strangely from inside the room.

"False alarm! You can come out now." He cried.

"Why is her voice echoing?" Sirius asked curiously as he jumped over the back of the couch and sauntered over to where Harry and Hermione stood.

"She's down in the panic room." Harry croaked, trying to rub the morning dew from his eyes.

"Panic room? You have a panic room?!" Sirius stuck his head in the door. "Where?!"

"Harry! Can we focus here? This is an emergency!" Hermione scowled at her best friend's lack of concern.

"No, it's not, Hermione."

"See, I _told_ you!"

"Whoa! You never told me you had a lab down here, Harry!" Sirius' voice echoed as he descended into the potions lab. "Hey Ginny!"

"What happened?"

"Hermione panicked over a little thing."

"It is _not_ a little thing!" Hermione retorted indignantly.

"It's a little thing." Sirius told Ginny with a wink. Suddenly, the baby in the teenager's arms began to cry. "See what you did, Hermione?! You woke the baby!" Sirius teased with a smile.

"Why are you not upset about this, Harry?"

"'Mione, it would've happened eventually." Harry mumbled as he helped his girlfriend up the stairs.

"What are you brewing down here, pup?"

"Sirius! That's important stuff! Could you please not mess with it?" Harry cried in alarm.

"Relax, kiddo, I'm not touching anything." Sirius' voice echoed in return.

"Haweh!" Severus reached for him blindly through a wall of tears.

"Yeah, cub, come 'ere." Harry took the infant and began rocking him back and forth.

"What do you mean, 'it would've happened eventually'?!"

"Hermione, it's August, for Merlin's sake. News about Remus' and my teaching positions would've come out eventually." Harry replied as he rubbed Severus' back.

"See?!" Ron added from the living room.

"But who else would know about this other than the staff here at Hogwarts?"

"How about everyone who came to my birthday party last July?" Harry raised an eyebrow at his best friend.

"How about Mundungus Fletcher?" Sirius added as he came out from the secret staircase.

"Ugh! You blame him for everything." Ginny said as she crawled back under the covers.

"That's because he's responsible for everything." Sirius retorted as he left the bedroom and padded towards the kitchen. "I'm starting breakfast!"

"Hermione, don't worry about it." Harry reassured her. "Dumbledore was going to give an interview and a press release to the Prophet and the Quibbler later today anyway, on account of the letters to the students go out tomorrow."

"Making a bloody mountain out of a mole hill." Ron grumbled from his recliner in the living room. He looked to be on the brink of sleep on one of Harry's easy chairs.

"Ugh! Honestly!" Hermione rolled up the newspaper in frustration and stomped towards the kitchen. "Why am I the only one panicking about this?"

"Because you're the only one who bloody overreacts among us!" Her boyfriend retorted grouchily

_**Bfffffffffffffft**__!_ Severus blew strong raspberries at her back.

"Alright, okay, that's enough." Harry walked him back to the big bed. "You wanna go back to sleep with Ginny?" The infant nodded as he rubbed his little eyes.

"Come here, sweetheart." Ginny reached out her arms and Harry laid Severus in her embrace. "Let's sleep in, shall we?" Sev yawned and stretched his little arms and legs as Harry wrapped the fluffy comforter around them, and then, just as quickly, he sighed and curled himself into a tiny ball, snuggling into Ginny's chest. "There we are."

"I'll keep breakfast warm for you." Harry said before dropping a kiss onto both their foreheads and walking away.

"Alright! How about some pancakes, eggs, and sausage?" Sirius' voice was the last thing either of them heard before Harry closed the bedroom door and consciousness faded away.

_**

* * *

**_

"I didn't particularly enjoy the headline." Remus commented.

"I know. Neither did I." Harry nodded solemnly. "They said 'the werewolf' like it was a bad thing."

"I'm sure that's how they _meant_ it, Harry." Remus replied cynically.

"They'll change." Harry replied confidently. "They'll change soon enough, Remus, I promise you."

"Who, the Prophet?" Remus snorted and shook his head in amusement. "The Daily Prophet will never change, Harry."

"Oh, I'm not particularly concerned about whether or not the Prophet changes. It's bloody rubbish anyway."

"Harry!" Ginny rebuked from where she walked with Tonks behind them.

Severus giggled and pat Harry's mouth with his tiny hand, singing, "Uh, uh, uh! Uh, uh, uh!" playfully.

Remus snorted, "Uh, uh, uh, Harry!" He wagged a finger in Harry's face with a laugh. "Uh, uh, uh!"

"Bab wobth!"

Harry smiled. "Bad words. I'm sorry." He kissed Sev's hand, making the infant giggle, and shot an apologetic glance at his girlfriend. "I'm starting to sound like your Uncle Ron, aren't—" Harry froze mid-sentence and suddenly made a grab for the nearest column for support. Sev gasped at Harry's sudden stop and gripped the sides of his sling tightly in order to prevent himself from falling out.

Remus, Dora, and Ginny all froze. "Harry?!" The latter cried in alarm, quickly darting to his side. "Harry, are you okay?" She hissed in his ear as she grabbed his free arm. Harry's hand found her sleeve and the teenager didn't miss how quickly his grip on the fabric tightened. Neither did the tightening of his grip on the column slip her notice either. Ginny knew only one thing in the world could make Harry react the way he did—sharp, intense, relentless pain. "Harry!"

Harry's eyes locked with hers and Ginny could see the quivering of his tightened jaw, the beads of sweat breaking out at his temple. All of a sudden, the teen flicked his eyes towards Remus. Ginny understood his silent message.

"_Look into my eyes, love."_ She sent him through their mental link.

"Harry, are you alright?" Remus asked in concern.

All of a sudden, wave after wave after wave of calming white magic flowed into Harry from his link with Ginny. It wasn't _exactly_ what he needed and the both of them knew that; but it was a stopgap measure that did its intended job for the time being and Harry was grateful for it. He immediately channeled the energy to where it would do the most good.

"Harry? Do you want me to call Madam Pomfrey?" Remus pushed, stepping closer to the pair to see what the matter was.

All of a sudden, Harry inhaled sharply and then just as quickly released his breath before his grip on both the column and Ginny's sleeve slackened. "No!" He replied hoarsely, covering the roughness of his voice by clearing his throat several times. "No, thank you, Remus."

"Haweh?" Sev questioned cautiously, peering up at his caretaker with a concerned look on his face. "Haweh?" The infant reached up from where he reclined in his sling and pat the teen's chest to get his attention.

"Yeah, cub." Harry replied distractedly. He took Severus' little hand and rubbed the palm affectionately with his thumb. Otherwise, he only acknowledged the infant in his arms with a vague, "I'm fine."

All of a sudden, he straightened up and began resuming his walk back to their quarters. Remus, Dora, and Ginny merely followed him with concerned eyes, unmoving.

"Harry?" Remus exchanged a look with his wife before running to catch up with the fast-moving teenager. "Harry, what was all that about?"

"Nothing, Remus."

"He's limping." Tonks whispered to Ginny as the two ladies began trailing after their men.

"What?" Ginny raised an eyebrow and squinted at Harry's retreating form.

Tonks readjusted her hold on Teddy and repeated in a low, concerned voice, "He's limping, Ginny." She peered at her friend worriedly. The teenager sighed and Tonks noticed her jaw tighten slightly. Otherwise, she didn't respond. "Do you know anything about this, Gin?"

Much to Tonks' frustration, Ginny still refused to answer.

"Anything at all?" The metamorphamagus pushed stubbornly.

"Dora, just leave it." Ginny replied, her shoulders sagging in a look reminiscent of defeat.

Tonks frowned. "What's the matter, Ginny?"

"Nothing." And with that, Ginny picked up her pace and managed to overtake Tonks just as they turned the corner to reach their quarters.

Not one to give up easily, Tonks hugged Teddy close before giving chase to her best friend. "Ginny!"

Up ahead of them, Remus and Harry were on the verge of a screaming match. "I told you to _leave_ it, Remus!" Harry growled as he climbed into the portrait hole leading to his quarters.

Much like his wife, Remus was not one to give up easily, "Not until you tell me what's wrong, Harry!"

"_NOTHING_ is wrong!"

"Harry!" Ginny called as she ran up to them and pushed past Remus to climb into the portrait hole after her boyfriend. "We need to talk."

"Oh, for Merlin's sake!" Harry quickly yet gently pulled Severus out of his sling and into his arms. "There's nothing to talk about, Gin!"

_SLAM! _Ginny threw Severus' diaper bag onto the floor in frustration. "That's _**BOLLOCKS**_ and you _know_ it!"

At this point, Severus didn't know if it was the loud slamming noise or the fact that Ginny just _cursed_, but whatever the cause, a tense silence quickly descended onto the Potter quarters. The infant's heart soon began to race and he stuck his thumb in his mouth and began sucking in an effort to relieve the tension.

Ginny was glaring at Harry. Harry was glaring at Ginny. Remus, Dora, and Teddy stood at the entrance to their quarters, watching the proceedings with looks that radiated both concern and shock. Severus' feelings weren't very far from theirs either. What in the _world_ was going on?!

"It's bollocks!" Ginny growled. Severus cringed at the intense look she was sending Harry's way. She looked on the verge of tears! The infant gripped Harry's robe tightly in his fist and tried to bury himself in the folds. They were doing it again. _Why_ were they doing it again?! What was so bad that they had to get into these kinds of arguments every time it came up?!

All of a sudden, his ride lurched. "Remus, would you mind taking him for a minute?" And for the second time in the space of a week, Severus was thrust into Remus' arms while Harry turned back to take care of some major business.

"You want to talk? Fine!" He snapped at his girlfriend before turning on his heel and leading the way into the bedroom.

"Don't yell at me. _Don't_ you yell at me!" Ginny retorted heatedly, following her boyfriend with angry strides.

"I already told you there's nothing to talk about!"

"Like _hell_ there's nothing to talk about! What were you expecting me to do? Just…_ignore_ this? AGAIN?!"

"There's nothing to ignore!"

"You're a goddamn liar!"

_**SLAM!!!**_

And with the slamming of the bedroom door, the room with plunged into silence once again.

"What do you reckon that was about, Remus?" Tonks whispered after a while, breaking the tense stillness in the room.

"I don't know." Her husband replied worriedly. "But whatever it is, I'm going to find out."

All of a sudden, the child in Remus' arms squirmed and began striking the werewolf's chest as hard as he could. "Wha happ?!" He cried, and with each accompanying strike his tone became more and more desperate, his words, more and more a plea. "Wha happ?! _Wha_ happ?! _Wha_ _happ_?! _**Wha **__happ_?! _**Wha ha**_—" Until finally, Severus' voice cracked and the tears that had been piling in his eyes finally began to fall. For more than a minute, Sev lost the ability to speak as his face contorted into an agonized mess and he expelled what sounded like all the breath in his little body. Then, with a great gasp, the tiny infant let out the most heart-wrenching cry Remus had ever heard. "Ahhhhhhhh!"

"Oh, baby…" Tonks sighed and she hugged Teddy close to her chest as Remus wrapped Severus in his embrace.

"Shhh, cub…Shhh…" Severus buried his face in Remus' robes and screamed out his agony into the folds. "I know, Sev…I know…" The werewolf began making calming sounds and started rubbing Severus' back as the infant vented his frustrations into the fabric.

"Remus, you have to talk to Harry." Tonks said, "I'll talk to Ginny. Whatever it is they're fighting about, it's _hurting_ him!"

"I _know_, Dora!" Remus growled angrily. But his anger wasn't directed at her, she knew. The werewolf sent a stone-cold glare towards the closed bedroom door as he pulled out his wand with his free hand.

"What are you doing?" The metamorphamagus asked worriedly.

"They may not allow us to hear them, but I can sure as hell allow them to hear _him_." And with that, Remus whispered a spell that amplified Severus' cries and sent it directly towards the closed bedroom door. The werewolf made doubly sure that it penetrated as well. The couple inside would be able to hear their crying child as if their own bedroom door was a gigantic speaker turned up to the highest volume. "Let's see if they can ignore _that_." Remus declared vindictively, earning him a raised eyebrow from his wife. She had never seen this side of him before.

It worked. After about a minute, the door to the master bedroom flew open and Ginny came power walking out. Remus and Tonks both frowned when they saw her brush the corners of her eyes with her thumbs and dab her reddening nose with the back of her hand. The couple even exchanged a look when they started picking up on the soft sniffles. "Are you alright, Ginny?" Tonks asked worriedly.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Dora." The teenager answered in a nasal voice, indicating that she had indeed been crying. "Thanks, Remus. I'll take him now."

Remus' eyebrows furrowed. "What did he do to you, Ginny?" He growled.

"Nothing, Moony. I promise." Ginny answered sincerely, making sure to meet Remus' eyes to assure him that she was indeed telling the truth. At the same time, she worked to pry Severus from his protective embrace. "We just had a bit of a row."

"_Again_." Dora interjected.

"What was the row about?" Remus pushed. "And where is he now anyway?!" The werewolf's angry gaze shot towards the open bedroom and he sniffed the air testily.

"He's down in the lab, brewing something." Ginny was finally able to pry Severus loose from Remus' grasp and take him into her arms. "Aw, come here, baby."

"Wha…happ?" Sev moaned between sniffles. Upon sensing that he was back in Ginny's familiar embrace, he grasped her robe with all his strength and buried his face in its folds. "IMMY!"

"Yeah, baby, I know." Ginny replied in a hushed, calming voice. "I know. You don't like it when we fight. We know, sweetheart, and we are _so_ sorry." She gave him a big kiss on his exposed cheek and began rubbing his back lovingly. "We're sorry, baby."

"If Harry was that sorry, he'd come out here to say it." Remus growled, striding towards the open bedroom.

"Remus, stop!" Ginny cried in alarm, freezing the werewolf in his tracks. He peered back at her quizzically. "He's down in his lab brewing something…_incredibly_ important right now!" She said, her emphasis on the word accompanied by a slight crack in her voice. "And…I…_need_ him to do that."

Remus raised an eyebrow. "You _need_ him to?"

"Ginny, what's going on?" Tonks added with concern.

"Wha happ?!" Severus put in, pushing up against Ginny's chest and gazing at her through a wall of tears.

Ginny took a deep breath and opened her mouth to answer…but nothing came out. Her gaze shifted from Severus to Remus to Tonks and Teddy and finally back to Severus again.

"Wha happ?" The infant repeated through hitched breaths. He pleaded with her through sad, sad eyes to tell him what was wrong; to tell him what the big issue was between her and Harry. He wanted to know the truth. He _needed_ to know the truth! Their arguments were getting worse; which told him the issue around which their fights revolved was getting worse as well. Something was wrong with Harry—that much Severus knew—but neither Harry nor Ginny were letting him in on what that something was! It was infernally frustrating!

Ginny, for her part, appeared confused and frustrated too. From the looks of things, Sev figured she was internally debating with herself about whether or not she wanted to divulge the truth to the rest of them. After holding her mouth open for a short while, and not having uttered a single word, she closed it once again. Sev watched as she shut her eyes and turned away from them. The dimples on her cheeks, which usually sat high up in a joyous smile, instead sat low in a sad, sad frown. The happy wrinkles that usually lined her face transformed into stress lines that aged her prematurely. And the area under her eyes, usually clear of any sort of blemish, now housed dark bags of sleeplessness.

Sev swallowed and tried to get a hold of his breathing, for Ginny's sake, at least. "Immy?" He questioned cautiously.

"Ginny, what's the matter?" Tonks asked in the same tone. She took a step closer to her best friend and reached out a hand to comfort her.

The teenager, however, would have none of it. She bit her lip and, as if sensing the move, quickly stepped out of Dora's reach. "No." She cried, her voice thick and laden with a deep hurt. She shook her head, turned away, and brushed the corner of her closed eyes with the back of her hand.

"Ginny, please," Tonks begged, "_please_ tell us what's wrong."

"Is it Harry?" Remus ventured a guess, turning away from the bedroom and focusing his attention on the distraught girl before him. "There's something wrong with Harry, isn't there?"

"Immy?"

It was Ginny's shuddery breath which gave her away. Her eyes flew open and focused on the heavens for a fraction of a second before she turned away from the other couple and started making her way to the living room.

"It has to do with whatever just happened in the hallway, doesn't it?" Remus continued, immediately giving chase to the fast-moving teenager. "Something happened to him out there just now; something that he doesn't want to talk about."

"Remus—"

"Something that just sparked the big row the both of you just had."

"Remus, stop—" Ginny threw herself onto the nearest easy chair and immediately began curling in on herself.

"Something _you_ definitely want to talk about, though. Ginny, just say—"

"_**STOP**_!!!" Severus cried, scowling at the werewolf over Ginny's shoulder. Had this been any other time, Sev would have prided himself in being able to clearly pronounce the letters 'S' and 'T' for the first time in three months. However, this wasn't just any other time, and for now all Sev cared about was that Remus shut the hell up and back away from Ginny.

The teen was now curled up into a ball on one of the leather chairs; Severus nestled securely in the gap between her chest and her thighs. Ginny had planted her forehead on her knees and wrapped her arms around her shins, hugging her legs to her chest. Severus, for his part, was propped up against her right arm. He had his own right arm wrapped around Ginny's neck in a one-armed hug, his left hand was patting her back in comfort, and his face was scowling at Remus. "Go weh!" He barked, narrowing his eyes at the werewolf in challenge.

Remus, for once, was speechless. He was standing by the side of their chair, gaping down at them with a face full of shock and concern. Ever so slowly, he started lowering himself down on one knee. "Ginny—"

"MO!" Sev growled, hugging the crying teen protectively and barring his two teeth at the interfering werewolf.

Remus flinched back instinctively. "Severus, just—"

"**GO WEH**!!!" The infant squealed at the top of his lungs.

"Honey, honey," Tonks cut in, sweeping down to pull her husband to his feet and away from the duo. "Let's just give them some space for a few minutes, okay? Come on!" Remus resisted momentarily, trying to pull away from his wife in an effort to continue pushing the subject with Ginny. "Remus! She needs space!" She hissed in the werewolf's ear. After a few moments, Remus reluctantly gave in with a sigh. "Ginny, we're just going to go make some tea. We're going to be in the kitchen, okay?" Tonks told her, dragging her unwilling husband behind her.

"Immy…" Severus cooed in Ginny's ear, patting the teenager on the back with what he hoped were comforting pats. "Immy…" Once again, he tried to emulate the same calming tone of voice Harry used whenever he, Severus, needed comfort. "Immy…"

"Oh…god…" Ginny gasped between hitched breaths before her crying fit started anew.

"Immy…" If only Severus had a mental connection to Ginny as well. He would tell her that it was okay to cry. He would tell her that he was there for her, and that whatever it was that was bothering her and Harry, he would be there to help them whenever they needed it. If only Ginny could hear him, he would tell her that he loved her and that Harry loved her and nothing else in the world mattered, save for those two facts. If only Ginny could hear him, he would tell her that whatever this was, they would get through it—together.

"Wise words, cub."

Severus looked up with a gasp to find Harry sitting on the edge of the coffee table, directly across from them. Beside him, Ginny took a deep, shuddering breath before peaking up herself to meet her boyfriend's eye.

"Harry?"

_**BFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFT!!!**_

Harry merely shut his eyes and allowed the infant to douse him with spit without comment.

"Ooo mek Immy cwy!" Severus spat in disgust. _**BFFFFFFT! **_"Ee—dee—ot!"

Ginny gasped, "Severus." She rebuked softly, "Please stop."

"No, I deserved that." Harry countered in an equally soft voice as he peered at them through glasses covered in spit.

"No, Harry…" Ginny uncurled and crossed her legs atop the seat, readjusting Sev so that the infant was nestled between them, his back supported by her chest. "…you didn't deserve that. You…" She paused for a moment to regain control of her breathing and wipe the stray tear tracks from her cheeks.

"Ginny…" Harry took his glasses off to wipe them on his shirt as he met his girlfriend's eye. "…yes, I did." Ginny sighed and began to shake her head. "And I know you think I did too so…" A corner of his mouth tipped up in a quirky half-smile, "…might as well admit it." He then reached up a sleeve to wipe down the rest of his drool-soaked face.

Ginny snorted. "_Maybe_ a little." She replied. Severus peered up at her quizzically. "But the thing is…" Ginny paused to swallow and swipe her still-damp eyes once again, "…the thing is, what you said in there…" She took a deep, shuddery breath, "…you were right." She conceded in a voice that Severus could only classify as defeated. "You were right about that. I…I couldn't do it."

Severus furrowed his eyebrows and peered back at Harry in confusion, wanting to gauge the teen's reaction to her statement.

The man in front of him looked sad and drawn. "I'm sorry, baby." He whispered in a voice laden with regret.

"No, I am." Ginny replied in an equally low whisper. "I…I see where you're coming from now. Look…" The teen shifted and the look on face all of a sudden transformed into one of quiet resolution. "Just give me a timeline, Harry." She told him, her voice filled with plea. "Give me something I can work with."

The teen nodded and looked away for a second to ponder the answer. Severus' face screwed up in confusion. A timeline? For what?

"Two months." Harry replied, meeting Ginny's quiet resolve with a twin look of his own. "Two months. We are _so_ close, Ginny—_SO_ close! I can _feel_ it! One month to…finish everything up and one month to steep it."

"One month." Ginny replied in a voice laden with mixed emotions. "It'll take a month to brew?"

"It's looking that way, yes." Harry answered regretfully. "There is a necessary ingredient that has to be steeped for at least a month."

Steeped? Ingredients? Brew? Severus' perplexed gaze traveled from Harry to Ginny and back. What, in Merlin's name, were these two talking about? A potion?! _That doesn't make sense._ Weren't they just discussing Harry's behavior towards Ginny earlier—the reason why she was crying? How in the world had they gotten on the topic of potions?!

Severus tried to connect the dots in his head. Ginny crying—Sev spit on Harry—Harry said he deserves it—Sev agrees—Ginny saying that Harry was right about something said during the fight—Ginny asks for a timeline—Talk moves to potions. Where the heck was the logic in _that_ chain of thought? All sense broke down the moment Ginny asked for a timeline.

_Perhaps I'm missing something vital._ Sev mused. _**Of course**__ you're missing something vital!_ The voice at the back of his head scoffed. _They're not telling you __**anything**__ about what the heck's going on—__**that's**__ the vital piece that's missing. _

Sev rolled his eyes and dismissed the grating voice. He didn't need them to tell him what was going on. He was smart enough to figure everything out by himself! Sev was reminded briefly of all the adventures Harry went through in his years here at Hogwarts. All those times, no one had given the boy the information he needed to get through all the obstacles facing him. Harry had figured that out all by himself (with Ron and Hermione helping him, of course) by taking what he knew and connecting the dots as best he could. That then was all _Sev_ had to do in this instance—connect the dots!

Of course…he needed more dots than he currently had at the moment. _Think __**back**__, you imbecile!_ The annoying voice at the back broke in. _This isn't the first time they fought like this!_

Sev gasped. Godric's Hollow! That's right! The infant's eyes lit up and he sat up straight and smiled in delight. "Ah ha!" He squeaked joyously. He had more dots now—lots more dots! He had more information he could use now.

"What are you laughing at, cub?" Harry's amused voice broke into his thoughts.

Sev gasped yet again but this time the smile disappeared and he peered up at Harry through wide eyes. He looked, for all intents and purposes, like a kid with his hand caught in the cookie jar. Did he just react out loud? Shoot! "Uh…Mmmmmmmmmmnnnnnnnnn…None…ting." He decided to distract them by pretending he was trying to pronounce a word.

"Nothing?" A smile began tugging at the corners of Harry's lips.

"Oh, you should be proud of him, Harry." Ginny broke in, "He was able to pronounce 'S' and 'T' again for the first time in three months!" She gave the infant on her lap a supportive squeeze and dropped a kiss on his head. Severus grinned up at her.

"He was?!" Harry's eyes widened in surprise. "What'd you say, cub?"

The infant smiled shyly. "Ssssss—top."

"Stop!" Harry grinned.

"Yeah, he said it to Remus—" All of a sudden, Ginny gasped. "Remus!" The teenager stood up so quickly, Severus' head began to spin and he cried out in surprise. "Oh, I'm sorry, sweetheart." She turned around to find the other couple standing by the kitchen window, their backs to them. "Remus! Dora!"

Remus peered back at them awkwardly, "Er…do you two want us to step out or—"

"Don't be ridiculous, Moony." Harry replied, getting up as well. "We're sorry about everything that just---"

"Ah! Forget about it." Remus waved him off.

"Harry, are you sick?" Tonks asked in concern. "Is there…something wrong? Anything we can do to help?"

"No, I'm not sick. Don't worry. It…" Harry stuttered for a second, trying to decide on what to say, before choosing to shrug it off completely. "It's a personal, um…issue."

Remus' eyebrows furrowed. "Too personal to tell _us_ about it?" He gestured between him and his wife, sounding a bit offended.

"Remus, it's…" Harry's jaw tightened and he sighed in frustration, "It's not against you. Er…It doesn't have anything to do with you. Um…I mean—"

"Please," Ginny interjected, stepping in front of Harry and peering at Remus and Dora through pleading eyes, "Can we just drop it for now? Please? There's been too much drama for one day." She made sure to meet Tonks' eyes and sent a silent appeal to help her cause.

The metamorphamagus nodded and gently touched her husband on the shoulder. "Remus…come on, love." She said in a low, hypnotic voice, "That's enough for now. Let's drop it."

Despite his wife, the werewolf continued his steady stare in Harry's direction. "This isn't over, Harry." He said resolutely. "I'm finding out what this is."

"Remus, stop already!" Tonks hissed in her husband's ear.

"Alright, alright, I'm stopping." Remus replied, waving his wife off before pointing a serious finger at Harry. "For now."

Back in Ginny's arms, Severus grinned. Yes! He had Remus on his side now! Two against two! Maybe they could put their heads together later, when Harry and Ginny weren't in the room, and find out what was going on. A wave of excitement suddenly flowed through the infant. This mystery-solving stuff was fun! No wonder Harry, Ron, and Hermione occupied their time solving school mysteries when they were here at Hogwarts. It was exciting! It was thrilling! It was mind-engaging and adventurous! Oh, Merlin, he couldn't wait 'til he could walk again and see what other mysteries he could find and solve!

"Thank you." Harry said, his voice filled with appreciation.

"For now." Remus grumbled as he turned away to scowl at the view out the window.

"Hey! I have an idea." Ginny spoke up in an effort to break the tension in the room, "Why don't we try and bake something, huh? Sev? Teddy? You want to help us bake some biscuits?"

Sev gasped and peered back at Ginny excitedly. He _loved_ Ginny's biscuits!

"Yeah, I think that'd be fun." Tonks added, catching on.

"Plus, biscuits are easy for them to chew—especially when they're fresh out of the oven." Ginny replied. "Harry, would you go get the camera, love?"

"Remus, come on, help me find the molds."

And with that, the ladies successfully steered attention away from the afternoon drama and back to safer, more enjoyable topics of conversation.

* * *

**Next up, Severus gets closer and closer to approaching a phenomenal milestone and an important delivery from the Ministry has Harry shaking in anticipation.**

**Once again, thank you all for reading and a triple THANKS to all who left a REVIEW for the previous chapters. Please, don't be shy to drop a line and let me know you're there. :-)**


	30. Jelly Legs

"Oh, guess what!" Ron exclaimed as he passed the green beans over to Sirius. The gang was at Grimmauld Place, having dinner after a day of cleaning and remodeling the old residence.

"What?" Harry replied, feeding Severus a forkful of noodles.

"Hermione got Head Girl!" Ron declared proudly.

"Ronald!" Hermione blushed as the entire table applauded and bombarded her with congratulations.

"That is _such_ a surprise, Hermione." Ginny joked with a smile before turning back to the infant in the high chair next to her.

"I knew she'd get it." Sirius said. "Who else would Dumbledore give it to, I ask you? She's the most brilliant witch of her age."

"Hear, hear!"

"Alright, that's enough about me, Sirius." The group laughed as Hermione covered her flaming cheeks with her hands and endeavored to change the topic as quickly as possible. "Did you all read the press release Dumbledore issued to the _Prophet_ and the _Quibbler_ yesterday? It came out this morning."

"I believe Dumbledore already went over it with both Harry and me." Remus replied, passing the sweet potatoes to his wife.

"Did he?"

"Well, I haven't read it." Sirius answered, motioning for Hermione to pass him the paper.

"It's just a standard press release, Padfoot." Tonks said. "It's kind of boring."

"I'm interested in whether or not either of you has been getting any mail about it." Hermione interjected.

"Of course you would be." Ron rolled his eyes.

"Oh, hush!"

"I haven't." Harry shook his head, "Have you, Remus?"

The werewolf shook his head as well. "I think Dumbledore's been taking all the mail regarding that issue."

"Oh, really?"

"I believe I remember hearing quite a few howlers yesterday evening—that's for sure." Ginny chuckled.

Remus' shoulders sagged. "I bet I can tell you which one of us those howlers were about." He said glumly.

"Oh, you'd be surprised, Moony." Ginny replied, "I remember hearing quite a few howlers regarding Harry's teaching position as well."

"A lot of pure-blood parents—the ones who supported Voldemort—don't like the fact that I'll be teaching their kids this coming school year."

"That's typical." Ron scoffed.

_Bffffffft!_

"I agree with Severus." Sirius added, folding up the newspaper and pushing it aside.

"I don't think either of you should let it bother you much, really." Tonks put in. "I mean, Dumbledore's the one who controls everything in school anyway. _Plus_, Kingsley's the Minister of Magic."

"Dumbledore's back as Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot as well." Ron added.

"There we go! There's nothing any of you should be worried about." Tonks grinned.

"Of course, there is also the fact that Lucius Malfoy is on the Board of Directors of Hogwarts." Hermione pointed out.

"So? What does that have to do with anything?" Ron's eyebrows furrowed.

"If Malfoy's on the Board of Directors, he has influence over them and can have Dumbledore removed or any teacher dismissed if he wants that to happen." Hermione explained.

"That's rubbish!"

"It's _not_, Ronald!"

"I wouldn't worry too much about Malfoy." Sirius piped up. "He's all bark and no bite, that man. And besides," an evil smirk appeared on his face, "I happen to know that the Malfoys are in serious financial trouble."

"Yeah, remember the war board in the DA room?" Harry nodded. "Thirty years, Milford said."

"Who's Milford?" Remus raised an eyebrow.

"Milford was the DA's spy inside the accounting office at the Ministry." Ginny answered as she fed Severus another forkful of spaghetti. "He's the one who first informed the Army that the Malfoys were in financial trouble."

"Wow! You guys were good!" Sirius chuckled, impressed at how much intelligence Dumbledore's Army was able to gather.

"Padfoot…" Remus rolled his eyes. He, unlike Sirius, was not impressed in the slightest.

"Anyway, as I was saying, you don't need to worry about Malfoy too much." The evil smirk reappeared on Sirius' face. "His family is in financial trouble, which means the one thing he is going to be relying heavily on from now on is his 'good' name." He drew quotation marks in the air. "And his 'good' name depends greatly on his _wife's_ good name, and his wife's good name happens to be—"

"Black." Harry grinned along with his godfather.

"And the Head of the Family of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black happens to be—"

"You." Everyone said at the same time.

Sirius cackled. "Me." Then all of a sudden, the grin disappeared, his eyes turned dark, and the spark of madness Harry had seen there in their first meeting shone through in his gaze. "And I swear this—if _any_ Malfoy steps out of line, if any Malfoy even so much as _toes_ that line, guess whose names will be blasted off that tapestry next."

"Ouch." Harry snorted.

"I will publicly disown them; I will take all property of theirs which is rightfully mine—including their mansion—"

"Don't you think that's a bit harsh, Sirius?" Hermione raised an eyebrow.

"No." Sirius, Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Tonks answered simultaneously. Remus shrugged.

Severus, for his part, giggled. "Mo, Mimi."

Half the table cracked up. "There you see!" Sirius pointed at the infant with a grin, "No, Mimi!"

"Oh, shut it, Padfoot!" Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Kingsley has them on a Ministry watchlist anyway, I think." Tonks chimed in. "Just because they turned back to our side at the last minute doesn't excuse them of everything they did beforehand."

As the group discussed Kingsley and his various Ministry watchlists, a head popped in through the kitchen door. "Hello! Oh, there's where everyone is!"

"Mum!" Tonks exclaimed, pushing her chair back and getting ready to stand.

"No, no, no, don't get up, dear!" Andromeda Tonks waved her daughter down. "Don't worry. I just wanted to let you all know that Minerva and I are back from shopping and we had dinner at Diagon Alley already, so you lot don't have to worry about saving us some. We bought some ice cream from Florean's shop, though, and when you lot are done with the main course, I just wanted to let you know there's some ice cream here in the living room."

"Well, I'm done!" Sirius declared with a grin, throwing his napkin onto his empty plate and pushing his chair back excitedly.

"Oh, you!" Andromeda shook her head at her younger cousin and walked back into the living room.

"Eyes cweam!" Severus squeaked, bouncing in his high chair and pointing in the direction of Sirius' retreating back. "Uh! Eyes cweam!"

"Sorry, kid." Sirius answered, a slight gleam in his eye. "Can't really sneak you one this time."

"_This_ time?!" Ginny's eyes widened at the animagus and her nose flared. "What do you mean '_this_ time'?!"

"Nothing!" And with that, the mischievous canine disappeared through the swinging door, trailing laughter in his wake.

"Uh! Eyes cweam! Eyes cweam!" He flashed a wide-eyed, puppy-dog look in Harry's direction.

Harry snorted. "Hey, _I'm_ all for it. Don't look at me."

With that, Severus turned in the other direction and before Ginny knew it, she was met with matching puppy-dog looks—a cute one on Harry's face and an irresistible one on Severus'. "Oh, for Merlin's sake…" Ginny muttered as she shook her head. "Last one." She said, holding a forkful of spaghetti for Severus to eat. The infant opened his mouth as wide as it could go and as soon as the food was inside his mouth, he began bouncing in his high chair once again.

"Eyghwhsth cwhehghaeam!"

"Oi!" Harry frowned, pushing away from the table, "No talking with your mouth full, Severus."

"Mmmm!" Sev signed a 'sorry' against his chest and reached up in the universal sign to be picked up. "Mmmmm!"

"Alright, alright, come along." Harry carried the infant into the living room where he found Professor McGonagall chatting with Andromeda on one of the sofas while Sirius was stretched out on the couch across from them, lazily enjoying his ice cream. "Hello Nana, Mrs. Tonks." He greeted politely.

"Oh, hello, Harry!" McGonagall replied. "Hello, Severus."

"Hi." Sev waved shyly before spotting the ice cream with a gasp. "Eyes cweam!" He then began his excited bouncing once again.

"Alright, alright, okay!"

Half an hour later, everyone who had been in the dining room had migrated over to the living room for dessert and eaten their fill of ice cream. Harry had settled himself on the floor, leaning against the couch Sirius occupied, with Severus in his lap. Remus and Teddy were leaning against the couch next to him, which Tonks, Ginny, and Hermione had settled on; while Ron was lying in the middle of the living room floor, halfway into a food coma. The conscious half of the group had resumed their previous conversation regarding Kingsley, the Malfoys, and watchlists, while the less-interested part (mainly Severus and Teddy, which meant Harry and Remus as well) occupied their time with much more interesting activities.

"Mmmm…wamp up!" Sev cried, pushing Harry's hands away and crawling forward slightly.

"You want what?" The teenager raised an eyebrow.

"Up! Me…up!" Severus settled somewhere near Harry's knee and began leaning against the teen's outstretched leg.

Harry froze and just watched the infant through wide eyes. "You mean…you want _me_ to pick you up? Or do _you_ want to get up yourself."

"Mo! _**ME**_!" The infant replied, scowling at Harry as if that should have been obvious. "_Me_ go up!"

Ginny gasped. "Oh! Sirius! Pass me the camera—it's on the table above your head." She ordered excitedly.

The animagus merely rolled his eyes and snickered. "Why would you want _me_ to pass _you_ the camera so that you can take the pictures _over there_, while when _I'm_ lying here, directly behind Harry, with a _better_ view than you?"

"Get _UP_ then!" Ginny exclaimed, smacking Sirius on shin.

"OW!" The animagus cried, shooting upwards and directing a scowl in Ginny's direction. He grumbled something unflattering under his breath as he pulled his feet in and stood up, switching places with the teenager.

"Thank you." She replied, immediately making a grab for the camera.

"You're _bloody_ welcome!" Sirius snapped, delighting in the frustrated look she sent his way.

Severus, meanwhile, was using Harry's leg as a brace to help him get to his feet. _One step at a time, cub! One step at a time._ Harry's voice coached him internally.

Sev felt the urge to roll his eyes and met Harry's steady gaze. _If I __**could**__ take a step, I would, wouldn't I?_

_**Metaphorically**__ speaking, cub._ Harry replied dryly.

Of course he was. Sev sighed and pushed down on Harry's knee in order to give himself enough leverage to tuck his feet under his bum.

"Attaboy!" Harry murmured encouragingly, holding his right arm out so that Sev could use that as his next brace. "Very good. Come on…Come on…"

"Oh! He's learning to stand!" He heard someone whisper excitedly behind him. "Wait 'til I tell Albus later."

Sev took a breath and pushed against Harry's leg in order to reach his arm. The teenager lowered it slightly so that the infant could get a firm hold. And when he was properly latched on, Harry began pulling his arm upward.

"Mo!" Sev cried. _He_ wanted to do it! _He_ wanted to be the one to stand! "Me!"

"Yes, yes, yes, you!" The teenager nodded complacently, "I'm just trying to help you."

"Mo!" Sev scowled at Harry. "Mo hewp!"

Harry peered at him dubiously. "A little help. Come on, cub. A _little_ help!" He then threw in his patented puppy-dog eyes look for good measure.

Severus grumbled under his breath. Much as he wanted to, he couldn't resist that particular look. Ginny sometimes swore he picked up his own puppy-dog look from Harry. "Okie." He muttered.

"Thank you." Harry brought up his left hand near Severus' back but he didn't dare touch it. He merely kept it there for support. "Easy does it, cub." _Put one foot flat on the ground and then push up._ He instructed the infant through their mental bond.

_Easy for __**him**__ to say._ A voice at the back of Sev's mind grumbled. _He already __**knows**__ how to walk!_

Ignoring the annoying grumbling, Severus bit his lip and followed Harry's instructions. He put his left foot flat on the ground and pushed up with his right knee, using Harry's arm to support him as he stood on one knee. A hushed cry swept through the room and Sev stiffened. Just as he was about to turn around to check if anybody was staring at him, Harry called his name.

"Sev!" The infant's head shot around to face him immediately. "Come on, cub. You can do it!"

"Mmmm!" Sev whimpered. He felt like he was being watched. In his nervousness, be put his mouth to Harry's sleeve and began chewing on the fabric.

"Come on. Push up, my boy. Easy does it."

The hairs on the back of Severus' neck stood on end and he lifted his head and began to turn around once more.

"Severus!" Harry called immediately. Sev turned to face him once again, wide-eyed and confused. "Come on! Do you want me to pull up my arm?"

"Mo!" Sev cried in indignation. He was supposed to do this on his own! By _himself_! "Me!"

"Okay! Okay, you." Harry nodded and signaled for him to continue.

Sev bit his lip. _Okay…last stretch._ Latching onto Harry's sleeve with an iron grip, Sev used all his muscle to haul himself up. He supported himself momentarily with Harry's arm until both his little feet lay flat on the floor.

An even louder cry swept through the room this time and Sev tried to turn once more to see who was staring at him. However, Ginny called his name and before he knew it, he was facing a camera and being told to smile. Severus grinned.

"There we are, sweetheart! Look at you!" Ginny smiled.

"You're standing, cub!" Harry praised, his smile just as bright at Ginny's.

A wave of excitement flowed through the infant and he began bouncing on his wobbly legs excitedly. "Ah! Ah! Ah!" He was standing! He was standing! He was standing on his own two feet once again!

"Yeah! Look at you!" Harry chuckled, moving his left hand just a little bit closer just in case.

"AH! AH! AH!" Sev giggled and grinned some more. A round of chuckles moved through the room but before Sev could properly investigate, Ginny called him back for another round of photographs. It was then that another idea hit Severus. He wanted to stand _alone_—by _himself_—_without_ Harry's help! Perhaps he should try that now.

_Whoa! Are you sure about that, cub?_

Sev turned and flashed Harry a pleading look. He wanted to do this! He _needed_ to do this! He needed to stand!

"Alright. Okay." Harry nodded and then opened his legs wider so that Sev wouldn't trip over his legs once he was standing on his own. "Easy does it, cub." Harry slowly moved his arm so that Severus was only holding onto his hand and he leaned forward slightly, ready to catch the child should he fall. "Gin, he's going to try standing on his own." He muttered over his shoulder.

"On his own?"

"By himself."

"Without you?"

"For just a second."

"Is that wise?"

"Me!" Sev cried, gripping Harry's thumb with a vengeance as he bounced on his wobbly legs and peered at Ginny with pleading eyes. "Me! Me! Peas!"

"Alright, sweetheart." Ginny agreed, getting the camera ready for another round of photographs. "Go ahead, baby. When you're ready."

_Easy does it, cub._ Harry instructed mentally.

Severus nodded. He was still wobbling back and forth on his feet and his knees felt like jelly, but he figured he could handle it well enough. _Perhaps if I spread by feet a little wider..._ Still hanging onto Harry's hands, Sev peered down at his sockless feet and spread them a little farther apart. First the left foot and then the right. He dug his toes into the soft living room carpet and pushed up against Harry's hand until he felt he felt his balance come back and his knees lock in place.

"You ready?" Harry asked softly.

"Uh-huh." The infant murmured, slightly unsure of himself.

"Alright, here we go." Harry moved his left hand to support Severus' back. "Let go of my hand right now…and then I'm going to support you between my hands…and then you can spread your arms for balance…and then I'll let go. Okay?"

Sev gulped and then nodded. Leaning back onto Harry's left hand, the infant released the teenager's hand and spread his arms to the side, moving them back and forth as he tried to find his balance. Harry, meanwhile, was sandwiching the infant between his two hands, but he wasn't holding on too tightly at all. He was merely supporting the infant as he found his balance once again. When Severus stopped wobbling, he took a second to catch his breath before peering at Harry curiously.

"I'm going to let go now, alright?" The teenager warned.

Sev bit his lip and then nodded. He watched Harry's hand as it slowly moved away from his body and the infant's eyes widened when he realized he was still standing up! He was _still_ standing up! He was _still __**STANDING **__**UP**__!!!_

This time, a loud cheer erupted through the room and Sev looked up this time to find everyone in the house staring at him! With a gasp, he turned in Harry and Ginny's direction.

"You're doing it!" Harry praised, a gigantic smile on his face. "You're doing it, cub! Look at you!"

"Smile, sweetheart!" Ginny said as she snapped a picture.

A myriad of emotions suddenly flashed through the infant's brain. The standing was making him nervous. Harry's praises filled him with pride. Ginny's doting made him blush and smile. The camera flashes were disorienting him. The loud claps and shouts were starting to scare him. The crowd of onlookers was making him self-conscious. All of a sudden, Harry's hand looked too far away. His knees felt like jelly once again. His toes were no longer touching the carpet!

"Whoa there, cub!" Harry's amused voice filled his ear and Sev opened his eyes to find himself wrapped securely in the teenager's arms once more, one arm against his chest and the other underneath his knees. "That was a good job!" He praised. "An excellent job!"

"He stood a whole three seconds, Harry." Remus added with a smile.

"I know!" Harry laughed, dropping a kiss onto the infant's head.

"He'll be walking in no time. Won't you, Severus?" Andromeda interjected next to Minerva.

"Teddy will too, Mrs. Tonks." Harry chuckled.

"Oh, Lord, when those two start walking together." Andromeda threw an evil grin in Minerva's direction.

"All I'm saying is that I had better not have two more Marauders terrorizing my house ten years from now." The old professor replied.

"Don't worry, Nana, you won't." Ginny assured her.

"Yeah, it'll be about _eleven_ years from now." Sirius muttered under his breath.

"What was that, Mr. Black?" Minerva shrieked.

"Yeah, what _was_ that, Mr. Black?" Ginny repeated, her eyes narrowing at the animagus.

Sirius threw a charming grin at both ladies and gave them a noncommittal shrug. "Nothing." He replied in a voice laced with mischief.

"You better not be talking about corrupting my son, Sirius." Remus growled, though there was no real anger in his voice.

"What corrupting? I don't corrupt!"

As the two old Marauders (plus Ginny) bickered about the ethics of corrupting impressionable young minds, a great white snowy owl came swooping out from the hearth to land softly upon the knee of Harry's outstretched leg. Severus giggled and began bouncing on his bum excitedly. "Heg—wee!" He squealed, immediately reaching out to touch the snowy owl on the chest.

"Slowly, cub. Don't scare her." Harry said, holding the infant back just slightly.

"Heg—wee!"

"Hedwig."

"Heg—wee!"

"Hello there, my feathery friend." As Severus occupied himself with petting the same spot on the owl's soft chest over and over again, Harry dug in his pockets for an owl treat and fed it to his familiar before untying the small, leather-bound packet of papers attached to her leg.

"Heg—wee!"

"What you got there, pup?" Sirius piped up, his earlier conversation immediately forgotten.

"I don't know." Harry frowned at the odd-looking leather-bound packet, inspecting it for any sort of label or seal—anything to tell him who the package was from.

"Perhaps you should run a diagnostic on it, first thing, Harry." Remus suggested.

The teen nodded and with the passing of a finger did just that. "It's clean." He declared.

"Heg—wee!"

As Harry passed his finger over the spot where the laces came out of the leather, he felt a slight bump where one shouldn't have been. Bringing the spot closer to his eye for further inspection, Harry found, to his delight, a tiny familiar seal etched into the leather. "It's from the Ministry!" He announced, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

A loud gasp resounded from behind him and before Harry knew it, his girlfriend's arms here wrapped around his neck from behind and her head rested on his shoulder. "Well go on! Open it!"

"Heg—wee!"

With jittery fingers, Harry did just that—untying the laces and unfolding the heavy flap of bound paper. He was so nervous, he couldn't think straight. What if he said something wrong during the interview they gave him last week? What if they found him unfit to be Severus' legal guardian? What would happen to the infant then? What if they didn't approve of the way he was parenting the child? What if they wanted to take Severus away from him?!

Harry's heart clenched and his palms began to sweat as he gulped, took a deep breath, and lifted the flap open.

_Dear Mr. Potter…_

Harry's heartbeat was pounding in his ears. The words on the page started to blur. He scanned the document quickly, looking for the five words he wanted to see the most—the five words that would spell out everything he needed to know.

…_guardianship has been approved. Congratulations!_

"_**YES**_!!!" Harry whooped joyously, raising his arms up in celebration. Ginny's exultant laugh immediately began ringing in his ear.

"What?" "What is it?!" "What's happened?!"

Harry leaned back against the sofa and lowered his raised arms so that they were wrapped around his girlfriend's neck. She in turn tightened her arms around his and the two then shared a short, ecstatic kiss.

"Heg—wee!"

"Harry!" Sirius called, his tone laced with impatience. "What does it say?!"

"I'm approved!" Harry replied, grinning at his godfather like a mad idiot. "They approved my guardianship! I'm—"

"Heg—wee!"

All of a sudden, Harry turned to the one person in the room he wanted to share the news with the most. "Hey! Hey, Sev!"

The infant peered up at him curiously. "Heg—wee?"

"No." Harry chuckled, lifting Severus off the floor and settling him on his other knee. "No, no, no, forget about Hedwig for a second, cub."

"Guess what, darling." Ginny said, tears glistening in her eyes.

"Look at this, cub." Harry flipped open the guardianship papers and held them out for Severus to read.

The infant frowned in confusion and leaned in to squint at the tiny writing on the page. He didn't get it. Was this story time? Already?! Sev didn't even remember having a bath yet! Harry wanted to read him a book already?

_Fine by me. _A voice at the back of his mind croaked.

Pointing at the packet of papers, Severus turned his confused frown up at Harry. "Stawy?"

A snort resounded from somewhere in the room, followed by a loud slap and an 'Ow!' "No, no, no, cub—they're…_guardianship_ papers." He replied, the corners of his mouth twitching from holding his smile for so long.

Guardianship papers? Sev frowned. That didn't sound like an interesting story. Harry was losing his touch. "Wead, den!" He cried, pointing at the leather-bound packet and bouncing on Harry's lap impatiently.

"I—" Harry began chuckling nervously. "Er…" He looked down at the packet of papers and began to read the cover letter. "Dear Mr. Potter, We are pleased to inform you that your request for guardianship has been approved—"

"Mo, mo, mo!" Sev interrupted him, shaking his head with a frown. "Stawy!"

Once again there was a snort and Sev glanced over in time to see Ginny cuff Sirius on the shoulder. "Pup, if the cub wants a story, you've got to give him a story!" The animagus said between chuckles. "Ministry letters are far too dry for people with our mental prowess and imagination to understand."

"You're such a child, Padfoot!" Hermione rebuked beneath her breath.

But his godfather's suggestion had given Harry an idea. "Okay…" He nodded, readjusting Severus on his knee so that they were in the position they usually resumed during story time. "Let's see…what's this story about, eh?" Harry completely unrolled the packet of letters and held it out in front of Severus as if it was a book he was about to read. As per story time tradition, Severus stared down at the page with the thumb of his left hand in his mouth and the fingers of his right hand on the corner of the page, getting ready to turn should Harry give him the word. After clearing his throat, Harry began to "read":

"_Once upon a time, there was a brave and valiant knight—a dark knight, if you will. This dark knight's name was Severus Snape._"

"Me!" Sev cried excitedly, pointing to his little chest with a smile.

"You. Exactly." Harry nodded.

"_Now…although Severus Snape was a brave man, he was also a very sad man who had lived a sad life._"

"Uh-huh." Sev agreed with a solemn nod.

"_So one day Sir Snape decided to restart his life. He decided that he didn't want to be an adult anymore and so he drank a potion that turned him into a baby."_

"Me Me!" Sev squeaked happily, pointing to his chest and bouncing up and down in excitement.

"You You." Harry nodded with a chuckle.

"_And then later that day, the King of the castle—King Dumbledore, AKA Mr. Albus—came into Sir Severus' rooms and found a tiny infant lying on the floor, not a single sign of the room's original occupant in sight. It was as if his dark knight had vanished, and in his stead was this precious little five-month-old gift from God. Now…King Dumbledore wasn't a king for nothing. He was a very smart man! He knew exactly who this precious gift from God really was."_

"Me!"

"_It was Severus._" Harry nodded, dropping a kiss onto the infant's soft hair. "_It was his dark knight, only in miniature form. Now…King Dumbledore knew that he was much too old and much too busy to be able to raise a child properly. Thus, he carried the child through the castle and brought him to the quarters of one of his younger knights—Sir Henry and his wife, Lady…_" Harry glanced at his girlfriend and her eyes narrowed at him, daring him to say her full name out loud. "…_Ginny._" Harry smirked. "_And the moment Sir Henry and Lady Ginny laid their eyes on this precious little bundle of joy, they knew they could never turn him down._"

"Uh-uh." Severus shook his head lazily.

"_No. So they took him in. They introduced him to the family and gave him everything he needed—love and affection, most especially. And then one day, Sir Henry and Lady Ginny decided that they wanted to make sure that no one could take Baby Severus away from them ever again._"

"Ebew, ebew?" Sev peered up at Harry curiously.

"_Ever, ever, as-long-as-they-still-breathed ever._" The teen nodded. "_And so they went to the…_" Harry exchanged a look with Ginny and she shrugged. "…_King of all the __**land**__—King Shacklebolt—and they asked him if he could make that happen. They asked him if he could help them make sure that Baby Severus was never taken away from them ever again._"

"Wha happ?" The infant asked, hanging off the edge of his seat.

"_Well, the king agreed and…he…assigned one of his...court members to take care of Sir Henry's case. And so the court member talked to Sir Henry and Lady Ginny and then went off to discuss matters with King Shacklebolt. Then one day, while Sir Henry and Lady Ginny and Baby Severus were sitting in their living room, along with the rest of their family, King Shacklebolt arrived at their doorstep. And everyone bowed and greeted him properly and such and such and __**then**__…King Shacklebolt gave Sir Henry and Lady Ginny the best news they ever heard in their lives: their request for guardianship had been approved._" Harry smiled.

"Wha meam?" Sev asked, a bit confused.

"Well…turn the page, please." Sev squealed in delight and slowly turned the page he had been holding for the past few minutes. More tiny writing met his eyes. "It means that Sir Henry and Lady Ginny now have full custody of Baby Severus. That they have the responsibility—which they accepted with pride—to love him and care for him and to keep him safe and happy for as long as they both shall live. And that now it would be pretty darn hard for anyone to take him away from them. If such a thing should happen, it means that Sir Henry and Lady Ginny have the right to hunt said kidnapper down, reclaim their child, and ruin said kidnapper's life."

"Hear, hear!" Sirius exclaimed with a smirk.

"It also means that should anything happen to Sir Henry and Lady Ginny, another one of King Dumbledore's knights—Sir Remus—would then have full guardianship of Baby Severus."

"Moomy." Sev murmured around his thumb, leaning back onto Harry's chest, his eyes closed.

"And that's because Sir Henry trusts Sir Remus with the most precious thing in his world." Harry leaned down to plant a kiss on the child's head. "And if anything should happen to Sir Remus, Sir Sirius would have the honor of loving and caring for Baby Severus…" Harry smirked and peered at his godfather from the corner of his eye. The animagus looked rather uncomfortable. Harry grinned internally. "And after him, Molly and Arthur Weasley would have that honor, etc, etc."

Sev snuggled into Harry's robes, shifting to find a more comfortable position before settling down. He looked to be on the verge of sleep. "Wha meam?" He murmured once again, his words slurred through the thumb in his mouth.

"It means, cub," Harry started, lowering his voice to a hypnotic murmur, "that in the eyes of the law, you are our son in all but name."

And just like magic, a smile blossomed on the face of the half-sleeping babe. "Happeh…stawy…"

Harry tipped his head back and smiled at his girlfriend over his shoulder. "Very happy story, sweetheart." She replied, leaning over her boyfriend's shoulder to plant a kiss atop the infant's head. "Very, _very_ happy."

Soon enough, whispers of congratulations and well wishes floated about his head, stealing away the infant's consciousness and lowering him into the waiting arms of sleep.

* * *

**Yay for the guardianship! But will it be enough? ;-) **

**Next, the school year has finally come upon them! Severus learns of a few unexpected arrangements, the students react during the Welcome Feast, and an incident on the first day of class puts the school motto in perspective.**

**Hey all! I'm sorry I haven't posted in a few days. I have another lab report due in...four days, so...yeah. Been busy writing programs instead of Harry Potter. Oh well. Thanks SO MUCH for all the wonderful REVIEWs I got last chapter! There were a lot of them and for that I'm very grateful! It's always good to know one's readers are out there. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and please don't be shy to let me know what you all think! :-)**


	31. Never Tickle a Sleeping Dragon

"Ginny! Have you got all your socks?!" Molly screeched from the bottom of the stairs.

"Mum! You _do_ know you can just floo anything I forget over to Harry, don't you?" Ginny screamed down the stairs in reply.

"I know, dear! Just…_check_, would you please?"

Ginny rolled her eyes and sighed as she re-entered her room. "You know, sometimes I think everything I tell that woman just goes in one ear and out the other." She told the man seated on her bed.

Harry snorted. "I'm sure she thinks the same thing about you, love." Sev giggled on his lap. Harry smiled down at him, sharing the joke.

"Yes, well…" Ginny wrapped her charms bracelet around her wrist before placing the book under her arm into her waiting trunk. "Have you spoken to him yet, Harry?" She asked, gesturing towards Severus.

"No, I wanted to wait for you so we could both discuss it with him." Harry replied.

Severus peered up at him curiously. They were talking about _him_, weren't they? His confused gaze shifted between them.

"Well now is as good a time as any, wouldn't you say?"

"Ready when you are, love."

Ginny placed one last jacket into her trunk and then took a seat next them on her bed. Harry and Sev shifted around so that they were sitting cross-legged, facing her. "Sev, there's something Harry and I want to talk to you about regarding this coming school year."

Hmmm. Ginny sounded a bit nervous to Severus' ears. Why was that? What did this have to do with him? What did she and Harry want to talk to him about? The infant bit his lip. What if she says she's not going to be able to see him until wintertime? What if they say they're going to have to leave him here with the mother hen downstairs while they went off to teach/attend Hogwarts? Sev didn't want that! Sure, staying at Mrs. Weasley's house was fine in moderation but there was _no way_ Sev wanted to stay here in excess of a day!

"You're going to have to stay hidden, cub." Harry said.

Stay hidden? Sev furrowed his eyebrows and glanced up at Harry worriedly. Stay hidden? What was _that_ supposed to mean?! Did that mean that they _were_ going to make him stay here in Mrs. Weasley's house all day forever and ever?

"Harry and I just want to keep you hidden away from the student body." Ginny said. "At least for the time being."

"Wha meam?!" Severus squeaked, on the verge of a panic attack. He didn't want to stay here in Mrs. Weasley's house forever and ever and ever! That was going to be pure _torture_!

"Calm down, cub." Harry said, rubbing the infant's chest with his thumb. "All it means is that Ginny and I are going to have to leave you with sitters from time to time."

_NO!!!_ Sev reacted immediately, shaking his head vigorously from side to side. "MO!!! Mo wike! _Mo wike_! _**Mo wike**_!!!"

"Sweetheart, _calm down_!" Ginny cried in a calming voice, laying herself down on her stomach in order to bring herself face to face with the panicky infant. "What's wrong?"

"Mo Misss Wewe!" Sev cried, pointing at the door in emphasis.

"Mrs. Weasley?" Harry raised an eyebrow.

"What's wrong with my mother?" Ginny looked slightly offended.

"Sev, look…" Harry shifted the infant so that he was sitting on one of his knees and able to look at the both of them equally well. "There's nothing wrong with Mrs. Weasley, and occasionally we're going to have to leave you with her, but for the time being, Tonks is still on maternity leave and you can stay with her and Andromeda while I go off to teach during the day." Harry explained.

"Sev, there's nothing wrong with my mother. You just have to get used to her a bit more." Ginny added, no longer offended by Severus' reaction.

"You'll have that opportunity tonight, in fact." Harry continued. "Tonks and Teddy are going to be with Remus at the Welcome Feast this evening, and I'm not quite comfortable enough to leave you with Andromeda alone without Tonks there, so Mrs. Weasley will be coming over tonight for just a few hours to keep you company until the feast is over."

No Welcome Feast? Severus didn't get to go to the Welcome Feast? And _Teddy_ got to go to the Welcome Feast?! That wasn't fair!!! "Wamp come!" Sev replied, a bit of a whine escaping in his agitation. "Wamp come! Wamp come!"

"We know you want to come, baby, and we're sorry you have to miss it—" Ginny started sympathetically.

"But we just don't want anyone outside of a trusted group of people to see you just yet." Harry finished.

But it still wasn't fair! Teddy got to go with Remus and Sev didn't get to go with Harry?! "Whay mo?!" Sev bit his lip. He could feel tears forming in his eyes.

"Because it's _dangerous_, cub." Harry replied as gently as he could. "I have lots of enemies out there. Tonight is going to be quite a charged night."

"Lots of people are going to be watching Harry tonight, sweetheart." Ginny explained.

"People who want me dead." Harry continued. "Ginny herself is in a lot of danger as well."

"We're afraid that if they see you, they're going to set their sights on you."

"Try to kidnap you."

"In order to lure Harry to them."

"Or force my compliance."

"And there's nothing either of us wouldn't do for you, baby."

"Do you understand, cub?"

Sev bit his lip once again. He _did_ understand, yes. But did he want to admit it? No. _But I wanna go eat with Teddy!_ Sev sniffed and swiped at his rapidly moistening eyes. "Mo fe-ew!" He whined, peering at the two of them through a wall of tears. He was looking forward to the Welcome Feast! He wanted to ride on Harry's shoulders and tell Teddy everything about the school and the traditions and the four houses. He wanted to beg Harry for the chocolate pudding that the house elves made—they always served the best kind during the Welcome Feast—and he wanted to wave at Ginny once she walked into the door. He wanted to do all of that! Now they were telling him he had to stay in their quarters?! Like he was grounded or something?! "_Mo_ _fe-ew_!" Soon enough, the tears that had been building up began to trickle downward.

Ginny looked heartbroken. "I know it's not fair, honey. I know it's not."

"Mo fe-ew!" Severus grabbed onto Harry's robes and screamed out the injustices into the fabric. He felt Ginny begin to rub his back soothingly.

"Severus, you have to understand, though, that you are the most important thing in our world!" Harry interjected, running his fingers through the infant's soft baby hair. "We're doing this to keep you safe."

_Safe?!_ Severus pushed up against Harry's chest and sent the teen his most pitiful look, "But Teddy go wi Moomy!"

"That's because he's not in as much danger as _you_ are, cub!" Harry replied, "Not as many people hate Remus as they hate me."

"But Teddy go wi Moomy!" The infant cried louder.

Harry sighed and exchanged a glance with his girlfriend. "He's fixating on Teddy."

"Told you you shouldn't have mentioned it." She murmured in reply. "He's not going to let it go."

"Alright, how about this?" Harry said, an idea blossoming in his head. "How about I talk to Remus when we get back to our quarters later? I'm sure Teddy won't mind missing the feast tonight. Why don't the both of you stay in and keep Nana Molly company, huh?" The teenager exchanged a look with his girlfriend. _That might work._ He sent her through their mental link.

Sure enough, Severus' tears slowly upgraded into sniffles. "Teddy mo go Moomy?" He asked hopefully. He didn't mind putting up with Mrs. Weasley, as long as Teddy was there to keep him company.

Harry's mouth twisted in uncertainty. "We'll see what Moomy says." He replied vaguely. "But one thing's for sure—whether or not Teddy stays in with you, you're staying with Nana Molly tonight in our quarters." He added with a bit of edge in his tone.

"But—"

"This is _non_negotiable, Severus!" Harry spoke over him, adopting a firm look on his face. The teenager found that the infant was more inclined to listen to him without complaint when he spoke with that particular voice and wore that particular look.

Sure enough, Sev's shoulders sagged and behind the tear tracks, a resigned scowl formed on his face. His eyes still looked hopeful, though, and that simple fact made Harry smile—just a bit. "I'll also bring back a week's worth of chocolate pudding for you from the feast. I know you were looking forward to it."

Sev gasped and just like magic, a grin blossomed on his face. "Ocowet!"

"There we go!" Ginny smiled and caught the wink Harry sent her way. "That's what I like hearing."

"So are you going to be a good boy and keep Nana Molly company for dinner?" Harry asked, an eyebrow raised and a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

Sev tipped his head to the side in question, "Ocowet?"

"Answer the question first." Harry sang, elbowing the infant on the arm playfully.

"Yes, sew." Sev replied with a shy smile.

"Then ye shall have chocolate pudding for dessert!" Harry declared.

Severus squealed in delight and launched himself towards Harry, hugging him as best he could.

Behind him, Ginny chuckled as she pushed herself off the bed to resume packing. "Oh, if only he stays this easy to negotiate with ten years from now."

"You're dreaming, darling." Molly answered from where she leaned against the doorframe. Ginny glanced at her and smiled. "Once all of you hit your terrible twos, it became near impossible to negotiate anything with any of you." She added with a smirk. "And it just got harder the older you got. Enjoy this while it lasts, my dear!" She laughed, waving a finger at her chuckling daughter as she walked back out the door. "Because it's all downhill from here!"

"Whatever you say, Mother." Ginny rolled her eyes as she tossed a pair of socks into her trunk.

"Hurry up, dear! Or you'll miss the train!"

_**

* * *

**_

"So we'll see you at school, yes?"

"Immy!" Severus whined, reaching for her from around Harry's arm.

"I have to go to King's Cross now, love, or I'll miss the train." Ginny took his baby face between her hands and gave him a big kiss on the cheek. The poor infant looked to be on the verge of tears. "I'll see you in school, my darling."

"Mo IMMY!"

"Come on, cub." Harry said, stepping back and trying to pull the infant back against his chest. "You'll see her in a few hours—after the Feast! She'll be the one to bring you your chocolate pudding."

"I'll visit you tonight before curfew." Ginny nodded. "Just a few hours, my love—that's all."

"Mmmm!" Sev whined and stuck his thumb in his mouth, leaning against Harry and peering at Ginny with sad, sad eyes.

"I love you, baby." She gave him one more big kiss on the cheek before turning to face her boyfriend. "Okay! So…I promise to restrain myself in class."

"I promise to be fair." Harry nodded, making his own promises along with hers.

"I promise not to pummel the Slytherins."

Harry snorted. "I promise not to take points away from them unfairly."

"I promise to visit every night before curfew."

"I promise not to distract you from your studies too much."

"I promise I'll still love you by the end of this school year..." Ginny gave him a cocky half-smile and tilted her head casually, "…possibly forever."

Harry chuckled. "And I promise to still love _you_ by the end of this school year…" He imitated Ginny's move, "…_definitely_ forever."

Ginny laughed and wrapped her arms around her boyfriend's neck, pulling him and infant close to her heart. "Definitely forever, then." She whispered in return before reaching up on her tiptoes to give him a long, passionate kiss.

"Mmmm! STOP!" Sev whined loudly, wiggling between them like a trapped little puppy. "Ewwwwwww! STOP!"

Both Harry and Ginny pulled away with a laugh. Then all of a sudden, the both of them leaned in to give Sev a kiss on opposite cheeks.

"MO!" The infant squealed, wiggling even more frantically. "Ewwwwww!" Sev could feel his cheeks burn up. He could swear his whole face was on fire!

"Alright! That's enough mushy stuff." Ginny giggled. "I'll see you tonight, love." And with that, she slung her satchel over her shoulder and walked towards her waiting parents and their flying car. "I'll see you in a few hours, baby!"

Severus stuck his thumb in his mouth and leaned back against Harry, watching Ginny walk away from the corner of his eye.

So this was it. The school year was upon them. Ginny wouldn't be able to spend every waking moment with him. Harry wouldn't be able to spend every waking moment with him. Now he had to spend a lot of his time keeping those sitter people company. He didn't get it! Why couldn't the stupid sitters keep themselves company! He wanted to go keep Harry and Ginny company! Why couldn't Harry just take him to class with him? Why couldn't Ginny just take him to class with him? Why did he have to stay hidden all the time? Harry didn't make enough sense to him when he explained it to him this morning. So what if Harry had a lot of enemies! The Pope had lots of enemies. Sev never saw _him_ keeping his kids hidden away forever and ever!

_The Pope doesn't have any kids, you idiot!_ The voice at the back of his mind spat at him. Sev scowled at it. _That's beside the point!_ He retorted in the same manner.

All of a sudden, Harry lurched and Sev's grip on his robes tightened. Yet the teen merely sighed as he headed back into the empty Burrow. "Stop arguing with yourself, Sev. You're staying hidden because I said so. That's the end of that discussion."

"Mo wike!"

"I _know_ you don't like it, but your safety is my number one priority, cub." The teen answered as he headed towards the floo. "As long as you're safe, we can find a way to be happy."

_That's a laugh._ Severus scowled. He much preferred happiness and freedom over safety and he knew for a _fact_ that Harry did also. Safety sometimes went hand-in-hand with complaisance. If people did things that always made them feel safe, chances were the more a leader imposed their will upon them, the more they were willing to comply to the leader's will if it meant their continued safety. Leaders could slowly take people's rights away and, as long as the people remain complaisant, democracies could turn into dictatorships long before anybody realizes the shift. Severus knew for a _fact_ that the Harry of three months ago was very wary of the safety-complaisance duo (having brought down Voldemort's dictatorship) and much preferred questioning authority, being non-compliant, and shaking up the system in general if it meant continued happiness and freedom.

Now Severus himself much preferred happiness and freedom over safety—a direct opposition to his initial preference back when he was an adult. His last lifetime taught him that happiness and freedom ruled over complaisance and safety and now that he was starting his life over, never again was he going to let concern for his safety hinder his quest for happiness. The question of the hour was: Why did Harry now prefer Severus' safety over Severus' happiness?

"Because Severus is not the one making the decision." Harry replied, peering at the infant with a raised eyebrow.

Severus scowled at him. "Stop go my hed!" He snapped, pointing a tiny finger at his head in emphasis.

"I'm not going in your head, cub. You're broadcasting." The teenager replied, taking a handful of floo powder from his pocket and throwing it onto the hearth. "I can hear your thoughts like they were coming from a radio. I must commend you—your ability to work with the magical bond is improving by leaps and bounds, and you are correct: normally, I would prefer happiness over personal safety. However…" He peered at the infant over the rim of his glasses, "…when it comes to _you_, I much rather you be safe and sound before anything else. And as to why that is, I have no explanation _except_…" Harry lowered his voice significantly as if he was imparting a great secret to Severus, "…to say that one day when you have children, you'll know why as well."

Severus gazed at Harry quizzically, but the teenager offered no further explanation. He merely gave Severus a quick peck on the temple before lifting the excess sling fabric off his shoulder and signaling him to dive inside as they were about to floo back to Hogwarts. As Sev did as he bid and allowed himself to be wrapped up as tightly as possible, his thoughts turned back to what Harry had just said, trying to figure out exactly what his guardian meant by that.

_**

* * *

**_

"You ready, Harry?" Remus asked as they made their way towards the staff table in the as yet empty Great Hall. Behind them, the voices of a thousand excited students echoed into the room from the hallway just beyond the doors.

Harry wiped his sweaty palms against his nice new robes, under the pretense of smoothing them out, and sent Remus a shaky half-smile. "Er…" He glanced nervously at the echoing doors before turning back to face the werewolf. This time, the smile he sent him was full and relaxed, "Not really." He laughed.

"Me neither." The werewolf agreed, releasing a sigh of relief before laughing next to his best friend.

"From this point on, whatever happens, happens, right?"

"Tomorrow's going to be the hardest day ever." Remus nodded with a smirk.

"We've lived through worse." Harry shrugged.

Remus tilted his head in indifference, "True…but it was a different kind of worse."

"Oh, will the pair of you stop whining!" McGonagall chided them both as she shooed them into their seats. "Each of you has taught different types of Defense classes before. You'll both be fine. Now come along!" She turned back to the long roll of parchment in her hands and double-checked her list for what might have been the thousandth time that day. "Albus!"

"I'm here, Minerva." Dumbledore answered distractedly, eyeing a bowl of licorice snaps near his right hand, the fingers of which twitched randomly every now and then.

"Very well. Doors!" McGonagall clapped her hands twice and the two main doors of the Great Hall swung open just in time to allow the frontrunners of the crowd of students to enter the big room. Harry and Remus glanced at each other nervously. This was it—crunch time. How would the students react to them?

It took a few minutes, but eventually all the second through seventh years trickled in through the doors and found their seats next to their housemates at each of the four tables. Harry spotted Ginny with Hermione halfway through and discreetly waved at them from his seat at the professors' table. He pointed them out to Remus so that he could greet them as well. The pair smiled at them and Ginny locked eyes with Harry, assuring him through their bond that they both had a safe train ride, before turning back to her other friends and welcoming them back.

"Severus sure is taking the babysitting thing rather well." Remus commented in an effort to start a conversation with the fidgety Harry.

"Oh, Ginny and I were rather careful to not say 'babysitter' around him." Harry replied with a smirk. "We just called them 'sitters.'" He nodded. "And we were very careful to note that _he_ was the one that was going to be keeping them company and not the other way around."

Remus chuckled at that. "But I take it he still didn't like having to miss the Welcome Feast."

"Hence, me asking you if Teddy could stay with him and Mrs. Weasley tonight." Harry shrugged. It was then that he noticed a presence missing from the table. "Where's Dora, by the way?"

"Oh, she's staying in with Teddy and 'Dromeda tonight. She didn't feel like coming to the Welcome Feast and everything."

"A bit shy?" Harry raised an eyebrow.

"Hard to believe, but yes." Remus nodded with a laugh. "She'll probably make her appearance some other time and such."

"They're all probably down in my quarters now." Harry surmised with a shrug. "Or yours. Eating dinner, having fun." He then remembered something. "Padfoot's here."

"Padfoot's _always_ here." Remus rolled his eyes. "I don't think he really wants to live in Grimmauld Place anymore."

"Can't really blame him."

"No." Remus agreed. "He's practically taken up residence in your quarters."

"I know." Harry smirked. "Ginny kept pushing him to just claim one of the bedrooms upstairs. She got sick of having to clean the dog hair off the edge of the bed. It took him all _month_ to finally settle in."

"So he's actually settled in?" Remus chuckled.

"He has more clothes in my quarters than he does in the whole of Grimmauld place!" Harry rolled his eyes. "We're going to have to add a bedroom for him at the Den."

"You're not his keeper, Harry. You know that, right?" Remus raised an eyebrow at him.

"I don't mind." The teenager replied with a genuinely indifferent shrug. "It's actually kind of nice, having him around."

"Hello! And welcome, welcome, welcome everyone to a new school year here at our beloved Hogwarts!" Dumbledore's voice boomed from the podium, startling everyone in the room into silence. "As you can see, it's still in one piece!" He joked, his eyes twinkling in delight. A few people chuckled at the jest. "Yes, all your professors and I, along with the help of a few volunteers, spent the better part of two months working to piece it back together after that harrowing battle that took place in here last May. Indeed, for those of you who were not present, you are sitting in the very room in which Voldemort met his ultimate fate." And with that, a flurry of whispers and murmurs circulated about the room.

Harry exchanged a glance with Remus.

"And those of you brave souls who _were_ here during this castle's darkest hour, who stayed behind to fight next to all of us…I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you and salute you for your courage…" the old man's eyes then turned towards the heavens and his voice lowered to a respectful murmur, "…and to those no longer with us…your sacrifice."

He then took a minute to bow his head and, amazingly, most of the rest of the school followed his example.

It was a full two minutes before the old professor spoke again, and when he did, his voice sounded heavy and he had to clear his throat a few times before he could speak clearly once more. "I'd like to take this opportunity to announce that we're setting up a memorial, to be completed by the end of this calendar year, for those who lost their lives here last May. Should anyone wish to make a suggestion or write some kind words regarding the deceased, you may do so and pass your letters and suggestions onto your professors who will then forward them to me."

Dumbledore then cleared his throat one more time before getting down to business. "Now…on to cheerier subjects, shall we? To all the First Years, congratulations on making it into each of your houses." A round of applause, cheers and whistles erupted around the room. "We're glad to have each and every one of you! Now…I have a few announcements! First of all, we have two new professors joining the staff this coming school year, as you can see." And the moment Dumbledore closed his mouth, a thunderous cheer erupted among the crowd. The Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables, as well as a handful of the younger Slytherin students, swept onto their feet and gave the two new professors a standing ovation before Dumbledore could even say their names.

Harry and Remus exchanged a smile and a small sigh of relief. Both men could feel blushes creeping onto their faces.

_Look at the two Mr. Populars!_ Ginny teased Harry through their mental link. The teen somehow locked eyes with his girlfriend through the crowd of people and narrowed his eyes at her playfully.

It took a minute, but Dumbledore was able to calm everyone down enough to get them back in their seats and make them stop clapping. "Now! Ahem! As I was saying…we have two new professors this year—AH!" He held up a warning finger when it looked like the crowd was about to erupt into yet another round of applause. "We have two new professors this year and they will _both_ be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts. Professor Harry Potter—" And that was all he was able to get out before another loud cheer and standing ovation swept through the room. This time, Dumbledore merely sighed and rode out the wave of applause until they calmed down once more. He then cleared his throat and tried to begin again. "Professor Harry Potter will be teaching Defense on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, while Professor Remus Lupin—" And once again, a thundering applause swept through the room. Those older students who remembered Lupin from his teaching days at Hogwarts swept to their feet and gave him two-thumbs-up and signs of well wishes and greeting as they clapped.

Remus blushed and returned the waves that were being sent his way. He honestly didn't expect this kind of response. Harry merely laughed and clasped him supportively on the shoulder.

"Ahem!" Dumbledore tried to return their attention onto him, "Professor Remus Lupin has agreed to resume his post as Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher and _he_ will be teaching Defense on Thursdays and Fridays while Professor Potter is off completing his Auror training. Now pay close attention—this arrangement will only last for the next three years. After such, Professor Potter will move on to join the Auror department full-time and Professor Lupin will then be teaching all of you full-time himself. Thus…the younger years will be wise to get to know Professor Lupin quite well this coming school year. Congratulations Professors Lupin and Potter!" This time, the crowd had enough of standing ovations and they merely offered loud claps and occasional cat calls and whistles.

"Not much response from the Slytherin table." Remus whispered in Harry's ear.

"Did you really expect some?" Harry snorted. "A few of the younger years aren't so against us." He pointed out.

"That's a welcome relief."

"But it's the older ones that we have to watch out for." Harry shrugged.

"Yeah…" Remus grimaced. "Not really fair, that." The two exchanged a look and laughed.

"Now enjoy the feast!" They heard Dumbledore exclaim before platters of bowls of delicious food suddenly appeared on the table.

Normally, Harry would have dug straight into the food before him, and he was certainly hungry enough right now to do so. However, the teen couldn't find it in himself to dig in so fervently this time around, and he merely stared at the cuisine for a long enough time that Remus had to nudge him with his elbow to get him to stop his staring contest with the chopped liver.

"Hey! Are you alright, Harry?" His friend asked in concern.

"Huh?" It was then that the teen realized he had yet to fill his plate with food, whereas everyone else around him was partially done with their meal. "Oh! Oh, yeah. Sorry." Harry served himself some liver and peas, filling the sides of his dish with mashed potatoes and carrots. He arranged his napkin on his lap and picked up his knife and fork, ready to dig into the meal before him…when the sight of a single pea gave him pause.

The little green round thing had rolled off his plate and was sitting there, atop the white table cloth, like a green prisoner escaped from its culinary prison. Harry was instantly reminded of three months ago, when Severus had asserted his independence for a bit and began eating off his plate while he, Harry, was distracted by conversation. The teen had turned back around to find peas, carrots, mashed potatoes, and steak smothered all over the place. He remembered being not quite pleased with the sight at the time. Now, however, he recalled the moment with fondness and nostalgia.

"Harry!" Remus nudged him with his elbow once again.

"Huh?" Harry turned to face him, a bit disoriented.

"Are you alright?" The werewolf asked in concern.

"Yeah, sorry, I…" Harry picked up his fork but merely sighed at his food. He didn't feel that hungry anymore.

"Missing Little Henry?" Remus raised a knowing eyebrow.

Harry's eyebrows furrowed. "It's kind of weird." He confessed, slightly nervous as to what this all said about him.

"Don't worry." Remus clasped him on the shoulder supportively. "It's perfectly normal."

"Is it?"

"Dora and I felt that way on our first date night a few months ago." Remus nodded with a smile. "Neither of us ended up eating very much. We just wanted to rush home to Teddy as quickly as possible."

"Oh…" Harry smiled lamely and sighed in relief. "So it's normal?"

"Perfectly! Don't worry."

All of a sudden, Harry felt a familiar paw bat him on the leg playfully at about the same time Remus felt a tail wag against his leg. Both men looked up simultaneously and exchanged a wary glance. Ever so slowly, the both of them slouched slightly in their chairs and proceeded to push away the tablecloth in the area between their seats to see just what was down there. Sure enough, a familiar black dog panted up at them playfully.

"Professor Lupin!"

Both Harry and Remus pulled the tablecloth back down so quickly, the dining ware across the length of the table all shifted in their direction. This, in turn, called the rest of the table's attention towards them.

Remus cleared his throat nervously. "Yes, Professor McGonagall?"

"Where is Nymphadora tonight?"

"Oh, uh…she didn't want to impose on us—it being the Welcoming Feast and all." He chuckled shakily, "She's down in our quarters having dinner with her mother and Teddy…and uh…Little Henry and Molly."

"Oh! Molly's here tonight." McGonagall told Dumbledore conversationally.

The Headmaster raised a knowing eyebrow at both Remus and Harry. "What are you boys hiding under the table?" He asked shrewdly, his eyes shining with laughter.

"Nothing!" They replied simultaneously, drawing strange looks from all the other professors around them.

"Oh, then it would be Nothing's tail that's wagging out for the rest of the school to see, then?" He added with a smile, pointing to the very-visible black tail wagging at the side of the table opposite Harry and Remus.

Harry inhaled sharply and dove his head under the table. "Sirius!" He hissed. "Your tail!"

There was a small whine and when Dumbledore glanced over once again, the tail was gone. "Ah…" he chuckled to himself, "…now it truly is nothing, isn't it?" And with a final laugh, he turned back to his meal.

"Would you boys _kindly_ tell Mr. Black to either join the table in human form or go back to your quarters, please?" McGonagall said sharply.

"Yes, Ma'am." Harry nodded. "Er…" When the teenager glanced back, he found Remus feeding Padfoot a piece of chopped liver.

"Moony!" The teen rolled his eyes.

Remus glanced up at him guiltily and shrugged. "He looked hungry."

_Boy, you guys are good entertainment!_ Ginny sent Harry through their mental link. The teen looked up and glanced in her direction. There, she, Hermione, Dean, and a group of other friends that Harry knew were all looking his way and laughing. Apparently they knew _exactly_ what was going on.

"Thanks a lot, Padfoot." Harry muttered at his godfather.

_WOOF!_ The dog's bark startled half the students in the Great Hall, making both Harry and Remus jump in surprise and causing the other half of the student body—the ones who knew what was going on—to dissolve into hysterical laughter.

"Not a bad way to start off a school year, eh, Harry?" Dumbledore said to him with a wink.

_Not bad._ The teen agreed with a shrug.

_**

* * *

**_

"And then I turn around and _Remus_ is feeding him a piece of chopped liver." Harry chuckled, making the infant on his lap dissolve into a round of giggles.

"What can I say? The man is psychic sometimes." Sirius shrugged. Harry lobbed a throw pillow at his head, causing Severus to break into laughter once more.

"You know, in a muggle school you'd be labeled the 'Class Clown'." Harry remarked.

"I accept the award with pride!"

"Of course you do." The teen rolled his eyes and smirked.

"Did he behave for you, mum?" Ginny asked her mother, who was sitting on one of their chairs, reading the latest issue of _Witch Weekly_.

"Oh, he was an angel!" Molly replied, a happy smile on her face. "They both were, actually. Severus allowed me to hold him for the first time—without complaint! It was the highlight of my day." She said, genuinely happy that the child she practically considered her grandson had finally allowed her to hold him.

"Well, would you look at that!" Harry grinned at the infant in his arms. "See? Told you it just takes some getting used to!" He planted a kiss atop the child's head.

Severus grinned. "Mah-mah Mawee!" He said, pointing in the Weasley matriarch's direction.

A loud gasp echoed throughout the room. Harry and Ginny turned just in time to see Molly drop her magazine completely and widen her eyes at the seven-month-old infant. A large grin began tugging at the corners of her lips. "Did he just call me Nana Molly?" She asked, her voice filled with awe.

"I do believe that's what he said, yes." Harry nodded, a smile tugging at his own lips as well.

"Oh, darling!" Molly breathed an awe-filled sigh of pure joy before approaching Harry and kneeling so that she was eye-level with the wary-looking infant. "Thank you, sweetheart." She then held out her arms for a hug and Severus grinned, diving forward to oblige her immediately.

"I daresay you found your connection with him, mum." Ginny commented with a smile, genuinely happy that Sev had finally opened up to her mother. "Told you it'd take some time. But it's worth it, isn't it?"

"Oh, more than you can imagine!" Molly answered in a low yet excited voice. She planted a kiss atop the head infant's head in her arms and breathed in his baby scent. Oh, how she loved this!

"Mum?"

"Hmmm?"

"It's almost curfew, and I need to feed him." Ginny said.

"Oh!" Molly chuckled and reluctantly pulled away from the hug. "Of course, darling."

"Mewmew!" Sev cried, automatically reaching for Ginny.

As soon as the teenager's back was turned, and she was heading towards the bedroom, Sirius made a face. This time, when Harry lobbed the throw pillow at his head, he didn't miss. "Shut up, Padfoot."

"I'm sorry! It's always going to creep me out a little." The animagus shrugged.

"I think it's a beautiful thing—breastfeeding." Molly opined, "You two _are_ starting to wean him from it, though, right, Harry?"

"Yes." The teen nodded. "Right now he's still nursing about three-quarters of the time, but starting next month we plan on starting him on solid food for two meals of the day. We expect him to be off nursing entirely at about eighteen months."

"How do you _know_ all these things?" Sirius asked, a bit confused at how Harry knew this much about babies.

"Parenting books, Padfoot. Ginny and I read them like crazy when this whole thing started."

Soon enough, Ginny walked out of the bedroom with a drowsy Severus in her arms. "Harry, I believe someone here's ready for their bath and perhaps a bit of a story?" She gave the child a big kiss on the cheek before placing him in her boyfriend's waiting embrace. "I have to get back. It's almost curfew."

Sev stirred upon hearing that. "Mo! Immy!" He whined, reaching back up to be picked up once again.

"I'm sorry, baby. I have to go sleep in the dorms." She replied sadly, brushing a tear from his cheek with her thumb.

"Mo! Mo! Immy!" The infant cried, more tears spilling from his eyes.

"I promise I'll spend more time with you tomorrow after class, okay?" She replied, slinging her satchel over her shoulder. "I'll bring my work with me and you and I will be able to read together and play."

"MO! MO!"

"And on Thursday and Friday, I'm going to bring all my work down here and sleep here and keep you company while Harry goes off to Auror training."

The sudden mention of Harry going off to Auror training for two whole days was enough to distract the infant from the present situation. "MO! MO! HAWEH, _MO GO!!!_"

Harry's lips thinned into a line and he narrowed his eyes at his smug-looking girlfriend. _Thanks a lot, Gin!_

Ginny laughed and gave Severus one last kiss on the cheek. "I love you, baby." And then gave her boyfriend a peck on the lips. "Have fun, love!" She then waved goodnight to both Sirius and her mother before disappearing out the portrait hole.

"Mo go Auwew! _MO_ _GO_ AUWEW!"

Harry sighed and stood up, rocking Severus in his arms and whispering assurances in his ear that although he was going to be gone two nights out of the week, he was still going to love him and never going to leave him ever, ever, ever.

_**

* * *

**_

"Ready, Harry?"

"As I'll ever be, I suppose." The teenager replied, smoothing out his robes one last time. The two men could hear the class trickling into the classroom next door.

Remus clasped the younger man on the shoulder and gave him a kind smile. "You're a natural at this, Harry. Don't worry."

"Yeah, that's easy for you to say." Harry muttered under his breath, fidgeting with his cloak. "You've already done this before."

"And so have you!" Remus retorted.

"Yeah, but it wasn't in this kind of setting!" The teen argued. "It was for Dumbledore's Army, it was in the Room of Requirement, it was for the war effort…"

"Well, pretend as if the conditions for this situation are all the same." The werewolf shrugged.

"But they're not."

"Cub…if it helps any, I was just as nervous as you are before I went out there to face my first class as well."

Harry raised a skeptical eyebrow at him, "Really?"

"Yes. I'm not lying." Remus gave the shoulder he was holding a small shove towards the door. "Now come along! I'll be in there for moral support. You'll be fine! Besides," the werewolf smirked, "they're seventh years! You've probably already taught half of them."

"Yeah, and the other half wants me dead." Harry muttered sardonically.

"Come on, cub, man up! You're a father now!" Remus challenged, knowing exactly which of Harry's buttons to push. "You know how to take charge of a situation." He opened the door leading to the classroom and signaled for Harry to go first, narrowing his eyes at the teen playfully, "Now all you have to do is prove it."

Harry huffed and narrowed his eyes at Remus in return.

The werewolf smirked.

Straightening his shirt, Harry stood up to full height, faced straight ahead, and marched out the door with his head held high. "Good morning, everyone!" He exclaimed as he made his way down the short staircase.

"'Morning." Yawn. "Good morning!" Grumble, grumble. "Hello!" "Hey!" "Mornin'!" "Hi." Snore.

Harry smirked. "Would someone wake Mr. Lewis up, please? Thank you!" He said with a laugh. There was a snort and a soft giggle as the snorer and his rouser settled themselves. "Right! Hello, everyone! My name is Harry Potter and, as the Headmaster said, I'll be your Defense professor for the rest of the year, mainly on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesday—"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, Potter, we know all this business!" A young man with curly blonde hair spat from his seat in the back of the room. Everyone immediately turned towards him. "Why don't you and your little werewolf lapdog back there stop playing professor, quit pretending like you know anything about _real_ defense, and go crawl back into the woods from whence you came!" And with that, the young Slytherin (if the color of his tie was anything to go by) turned to his two brutish friends next to him and shared an evil-like cackle with them.

Harry, wide-eyed, then turned back to an equally shocked-looking Remus and raised an eyebrow at him. "Wow…" He murmured, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "How thick can you get?!"

The werewolf grinned, his shoulders beginning to bob up and down from the suppression of laughter, "Obviously, thickness knows no boundaries."

Harry snorted and laughed out loud, "Can't argue with you there." With a shake of his head, the teenager then turned back around to face a confused-looking class and even more confused-looking Slytherin motor-mouth. "Mr. Salisburg!" He called, his keen eyesight noting the slight widening of said student's eyes before the young gentleman quickly suppressed it. "Yes, I know your name. Hard to believe, isn't it?!" The teen smiled smugly and locked his hands in front of him, rocking on the balls of his feet as if he was silently laughing at a joke the Slytherin didn't understand—a joke about him.

Harry delighted in the way the smile slowly faded from Salisburg's lips and how his eyes steadily began to dart around the room.

"Mr. Salisburg, I want you to answer a question for me." Harry started conversationally, slowly stepping towards the side of the classroom as if he was a predator, stalking his prey. "How many years have you been here at Hogwarts?"

"Seven!" The Slytherin snapped.

"Seven years." Harry nodded with a smirk. "And during those seven years, did it ever occur to you that professors had the _power_ to take away house points…assign you detentions…take away privileges…recommend you for in-house suspension…expulsion…that sort of thing?" He raised an eyebrow at the now nervous-looking boy.

The Slytherin's eyes darted from left to right once again. The attention was starting to make him nervous. "It…might have occurred to me."

Muffled laughter suddenly swept around the room. "Oh, it only _might've_ occurred to you." Harry smiled vindictively.

"Chris! Shut up before you lose us more house points!" One of the Slytherin girls in front of Salisburg hissed from the side of her mouth.

"It's alright, Miss Weston. He wanted this, I'm only obliging him." Harry smirked.

The burly blonde jumped to his feet and scowled fiercely. "Oh, so you think your empty threats are going to scare me, Potter?!"

"They're not empty." Harry countered coolly. "And that's _Professor_ to you."

"Like _hell_ I'll ever call your dumb arse 'Professor'! You and your lapdog over there don't know shite about _real_ defense! I'm gone!" And with that, he marched towards the open classroom door.

Before he could reach the threshold, however, the door slammed shut in his face, a soft click from the keyhole indicating he was now locked inside.

"Going somewhere, Mr. Salisburg?"

The young Slytherin shot around to find Harry standing directly behind him, his eyes narrowed in challenge and his hands clasped behind his back. "Open the door." He growled, taking advantage of his height and size and staring the new 'professor' down.

Unfortunately for him, Harry was used to this game of intimidation. He merely smiled at the Slytherin and executed an about face. "You say my colleague and I know nothing about 'real' defense." He started, marching back towards the head of the room. "Thus, that implies that _you_ know something about 'real' defense." Harry took his cloak and outer robes off, so that both his arms and hands could be free of obstructions, and threw them onto his desk. Once he reached the head of the classroom, he executed another flawless about face. "Care to demonstrate for us?" He challenged, his eyes narrowed at the Slytherin and a smug smile fixed upon his face.

"Everybody UP!" He cried. Three-quarters of the room climbed to their feet immediately. "Drill circle, if you please!"

Salisburg's eyes widened as most of the room stood up and quickly began moving the tables and chairs to the sides. Soon enough, the remaining students caught on and copied their year mates, if only to remain out of the line of fire whenever the spells started going off. Within seconds, the defense classroom became naught but a large, empty space with Harry Potter standing at the center of it. The rest of the students were standing off to the side, forming a passable circle around the center of the room.

"Mr. Salisburg, and everyone else who wasn't in the DA, I'd like to introduce to you the concept of a drill circle." Harry said, instantly going into lecture mode. "It's a circle—just as it sounds—with all the students gathered around. Normally, I would have a Death Eater dummy rolling about here in the center, with all the students firing a variety of spells at it, but today I think…" He smirked at the young man frozen at the door, "…you and I will have to do. What do you say?"

Salisburg panted and wiped the sweat from his temple. His wand was clenched tightly in his hand. The professor's implication of spells being fired at them, however, made his palms begin sweating and thus his wand slowly began to slip out. "Open the door _NOW_, Potter!"

"Ah, ah, ah!" Harry waved a playful finger at him. "I don't appreciate your tone of voice. _Nor_ do I appreciate your disrespect. Mr. Salisburg, I pay you the courtesy of calling you 'Mister', I'd appreciate if it was reciprocated."

"You're not getting a _damn_ thing from me, Potter, _nor_ the rest of my house!" The teen growled before turning back and pulling at the door knob so hard the entire threshold shook.

Harry sighed. "Very well. I supposed twenty-five points from Slytherin is warranted for this…disgracious display."

_Rattle! Rattle! Rattle!_ "Let me out, Potter!"

"Humph! Disgracious is right." The Slytherin girl from earlier agreed with disgust.

_Rattle! Rattle! Rattle!_ "Let me out NOW!"

"Thank you, Miss Weston." Harry nodded. "I'll let the Slytherins sort you out in their own time. In the meantime, Professor Slughorn will have something to say to you later after he receives the letter…Ahem! What did you call him?...my werewolf lapdog will send him."

Remus cleared his throat. "Ahem! _Sent_ him, Professor Potter."

Harry peered back at Remus, who was leaning smugly against the far wall of the room. "What was that, Professor Lupin?"

"He's already received it, sir!"

"Ah! Very good!" Harry grinned at him before turning to face the now very desperate Slytherin at his door. "So! Points taken away…Head of House informed…" Harry ticked the punishments off on his fingers, "…now I do believe it would be time for me to inform you of the month-long detention you have with my colleague and I."

"That's _BOLLOCKS_!!!" Salisburg shot around and a bright blue light came flying out of his wand towards Harry. The target moved not an inch, yet before the spell could even reach the young professor, it became trapped in an invisible force-field surrounding him on all sides.

Salisburg's eyes widened. It hadn't hit him! He…It hadn't hit him! That spell was his own creation—he designed it specifically to penetrate any sort of shield charm. Potter wasn't supposed to…But he had just…That was impossible! The spell just sat there—formed into a ball in front of Potter, hanging in suspended animation. It hadn't hit him!

"Might I remind you, Mr. Salisburg, that Voldemort himself shot the killing curse at me no less than _thirty_-_five_ times a few months ago. _That's_ designed to penetrate any shield as well. It didn't work. What makes you think you know more than the man who invented _Avada Kadavra_?"

Salisburg growled in fury and again fired the same spell at him. As expected, it didn't penetrate. "Take out your wand, Potter!" He cried. "Fight back!" And yet again he fired.

Harry coolly turned away from the fast-approaching spell-happy Slytherin to face the crowd gathered around him. "Observe, ladies and gentlemen—pure recklessness and pride getting in the way of progress. A _real_ fight between two master duelers involves a lot more than a shield charm and one spell going back and forth. If one spell doesn't work, it is _imperative_ that you try another!"

_Boom! Flash! Boom!_ "Fight back, you coward!" The Slytherin had continued firing spells at Harry, but his advance had stalled a good ten feet away from the professor. As much as he kept _saying_ Potter didn't scare him, his body language claimed the exact opposite.

Harry fixed the teen with a cold, hard glare. "You…don't…want me to, Mr. Salisburg." He growled, his voice low, slow and dangerous.

Salisburg paid him no heed, firing spell after spell at him in frustration. Like before, they merely hit Harry's shield charm and traveled no farther. "You're all cowards—the lot of ya! You, that half-breed traitorous bastard Snape—"

Before anyone could blink, Salisburg went flying through the air. His wand was pried from his fingers and thrown halfway across the room. His arms and legs were put in a body bind. His eyes widened in panic. His scream, high-pitched and girly, swept through the room, making some of its occupants cringe and cover their ears. Then, all of a sudden, his body came to a stop…

…right in front of the young professor's outstretched hand.

Harry no longer smiled this time. His eyes no longer shone. His face held not a hint of pity. Instead, white hot fury burned in his eyes. "I would watch my tongue if I were you." He snarled dangerously, delighting in the panic that swept through the Slytherin's eyes and basking in the aura of fear that was radiating off the other teen.

"Professor Potter!" A familiar voice exclaimed across the room. It was soon followed by hasty footsteps walking in his direction. "Professor Potter, don't you think that's enough?"

"No." Harry murmured under his breath, making the Slytherin gulp and squirm in midair.

Harry soon felt a soft hand on his shoulder and the same familiar voice whispering in his ear. "Come on, Harry. Just let him go. Let Remus deal with him now." Ginny's voice was laced with a bit of calming magic, the teen realized belatedly.

"Yes, Professor." Remus added, directly behind him. "I have a desk all set up for him to write lines while the rest of the class learns something useful for the rest of the hour."

It took a minute, but Harry was able to break eye contact with the jittery Slytherin and face his friend behind him. Then all of a sudden, the playful smirk reappeared upon his face. "Where is it?" He asked Remus, the light that had been absent a moment before suddenly bouncing in eyes once more. "Where's the desk?"

Remus raised an eyebrow and exchanged a look with Ginny before stepping aside and gesturing towards a small student's desk next to the professor's podium.

Harry nodded and then scanned the area around the desk with his eyes. Then all of a sudden, he grinned. "I think I have a better place for it."

Thus, as the rest of the class lined up to go through a few drills so that Professor Potter could assess their strengths, Mr. Christopher Salisburg sat, red-faced, facing the corner, writing lines and berating himself for challenging the man who defeated the Dark Lord.

* * *

**Remember folks, never tickle a sleeping dragon! :-) **

**Next up, Harry leaves for Auror training for the first time. He'll be gone for a whole TWO DAYS!!! How will Severus cope? We'll see! PLUS, an important milestone is reached! Wouldn't you like to know how that comes about?**

**Hello once again! I'd like to thank my readers for reading this and my REVIEWers for reviewing the last chapter (and the chapters previous). You're all very wonderful and I cannot thank you enough. It might be a few days before I post again, so I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please don't hesitate to let me know what you think! :-)**


	32. Baby Steps

"Er…this weekend I think I'll tackle the house next door—the one across from Aberforth's."

"When are you going to give them their things, by the way?" Ginny asked, putting the finishing touches on her History of Magic essay before pushing it aside.

"Next week." Harry replied, zipping up his duffle bag and double-checking his list one more time. "I'll be pulling them aside separately and discussing each of the items in question with them. Who knows? Maybe I can get them to actually _talk_ to one another again."

"You're dreaming, love." Ginny laughed.

"Hey! We have dreams for a reason, sweetheart." Harry shrugged, scanning through one of his defense books one last time before tossing it back onto the table.

"Oh, that was a _deep_, Harry." The teenager smiled. She then stood up from her chair and made her away around the table to where Severus was seated. The infant was in his high chair, a large red crayon firmly in his grasp, and he was drawing…something on the piece of parchment she had laid out for him. What that something _was_, however, was anyone's guess. "And what do we have here, babe?"

Severus grinned up at her and Ginny couldn't help but smile. Severus had spent the better part of half an hour sitting quietly in his chair, doodling, with his tongue hanging halfway out of his mouth and his drool slowly leaking out from the gap his tongue created. Ginny used his bib to wipe up the spit while he pointed to a tall red blob on the page. "Haweh!" He cried.

"That's Harry." Ginny nodded.

Sev then pointed to the small blob connected to the large blob by a long, squiggly line. "Me!"

Ginny laughed and nodded. "That's you."

The infant then moved to the other large blob on the opposite side of the small blob. It too was connected to the small blob via a long, squiggly line. "Immy."

"Ah! And that's me!" The teenager grinned and hugged the infant from behind, planting a kiss on his cheek. She then proceeded to ask questions about the piece as if she didn't already know all the answers.

"And who's this person right here?" She asked, pointing to the medium-sized horizontal blob by the bottom of the page.

"Pa-poot." Sev replied, peering up at her with wide, innocent eyes.

"Hey! Why am I on the floor?" Sirius asked, peering over Ginny's shoulder curiously.

"Pa-poo!" The infant repeated, bouncing in his high chair and scowling at the animagus like he was being thick on purpose.

"You're in your dog form, Sirius." Ginny elaborated in a whisper.

"Ah!" The animagus nodded, turning away to get a drink from the fridge.

"Sirius, have you seen my holster?" Harry asked, checking inside all the cabinets in the kitchen.

"Yeah, it's in my room. I was borrowing it." His godfather replied. "I'll go get it right now." Harry muttered his thanks and the animagus nodded, yelling over his shoulder as he went. "Are you almost finished packing, pup?"

"Nearly." The teen replied distractedly.

"Well hurry up! Moody said he expects the new recruits early today for some in-processing—paperwork and such."

"Mo! Mo go Haweh!' Severus cried, suddenly reminded of Harry's impending departure for his first week of Auror training.

"Sev, we talked about this—"

"MO! MO GO HAWEH!!!" The infant screamed over his guardian.

Harry's lips thinned to a line and he pointed a warning finger at the child, "_Don't_ raise your voice at me, Severus."

"Mmmm!" Sev whined, bouncing in agitation in his high chair. "Mo go, Haweh…" He tried for sad and pitiful this time around to see if Harry would budge.

"Sorry, cub." Harry leaned down to plant a quick kiss atop the child's head before turning towards his girlfriend. "Are you sure McGonagall is okay with this?"

"She said, and I quote, 'You'll probably get more work done down there than in the ruckus of your common room.'" Ginny smirked.

"And she's probably right." Harry chuckled, grabbing a drink from the fridge.

"Mo go, Haweh! Mo go!"

"Severus, I can't _not_ go."

"Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay?" The infant pleaded. "Whay mo?!"

"Cub…" Harry sighed, "…if I don't get Auror training, I won't become an Auror. If I don't become an Auror, I won't have a job. If I don't have a job, we won't have an income. And if we don't have an income—"

"It won't affect you very much." Sirius finished with a smirk as he reentered the kitchen.

"Seeeeeeeeeeee!" Sev exclaimed, pointing at the animagus and sending a pleading look Harry's way. "Mo meed Auwew! Mo meed Auwew! STAY!"

Harry narrowed his eyes at his godfather. "Don't listen to Sirius. I need a job."

"Yeah, he simply has too much pride to rely on my soon-to-be measly income." Ginny joked.

"Two hundred thousand galleons per year guaranteed three years." Sirius snorted. "That income can last at least two lifetimes."

"So sue me if I'm a traditional kind of guy!" Harry scowled.

"Meh mo wamp ooo go!" The infant cried. He looked to be on the verge of tears.

"Harry, five minutes." Sirius murmured, tapping on the face of his pocket watch before stepping out of the kitchen, giving Harry, Sev and Ginny a little privacy.

The teenager lifted Severus out of his high chair and cradled him in his lap. "Cub…remember what we talked about the night before last?"

"Mo!" The infant replied stubbornly, closing his eyes and shaking his head from side to side as if to say he was not willing to hear any more.

"You don't remember what we talked about the other night?" Harry questioned dubiously.

Behind them, Ginny snorted. "He's like, 'I'm sorry, I have selective memory at the moment.'"

"Severus, you remember perfectly well." The teenager pushed.

"MO!" Sev cried and then immediately reached up and wrapped his tiny arms around Harry's neck. "Ooo mo go Auwew, Haweh."

Harry sighed and tightened his arms around his ward, giving the infant the biggest bear hug in the history of bear hugs. "I'm sorry, Sev." He murmured regretfully.

"Mo!" Severus whined, his voice reaching new heights as he felt Harry rise from his chair. "MO GO HAWEH!" And then came the tears.

Harry glanced at the fireplace and saw his godfather bouncing on the balls of his feet and pointing at the face of his pocket watch frantically. "I'm sorry, baby boy." The teenager leaned in and gave the infant a big kiss on the cheek before standing and turning towards his girlfriend.

"Come on, love." Ginny murmured gently, reaching to get Severus from Harry's embrace.

The infant, on the other hand, had other ideas. He flat-out refused to relinquish his hold on Harry's neck. "MO! MO! MO! MO! MO!"

"Harry! Come on!" Sirius pushed, checking his pocket watch for the tenth time in as many seconds. "Moody's going to chew our arses out!"

"Ginny—"

"Severus, Harry has to go now." She held Severus from behind and whispered calm words in his ear as her boyfriend worked to loosen the infant's hold without hurting him. "Come on, love. He's going to be late."

"MO GO, HAWEH!" Sev cried. His voice was filled with desperation and tears poured from his eyes.

"I'm sorry, cub, but I have to go!"

Finally, Harry was able to loosen the infant's hold enough to pull his head away. As expected, Severus began kicking and screaming, reaching for Harry as if he was a life raft that had just floated away from him and left him to drown. "**MO**! _**MO**_ _**GO**_ _**HAWEH**_!!!"

"I love you, baby boy." Harry replied as he picked up his duffle bag and slung it over his shoulder. "I'll see you in two days." As quickly as he could, Harry dropped a kiss atop the infant's head and exchanged a quick smooch with his girlfriend before pulling away. Even that fraction of a second within the infant's reach, however, was enough to delay Harry even more for Severus had grabbed onto his shirt and refused to let go.

"Two days, cub," Harry said gently, using a bit of calming magic to make Severus' grip on his shirt slacken. "Two days." With that, he gave the infant's tiny hands a quick kiss of apology before darting towards the fireplace and his impatient godfather. "I love you too, Ginny!"

"I know, Harry, GO!" His girlfriend pushed. The longer Harry delayed leaving, the harder it became for her to contain Severus.

"_**MOOOOOOOOOOOO**_!!! MO! MO! MO! MO! MO!" Sev squealed, wriggling, kicking and screaming as if he was about to die.

Harry climbed into the fireplace next to his godfather and held up two fingers for Severus to see. "Two days."

"THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC!"

_BOOM!_

And then they were gone.

_**

* * *

**_

"**MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**oooooooooooooo**ooooooooooooooo…" The moment Harry was out of sight, Severus screamed louder than he had ever screamed before and seemed to expel all the breath in his tiny body. Then, with a great gasp, he released a wail so painful, Ginny's heart nearly broke just listening to it. "Haweh!" He cried sorrowfully, burying his face in Ginny's robes and venting his frustrations into the fabric.

Ginny wrapped her arms around the infant as tightly as she could. "Oh, my darling…" She sighed to herself, tipping her head down to plant a kiss upon Sev's head and taking the opportunity to smell his sweet baby scent. "It's alright, my darling…" Ever so slowly, she began to rock him back and forth, rubbing smooth, rhythmic circles into his back and humming a nonsensical yet calming tune in his ear.

Severus could feel a giant hole in his chest. There was a _giant_ _hole_ in his chest where _Harry_ should be! But _Harry_ wasn't there because he had to go off to the STUPID AUROR'S TRAINING!!! The very thought made him cry all the harder. Now, instead of Harry, he had a big giant hole in his chest because Harry wasn't there!

_You sound like an idiot!_ A bored voice drawled at the back of his mind.

"MO!" The infant snarled, supremely irritated by that constant cynical voice.

_Your logic is going in complete circles!_ The voice argued. _There's a hole because Potter isn't here and Potter isn't here so there's a hole! Such melodrama!_

_SHUT UP!!!_ Sev screamed at the voice inside his head and began weeping all the harder.

"Calm down, my love." He heard Ginny croon in his ear. "He'll be back before you know it. Relax now, sweetheart." Ginny's calming voice managed to dampen his cries just a little bit but Sev still didn't feel like stopping altogether. Harry was GONE! He was GONE! _GONE_, _GONE_, _GONE_! And he wasn't going to be back for _two whole days_!!!

"Mo—two—day!" Sev whined between hitched breaths. "MO—TWO—DAY!"

"I know, love."

_Oh, for pity's sake! Stop acting like an infant and pull yourself together!_ The voice at the back spat in disgust.

"MO!" _Bffffffffffft!_

"Shhh, Sev…" Ginny crooned, calming him more and more with every word. "Shh…It's okay to cry, baby." She said, banishing the seeds of self-doubt and reproach which were beginning to sprout in his mind due to the voice in the back. "It's okay to miss him."

"Wamp—Haweh…" The infant moaned, sticking his thumb in his mouth in an effort to calm himself down.

"I know you do, love." Ginny nodded. The teenager planted a kiss atop Sev's head and continued to hum in his ear, rub his back and dance him around the room all the while trying to come up with ways to either cheer him up or distract him. Then, all of a sudden, a thought popped into her head and she smiled. "Hey!" She gently nudged the infant in her arms, "Hey, Sev!"

"Wamp—Haweh…" The child repeated around his thumb.

"Hey, you want to visit with Teddy?"

_Visit with Teddy?_ The thought made Severus pause for a fraction of a second and apparently that was all the answer Ginny needed.

"Okay? Yes? Let's visit with Teddy." Before the infant could blink, she swept them into the bedroom to grab a few things before speed-walking towards the door. "You can show them the drawing you were doing earlier. Didn't you draw Remus, Dora, and Teddy in there as well?" The teenager swept over to his high chair to pick up the drawing before making her way towards the opening portrait hole. "Thank you, Sir Merlin."

"You are quite welcome, Lady Ginevra. And _do_ cheer up, Master Severus; two days will fly by faster than you can blink!" The old wizard said with a sympathetic smile.

As the pair of them waited for Remus' portrait hole to open, Ginny nodded her thanks and gave Merlin a small smile. Severus, however, merely peered up at the old wizard with a blank expression on his face. He was leaning with an ear against Ginny's chest, listening to her calming heartbeat and allowing it to relax him. He had miraculously stopped crying a few minutes ago, but his breathing was still hitched and his eyelashes damp. He still had his thumb in his mouth and the poor digit was beginning to become water-logged from all the sucking he had been subjecting it to for the past half-hour.

"He's a bit stressed out." He heard Ginny's chest rumble.

"Yes, I can tell." Merlin replied. "Poor lad."

"Ginny! Oh, hello!" As Ginny turned to face the strange speaker, Sev was able to recognize Andromeda Tonks—Dora's mother. Huh. He had forgotten she lived with them. "What can I do for you, dear?"

"Mum! If it's Ginny, just let her in!" A cry came from inside the quarters. It sounded very much like Dora.

"No need to scream at me, dear, I'm right here!" Dromeda scowled at someone behind the wolf portrait before turning back to Ginny and Sev. "Come in, sweetheart."

"Thank you." The teenager smiled politely.

As soon as they were clear of the portrait hole, Tonks rushed over and hugged the pair of them. "Oh! How are you guys doing?" She asked sympathetically.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Dora, I'm fine. He's only going to be gone for two days. It's not like he…" The teen stopped all of a sudden and inhaled sharply before changing the subject altogether. "Anyway, um…" she tilted her head towards the quiet child in her arms, "…Sev's not taking it very well."

"We heard." Remus added with a smile from where he sat at the dining room table.

Ginny sent him a half-grimace, half-smile, "Oh...was it _that_ loud?"

"Um…" The werewolf exchanged a glance with his wife, "…I would say it could be heard to the end of the hall."

"Really?!"

"Don't worry, sweetheart." Andromeda broke in, "I'm sure no students pass through this hallway at this hour of the night anyway. They're all probably eating dinner right now."

"She's right." Tonks nodded. "Oh! Sev…" the metamorphamagus bent down so that she and the infant were able to look at each other clearly, "…you want to play with Teddy, love? We've got a new set of alphabet letters for you to play with."

"AH!" A familiar cry from the dining room table next to Remus had Sev peering in that direction curiously. Dora stepped aside with a smile to reveal Teddy, sitting up in his high chair, waving a familiar donut-shaped plastic ring at him with a grin. "Ah! Ah! Ah! WAP!" Then, all of a sudden, the tiny metamorphamagus threw the plastic ring down to the floor, making sure it landed precisely on Remus' boot.

The werewolf sighed and rolled his eyes dramatically.

Sev couldn't help but snort. He looked funny. Then when Remus reached down, picked up the donut toy and returned it to Teddy, try as he might, Severus wasn't able to suppress the round of giggles that came bubbling up from the pit of his stomach. This game _never_ got old!

"GEM!" Sev cried, smiling shyly from around Ginny's chest.

As soon as Teddy stopped laughing, he did just that. The donut go down, Remus go down…Remus go up, the donut go up. Within seconds, the two boys were in the midst of a laughing fit, which made the adults smile.

"GEM!"

The donut go down, Remus go down…Remus go up, the donut go up.

"GEM!"

The donut go down, Remus go down…Remus go up, the donut go up.

"GEM! GEM!"

The donut go down, Remus go down…Remus go up, the donut go up.

"How long can they keep at this?" Andromeda asked in amusement.

"Forever…" Remus replied resignedly, bending down to retrieve the donut yet again.

"You're a slave to a four-month-old and a seven-month-old, Remus." Dora told her husband with a smirk. The werewolf rolled his eyes.

Needless to say, the trip to Teddy's successfully distracted Severus from the fact that Harry was gone right now. The donut game had dried his tears and the letter puzzle with Teddy had kept them at bay. With Sev sufficiently occupied, Ginny had the time to sip some tea and talk to Remus and Dora about the next few days.

Since Dora was still on maternity leave, Ginny asked if she was willing to babysit Sev during the day—a favor the metamorphamagus agreed to readily.

"I know exactly how to keep him distracted—arts and crafts!" Tonks exclaimed with a grin. Ginny raised a dubious eyebrow at her. "Oh, don't look at me like that! It's a _great_ way to distract kids from whatever you want to distract them from. It's fun! Therefore, the time between right now and when daddy comes home will feel like it was greatly reduced when in reality…it wasn't." She winked at her friend.

"Dora has a big point there." Remus added and then gestured towards Ginny, "And how are you holding up?"

Ginny rolled her eyes as she took a sip of her tea. "Please! I've survived an entire _year_ without Harry before—and that was during the war and he was in danger every single day! Now he's just in Auror training. There's no element of danger involved."

"Yeah, Gin, but Remus wasn't talking about that." Dora interjected.

"I meant, how you are holding up," he then gestured to the child playing on the rug behind her.

Ginny glanced behind her and suddenly understood the couple's silent question. _How are you holding up as a single parent?_ The teenager sighed. "Guys, it's _only_ been a few hours. And it's not like I'm all-of-a-sudden a single parent. He's gone for two days out of the week."

"Every single week." Dora pointed out.

"He's not even a full-fledged Auror yet!"

"Yeah, but once he _is_, Ginny…" Remus broke in, peering at her with eyes full of pity, "I'm not trying to discourage you from him or anything. However, you have to understand that you are in a relationship with a guy who has a hero complex—"

"Oh, I understand that perfectly well…" Ginny chuckled, taking a sip of her tea. The couple then watched as the smile slowly faded from her face until they could no longer tell it was ever there. Her eyes traveled away from them and towards the countertop, looking at the soft, polished wood, but not really seeing it. Then when she spoke again, her voice was low, a whisper, and there was something else there—something that came from deep down. "Perfectly well…" It sounded almost like pain; like she did understand—more than anyone else—_exactly_ what she was getting into. There was something in her voice that made even Remus feel like he didn't know what he was talking about, not like Ginny did.

All of a sudden, the clock on the far wall struck eight and the teenager drained her tea cup with a grimace. "Well…thanks for the support, you guys." She said, pushing her cup away and standing up from her chair, "I, uh…I have to put him to bed."

"No problem." Remus replied, peering at the teen worriedly.

"Ginny?" Dora called, causing Ginny to turn back towards them with a questioning gaze. "You know we're always here if you want to talk, right?"

The teen gave them a warm, grateful smile, "Yeah," she nodded, "I know that."

And with that, she turned back around and informed Severus that it was time for his nightly bath. "You'll be coming over here to play with Teddy tomorrow anyway," she said. "While I'm in class, you'll be staying with Teddy! Doesn't that sound fun?"

"Teddy, Teddy, Teddy…" Severus sang, shaking an 'H' up and down before waving it around in the air, making sound effects with his mouth, as if the letter was a little action figure hero.

"Say 'Goodnight' to Teddy, sweetheart." Ginny murmured in his ear.

"Goo-my!" Sev waved at his friend lazily, leaning against Ginny's chest and letting her heartbeat comfort him.

"Mmm-ba! Mmm-ba!"

"Bye-bye, Severus!" Andromeda waved.

"Goo-my! Goo-my! Goo-my!" The infant waved and repeated the greeting all the way to the door. "Goo-my! Goo-my! Goo-my!"

"Goodnight, Dora, Remus!" Ginny nodded to them. "Dora, I'll have him over by seven-thirty."

"Sure!"

As soon as the pair was safely back in their quarters, Severus stuck his thumb in his mouth and went silent. "Did you have fun with Teddy, sweet?" The infant merely nodded and said nothing further. Ginny sighed. At least he wasn't crying anymore! That was a good sign. "Let's have your bath, love."

Bath time went a little bit better than expected. As soon as Ginny placed Severus in his mini bathtub, he became a bit livelier. The bubble bath had him smiling and blowing bath bubbles around the bathtub, and the presence of his bath toys had the infant reenacting scenes from the depths of his imagination. Since Harry was always the one to give him baths, Ginny was at a bit of a loss as to her role in the bath toy story. Severus had to inform her just _who_ each of his bath toys really were and what their mission was in the grand scheme of things. He then informed her that _her_ role in the bath time drama was to voice the evil villain so that Sev could be the hero and make everything better again. This intrigued Ginny greatly, as it gave her insight into Severus' ever-changing mentality. _He's becoming more like Harry._

Story time was Ginny's favorite time of day. Apparently, it was Severus' favorite as well. He pointed out volume one of _A Thousand and One Arabian Nights_ on the shelf and showed her which story Harry had stopped on last night. After plucking it from the bookshelf, Ginny settled down on the rocking chair and nestled the infant on her lap. As Severus flipped through the pages to find the exact spot, Ginny took a second to take in his sweet baby scent and revel in way he fit neatly into the crook of her arm. Merlin, she loved this! She _loved_ having a child! She loved having _this_ child! Heck…she loved having this _life_!

Harry, Sev, and Ginny—those three names fit so well together, it made her heart ache. She couldn't imagine there ever being just two. The teen shook her head. Never!

"Immy?" Sev's sweet little voice broke into her thoughts. The infant was peering up at her expectantly.

"Yes, sweet?"

Sev, his thumb in his mouth, pointed to the open page with his free hand, "Bac-Bac." He mumbled around the appendage.

"Ah!" Ginny grinned, "The Tale of the Poor Hunchback." Wrapping Severus in her arms, she began to read him the story.

Several hours later, long after Severus had settled down to sleep, Ginny glanced up from her Transfiguration reading to find it was almost midnight. Deciding it was about time to go to sleep, the teenager laid her book atop the side table and went off to double check the quarters. She shook her head as she realized McGonagall was right—despite the circumstances, Ginny was already two weeks ahead in her reading and had finished all the written coursework assigned to date (including one that was due in a month's time). "Ah, the benefits of having a place all to oneself." She smiled to herself.

After blowing out all the candles in the bedroom, the teenager decided to check on Sev one last time before calling it a night. As soon as she spied her baby's sleeping face, though, she found couldn't tear her eyes away. Merlin, he was _so_ beautiful! And he was _so_ perfect as well! Leaning down, Ginny placed a gentle kiss atop his sleeping head. Severus was naturally sweet and charming and polite. It angered Ginny to think that _someone_ could take this child and not…_nurture_ his nature! That someone could raise Severus to be mean and condescending and cynical and dark—everything he _wasn't_! No wonder Severus was always so bitter in the past. He was taught to suppress all the good things about himself. He was _taught_ to be dark.

Ginny blamed his first parents. It was mainly their fault, plain and simple. Severus' father was verbally abusive. Without any other male role model to emulate, it was no wonder Severus turned out almost exactly like him. His mother was a very powerful witch, but didn't have the backbone to stand up to his father. Thus, Severus grew up with the worst of both worlds—his father taught him to hate and his mother taught him to fear standing up for his convictions. The child learned early and often that the first rule of survival was suppression of self and adaptation to environment. And for that, Ginny felt like weeping.

It was fortunate Dumbledore placed Severus with Harry to begin with. Of all the decisions the old man ever made, Ginny felt this was his best decision yet. Harry knew exactly what it was like to live through every kind of abuse. It was fortunate he found a role model in a Christian minister who ran a homeless shelter at the heart of the crime-filled, poverty-stricken East End of London. Harry was constantly in and out of that shelter throughout his years as a runaway before he came to Hogwarts. Even during the summers of his early Hogwarts years, before he could start renting his own motel room without rousing too much suspicion, Harry always found a bed in the 'Minister's Shelter', as he often called it. The man often tried to interfere in his life, tried to stop the abuse he knew Harry was being subjected to at the hands of his Uncle. However, in true Harry style, every time the minister asked too many questions, Harry ran away and took to the streets once more.

"His life was just as bad as yours was, Sev…" Ginny murmured to herself, rubbing the soft cheek of the slumbering babe with the back of her hand lovingly. "But life gave him a second chance—with the Minister, all of us, Sirius, Remus…He saw us as his second chance." Folding her arms upon the railing, Ginny leaned against the crib and simply watched her child sleep. "Take it from him, my love. Let _us_ be _your_ second chance."

Severus' little chest rose and fell with every breath he took and Ginny marveled at the miracle of it all.

"I love you, my son." Ginny whispered into the darkness, hoping and praying that wherever he was, Severus could hear her voice.

_**

* * *

**_

"Sev? Sev, come on, honey!" Someone was annoyingly giving his shoulder a good shake. "Sev?" The infant scowled and shifted over, trying to bat the irritating hand away so that he may get back to sleep. "Come on, love, you can go back to sleep at Dora's."

Severus whined. "Mo!" He croaked and then sighed, relaxing into his blanket and trying to coax himself back to the Land of Nod.

Ginny sighed. It was useless. He wasn't going to get up. Lowering the crib railing, the teenager bent over and picked up the slumbering infant, laying him atop the big bed. She then proceeded to change his nappy and slip him into a fresh pair of moon and star footsies. All the while, Severus remained fast asleep.

"Look at who's living the good life." Ginny muttered to herself in amusement. "I'd _pay_ to get twelve or more hours of sleep per night." Tucking the infant between two pillows, the teen then went about the quarters, putting together both her knapsack and Severus' diaper bag for the day. Ginny was _so_ grateful she and Harry set up a sleeping schedule for Severus when they did. By mid-August, he was beginning to sleep through the night—something both Harry and Ginny were grateful for now that the school year was upon them.

"Alright, my love, let's go!" Slinging her knapsack over her shoulder, Ginny bent down to pick the infant up, frowning when she realized he was much heavier asleep than he was awake. "Oh, Sev…" She sighed. The feel of the child curling up in her arms and settling into the crook of her neck, however, brought a small smile to her lips. Finally, she picked up the infant's diaper bag and slung it over her free shoulder, did a quick visual scan of the quarters one last time, and wrapped the infant in his favorite blanket before heading out and across the hall.

"And a good morning to you!" Tonks greeted with a smile as soon as the wolf portrait swung open.

"Hi, Dora!" Ginny whispered in return. "I'll just go lay him next to Teddy, shall I?"

"Yeah! Sure! His crib's in the bedroom." Tonks relieved the teen of the infant's diaper bag and then steered her towards the bedroom. Minutes later, Ginny emerged infant-free. "Running late?" The older witch asked knowingly. "Remus left five minutes ago."

"A little bit." Ginny nodded distractedly. "Okay! So…I put extra nappies in there should you need them, I put a copy of my schedule in there as well so you'll know exactly where I'll be, I put the Marauders' Map in there just in case, I put in a couple of his toys, a couple books to keep him occupied, I put in several bottles of milk just in case he wants any—he usually does, a bag of Wizard Cheerios are in there too—he likes munching on them every now and then, he's still teething a bit so his teething snitch is in there as well…OH! And I put a two-way mirror in there that connects to one I keep with me at all times—"

"Ginny!" Tonks exclaimed in amusement. "You'll only be gone for eight hours. We'll be _fine_!"

The teen didn't look convinced. "Are you sure?"

"Yes!" Tonks rolled her eyes and steered her out of the portrait hole. "Now go! Have a good day."

"Alright…" Ginny replied worriedly. Forcing herself to turn away from the portrait hole, she walked off to start her day.

_**

* * *

**_

When Severus came to an hour later, the first thing he noticed was that his dreamcatcher wasn't where it was supposed to be. He found that odd. His peripheral vision told him he was in a crib, yet his dreamcatcher wasn't there. Curious! The second thing he noticed was that there was someone there in the bed with him—inside the crib. That was doubly odd because he barely fit in his crib alone. Thus, the occupant next to him would have to be one his size. And the only one his size that he knew was Teddy. Peering next to him, Sev found that, sure enough, Teddy was right there—sleeping next to him! Which meant that he was in Remus' quarters. Which meant that Ginny had gone off to class for the day.

Severus sighed. He had hoped to be awake before she dropped him off at Remus'. He wanted to give her a goodbye kiss. "Immy…" He murmured to himself sadly. He hated this stupid keeping-sitters-company thing! He couldn't wait 'til the papers exposed his existence and everything. Then Harry and Ginny would become extra paranoid and have to take him to class with them for his own protection. Ha! Then he would get to keep them company _all day long_!

Spending the day with Dora, Teddy, and Andromeda wasn't too bad. Seeing Teddy with Andromeda, however, made him sort of wish Molly were here too. But he didn't want to make himself sound too needy so he pushed that thought away. Seeing Teddy with Dora made him long for Ginny to come back and hug him and kiss him too. _That_ thought brought tears to his eyes. Yet Severus stubbornly refused to let them fall. Then Remus came home for lunch. Seeing the two of them together—Remus holding Teddy and bouncing him on his knee—made Sev's longing for Harry come back with a vengeance. There was no stopping the tears this time around. "Ahhhhhh!"

Severus cried and cried and cried. This wasn't fair! It wasn't fair _at all_!!! Harry and Ginny were supposed to be here—with him! Or he was supposed to be there—with them! Either way, they were supposed to be in the same place—together! Now Harry was in Auror training and Ginny was in class and he _**HATED**_ this!!!

All the while Severus drained his frustrations through his tears, he was only vaguely aware of someone lifting him into his strong arms; vaguely aware of being carried out of the quarters and across the hall; vaguely aware of passing through his own living room; and vaguely aware of being cuddled on and rocked in his own rocking chair. He was only vaguely aware of the calming heartbeat beneath his ear; vaguely aware of the rumbling of the chest as someone hummed a familiar tune; vaguely aware of hand rubbing smooth circles into his back; and vaguely aware of the moment the tears ceased to fall.

"A few more hours, Sev." The soft, comforting voice from earlier said to him. "A few more hours until Ginny comes home, and a few more hours until Harry comes in after that." The hand rubbing the smooth circles into his back then slowly moved up to his head and soon fingers, which didn't feel quite like Harry's, began running through his soft baby hair. "You can make it, cub. I know you can!" Remus' comfort wasn't exactly the kind that he needed, but it worked well enough. He just wished he had Harry's.

"Remus?" A familiar voice murmured from the doorway. Sev didn't look up, opting to stick his thumb in his mouth instead, but he felt Remus twist around beneath him.

"Molly?" The werewolf whispered in surprise.

"Dora fire-called me. Told me Severus was feeling a bit lonely, the poor dear! She didn't want to bother Ginny, and she told me you were due in class soon."

"Yeah, I think he missed Harry when he saw me with Teddy a while ago." Remus nodded. "And then Andromeda and Dora with Teddy kind of…" He left the sentence hanging at that point, knowing Molly would know exactly what he was talking about. "But he seems okay now."

Molly came over and crouched next to the rocking chair, setting herself at eye level with Severus. "Hey, sweetheart?" She ran his fingers through his hair lovingly, making the child turn his head towards her.

"Mah-mah—Mawy" He said between hitched breaths and around his thumb.

"Hi, darling!" She smiled gently, her eyes aglow. "Would you like me to take you now?" She held her arms out and Severus nodded, reaching for her with his free hand. Loathed as he was to admit it, seeing her made him feel a lot better.

As soon as Molly had Severus securely in her embrace, Remus stood up and helped the older woman back to her feet as well. "Thanks a lot, Molly." He smiled gratefully, checking his pocket watch for the third time in ten minutes.

"Oh, it's my pleasure, dear."

Remus nodded and dropped a gentle kiss atop the back of Severus' head before rushing towards the door. "I'll send Ginny a note telling her you're here and not to worry too much."

"Much appreciated, Remus. Thank you!" Molly nodded at the retreating werewolf before turning back to the sniffling infant in her arms. "Now then, my darling, why don't we go back to Remus' quarters and see what they're doing, okay?" Severus, his thumb still in his mouth, silently nodded against her chest. "I have it on good authority that one o'clock is the start of arts-and-crafts time!"

Arts-and-crafts time it was indeed! Severus sat atop Molly's lap while Teddy sat atop Andromeda's. Tonks flitted between the both of them, distributing pieces of colored parchment, finger paint, and glue. "Make whatever you feel like making!" She exclaimed with a flourish, excitement lighting her eyes. "Let your imagination SOAR!" She then started doing ballet moves around the table. "Be whoever you want to be! Fly! _Fly_! _**FLY**_!!!"

Severus gaped at her the entire time, speechless.

"How about we make something for Harry, sweetheart?"

Sev grinned up at her, "Haweh!" He exclaimed happily. And so Molly and Severus spent the next three hours fingerpainting a masterpiece for Harry to admire the minute he got home. The piece featured Harry, Ginny, Sev, Sirius, Remus, Teddy, Dora, Andromeda, Molly, Arthur, and the rest of the Weasley clan. Needless to say, for a fingerpainting, it was _pretty_ big! "You want to draw Hogwarts in the background, love?" Molly asked, offering him some of the red paint.

"Hello, hello, hello!" A familiar voice exclaimed from the doorway.

Severus gasped and his head shot around immediately. "IMMY!" He cried with a grin.

"OH! There's my baby!" Ginny ran to Severus with her arms wide open and immediately enveloped the infant in a big bear hug.

"Honey!" Molly exclaimed in alarm, "He has paint on his fingers!"

It was useless. The finger paint was all over Ginny's face, hair, and robes before Molly could get a word out.

"It's alright, mum, this needs washing anyway." The teen shrugged it off. "And what have we got here, my love?"

"Me, Haweh, Ooo, Mah-Mah Mawy, Moomy, Toks, Teddy, Weewee, Pa-poo, Bwomeba, Mah-Mah McGoogoo…" Severus made sure to point out every colorful little blob and name each of them in turn. "Fow Haweh!"

"Ah, it's for Harry!" Ginny nodded in understanding and exchanged a smile with her mother. "How about me, love?"

"Fow ooo too!"

"Thank you, baby." Ginny gave him a big kiss on the cheek before pulling up a chair and sitting down, positioning Severus on her lap. "Dora, this was such a great idea!"

"See? Didn't I tell you? Arts-and-crafts work _every_ time!"

"Would you like to help me make a macaroni face for Harry? Or maybe Sirius?" Ginny asked the infant in her arms, signaling for Dora to pass her the macaroni and glue.

The infant thought about it for a full minute. "Haweh." He decided.

"Only Harry? But what about Sirius? He might get sad because Harry has two pieces of artwork and he has none." Ginny exchanged a silent laugh with Dora behind Sev's back.

Sev scowled. _So?! That's not __**my**__ problem!_ Yet when he glanced up at Ginny, Sev saw a look of expectation on her face and that forced the infant to think about it a moment more. Harry and Ginny always said to think about how the other person would feel, and for the first time ever, Severus did. Placing himself in the shoes of his former arch-nemesis, Sev asked himself how he would feel if he had just come home from a long stretch of Defense training with his godson, and his former enemy-turned-godson's-ward had just made his godson two paintings while he had none. How would he feel?

_Left out._ If he was being honest with himself, that's exactly how he would feel. Of course, he would mask those feelings by saying that he really didn't care and he would never have expected his former enemy to make him a picture anyway so it didn't really manner. Yet deep down he knew that it did. I did matter. Because if his former enemy had made him picture of his own free will, he would feel like he had just been given the all the gold in the world. He would feel like his former enemy had included him in his definition of family and, if he was being honest with himself, that picture would be the highlight of his day, his week, heck, maybe even his year!

It would mean the _world_ to him!

"Okie." Severus relied simply, turning back towards the table and reaching for the closest piece of parchment. "Few Pa-poo."

He felt Ginny shift around beneath him and heard her whisper something to her mother and Tonks, but the infant wasn't paying attention. He was too busy trying to pick up his fat crayon so that he can start drawing the picture on the paper. Half a second later, though, he felt Ginny give him a big kiss on the cheek and heard her proud voice whisper, "I'm proud of you, Severus!"

And _that_ meant the world to _him_!

_**

* * *

**_

Several hours later, Remus was at his desk, finishing up some lesson plans, Dora, Ginny, and Hermione (who had come over earlier to interview Remus for the piece of pro-werewolf legislation she was drafting) were sitting at the dining room table, sipping tea and talking about Ministry law, and Molly and Andromeda were sitting on the couch, talking and watching the two infants on the floor, who were playing.

"So we agree that we should go for labor rights and voting rights and equal opportunity employment—"

"I think that falls under labor rights."

"Ginny, I think your mum's calling you." Dora said, pointing behind the teen to where her mother was waving at her frantically.

The teen glanced over curiously. "Mum?"

"Ginny! He's trying to _walk_!" She hissed, her waving getting even more frantic by the second.

All at once, all three women dropped what they were doing and rushed over to the living room area. Sure enough, there Severus was-- standing up, using one of the easy chairs for support, and looking around as if trying to decide if he wanted to walk to the coffee table or to Nana Molly.

"Sev?" Ginny questioned cautiously, trying to suppress her enthusiasm so as not to discourage him from trying. "You want to try walking, love?"

The infant nodded wordlessly before continuing his scan of the room.

"Well, do you want to try walking to me?" Ginny suggested, coming around the couch and taking a seat on the other easy chair in the room.

Sev bit his lip. He glanced from the coffee table to Nana Molly to Ginny and back to the coffee table once more. "Too faw!" He cried, pointing in Ginny's direction.

"Oh, I know, love." The teen nodded. "Do you want to try walking to me, though? I can move the coffee table and you would only need to go two or three steps. It won't be that difficult."

_That's easy for you to say._ The voice at the back drawled cynically. Sev nodded despite it. _You won't be able to do it!_ The mean old voice continued. _You shouldn't even try. You'll just fall and get carpet burn and your arms would hurt and your legs would get sore and it's not even worth it. Don't do it._

"You can do it, love." Ginny encouraged him. She had moved the coffee table completely out of the way and now was sitting back on her heels in the middle of the bare living room, two or three feet away from him, holding her arms out for him to walk into.

_See! Ginny says I can do it!_ Sev yelled at the stupid voice at the back.

_Ginny's lying to you!_

"Mo!" Sev shook his head sadly.

"Oh, yes, you can, darling!" Molly exclaimed, cheering for him along with everyone else in the room. Even Remus had taken a break from his work to cheer him on.

"Come on, love!" Ginny stretched her arms out a little farther so he could reach it more easily.

_You can't do it!_

"You can do it!"

Severus pushed up against the couch and let go for a fraction of a second, feeling his legs wobble beneath him. Grabbing back onto the couch, he bit his lip and peered back at Ginny sadly. "Mo!" He whined pitifully, shaking his head with resolution.

"Alright, love. One step then." Ginny moved her hands even closer. "One step only, and then you and I can go for a walk around the living room so we can build up your calf muscles."

_You can't do it! Can't do it! Can't do it! Can't do it!_

_One step. _Releasing his lip, Severus took a deep breath, told the voice at the back of his head to shove it, let go of the couch and took a wobbly step towards Ginny.

"YEAH!" The entire living room burst into cheers the moment Severus latched onto Ginny's outstretched pointer fingers and used her for support as he struggled to find his balance. "Attaboy Severus!" "See? I _knew_ you could do it!" "There we go!" "His first step!" "I got that on camera!" "Yah!"

Ginny, for her part, gave him the biggest praise of all—one of those giant bear hugs that he loved the most, a big kiss on the cheek, and endless words of praise in his ear.

Thus, Severus spent the rest of the evening on his two wobbly feet, holding onto Ginny's fingers and dragging her all over the soft white carpet. Likewise, Ginny spent the rest of the evening bent over, supporting her infant from behind; her big bare feet guiding Severus' tiny bare feet all over the ground floor of Remus' quarters. The teen knew she would wake up in the morning with a giant backache in the small of her back yet Ginny didn't mind. Her baby was happy and excited about learning to walk and that beautiful smile on his face, to her, was worth all the backache in the world!

_**

* * *

**_

The next day flew by faster than the day before—for both Severus and Ginny. The infant was able to get up on time this morning and thus was able to pick out his wardrobe and toys for the day. They were even able to fit in a morning feeding before Ginny had to drop him off to Dora's for the day. Severus got the chance to give Ginny a big hug and a kiss before she set off to class. They even caught Remus before he went off for the morning and the infant waved at him and greeted him a "Goo Mowming" as he left the quarters. The werewolf had replied with a smile and a greeting of his own.

Breakfast with Teddy was fun and just as messy as usual. Then Molly had shown up by surprise and invited everyone to the Burrow for the rest of the morning so that the infants could get some sunshine. They were back at Hogwarts by lunch when, once again, Remus joined them. And, just as yesterday, the post-lunch hours were taken up by a short nap and a Dora-led arts-and-crafts time. Today, Dora partnered up with Severus to help him paint a small, hand-carved angel statue to give to Ginny when she came home later. By some miracle, the entire day passed by without incident.

Later that evening, after Ginny had picked up Severus, fed him, bathed him, and changed him for the night, everyone was gathered in Harry's living room, enjoying the first Friday evening of the school year and laughing about the crazy week they'd just had. Once again, Ginny was bent over behind Severus, supporting him with her fingers and guiding him all over their bare living room.

"Attaboy, cub! You'll be walking in no time!" Remus commended before turning to the other infant he was bouncing on his knee. "And what about you, my Teddy bear?" He grinned at his son who grinned right on back at him, making Remus laugh in turn. "When are you going to start walking, huh?"

"I think the real question is whether or not you want the pair of them to start walking together." Hermione commented with a laugh.

"That's true." Remus nodded with a chuckle.

"What? What's wrong, love?" Ginny asked, standing by one the easy chairs next to the hearth. Severus had just stopped suddenly, without warning, and was now peering around the living room as if waiting for something to appear. "You want to try walking without my fingers now?" She asked curiously.

The infant then turned his gaze up towards her, his eyes wide with curiosity and expectation.

Ginny's eyebrows furrowed. "What's wrong, Sev?"

All of a sudden, the floo flared to life, tongues of green fire leaping up higher and spreading out wider than ever before. Then, in the blink of an eye, the fire was gone and there, standing on the hearth, were three very familiar men.

"Ron!"

"Sirius!"

"Haweh!"

"There's my boy!" The black-haired teen was the first one out of the hearth. Throwing his duffle bag across the room, he fell to one knee and opened his arms out for a big bear hug. Then the miracle of all miracles took place—Severus instantly let go of Ginny's fingers and took off towards Harry!

One step.

Two step.

Three step.

Four!

Five step.

Six step.

Seven step.

SCORE!!!

A cheer to end all cheers suddenly swept through the room. Yet Sev didn't notice. The moment Harry engulfed him in his arms and lifted him off the ground and spun him around and around and around and gave him a kiss on the head and whispered words of praise in his ear, nothing else in the world mattered to him.

Harry was _**HOME**_!!!

* * *

**YEAH!!! Go Severus! He took his first steps! Now to learn how to actually WALK! :-) **

**Next up, word gets out that Severus Snape is missing, Sirius shows a different side to himself, Harry sets out to meddle in Dumbledore's life for a change, and Padfoot teaches his pup's cub how to WALK!!!**

**Hi everyone! THANK YOU so much for reading this chapter, THANK YOU so much to everyone who left a REVIEW, and just...THANK YOU in general. :-) As some of you can probably tell, I've settled into a pattern where I update every weekend (when it's the weekend where I live). This is because school is in full swing right now and I just can't find the time to update during the week. Anyway, just wanted to let you all know that. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please don't hesitate to let me know what you think! :-)**


	33. The Bigger 'Witch'

**WARNING: Some smoking, drinking and cursing in one scene (By a grouchy Abe and Harry)**

* * *

"So what's your plan for the day?" Ginny asked, knowing the man who was spooning behind her was not as asleep as he pretended to be.

"Uhm…" Harry groaned, indicating he was either deep in thought or trying to figure out what she just said. "I have to take care of Dumbledore's things today."

"You're going to go speak to the both of them?" She felt him nod behind her.

"What about you?" He mumbled into her back.

"I have to run Quidditch tryouts today." Ginny groaned. She really didn't feel up to it today but, being the Gryffindor Quidditch team captain, she had no choice. "But just for a few hours—in the morning."

"Mmm…" Her boyfriend grunted in reply. Harry really wasn't a morning person. "So…are you going to take Severus with you or shall I?" He mumbled, his speech slightly slurred, almost like a drunk.

"I think…" Ginny gave it a moment of thought. She really didn't like leaving Severus with a babysitter, regardless of whether or not that babysitter was Dora and Remus. Now that the summer was over, she and Harry spent too much time away from the infant as it was. These were his formative months. His first year was arguably the most critical of all! She wanted him to spend as much time with the both of them as humanly possible! But with the pair of them wanting to keep their private lives private, and with Severus' existence being a closely-guarded secret, so many things worked against them when it came to spending time together as a family. She also felt that Severus spent too much time inside the castle as it was. If it wasn't for her mother inviting them to the Burrow every few days or so, Severus wouldn't get any sunshine at all. "Well…Remus and Dora want to come watch the try-outs. Sirius does too. And I think the lot of them are going to be sitting up in the towers where the faculty sits—away from any students."

"So you're going to take him with you?" Her boyfriend murmured.

"Yeah, he can sit with them until try-outs are over. Then the lot of us can go visit Hagrid." Ginny shrugged.

"Okay…" Harry slurred, leaning into the back of her neck. Ginny had the feeling he was drifting off back to sleep. "I'll probably be done with the Dumbledores by then. We can meet up for a late lunch and then head off to Godric's Hollow tonight." She felt his arm around her waist tighten slightly.

"Mmm…" Now it was Ginny's turn to groan for she was falling back to sleep as well. "That sounds good." She slurred. "I just have a quick meeting with McGonagall around…after noon."

"Why? Is she keeping track of your marks?"

"Yeah, I meet with her every Saturday and she scrutinizes my work and my marks—practically her only condition for the excessive amount of freedom I have, considering I'm still a student in her house." Her shoulder shook slightly as Harry silently chuckled into her back. "Well she's not lying!" Ginny playfully smacked Harry on the leg. "I get to sleep here from Wednesday night to Saturday night, I get to go to Godric's Hollow with you on the weekends, my two Defense teachers are my boyfriend and his best friend, and I'm practically a student mother."

"You know what I think? I think she admires you, Ginny."

"I think she's actually trying to help me, really." The teen replied, as if the insight just came to her a moment before. "She's making sure that I get fair marks that judge my abilities against decent standards. It'll help me on my NEWTS! She's making sure that I'm keeping up with my work. Did you know she actually told me that she was willing to babysit Severus if I felt like I needed extra time to study or whatnot? And you weren't here, and Remus and Dora weren't available, and blah, blah, blah."

Harry snorted. "I think she just wants to babysit Severus." The teen surmised, "She's just using you as an excuse. She's quite taken by him."

"Who wouldn't be?" Ginny smiled.

"You should invite her to dinner tonight—at the Den." Harry suggested.

"Maybe I will." Ginny shrugged. She liked the idea. After all, Harry and Sev both called McGonagall 'Nana'. It wasn't a bad idea to start treating her like one. "Yeah! I think I will."

"Remind me to set an extra place." Harry mumbled.

"Harry!" _KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! __**KNOCK**__! __**KNOCK**__! __**KNOCK**__!_ "Ginny! Harry!"

_WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!_

"Knock it off, Sirius! It's a _real_ emergency this time!" Hermione's distinct shrill was muffled by the door.

Harry propped himself up on an elbow. "Does it have something to do with the _Daily Prophet_?!" Harry screamed in reply.

"Yes, but—"

"Then it's _NOT_ an emergency!" And with that, Harry dove back into his pillow and tightened his arm around his girlfriend's waist.

"_Infamous Spy Against the Death Eaters, Severus Snape, Reported Missing!_" Hermione read them the headline through the door.

Ginny gasped and shot up immediately, turning to Harry with a look of shock on her face. "Did they just write something about Severus?"

Harry was out of bed and throwing the door open before Hermione could even start reading the subheading. The other teen passed him the paper immediately, pointing to the article in question. Seconds later, both Sirius and Ginny crowded in next to them.

_A source inside Hogwarts claims that the infamous Death Eater, Severus Snape, revealed last May by Harry Potter to have actually been a longtime spy for the Resistance, has gone missing! The source explains that during the Battle of Hogwarts, Snape was attacked by You-Know-Who's snake, Nagini, and survived the encounter but ended up in a coma. With the start of the new school year, many of his former Slytherin students, who have supported him throughout the war,—_

"Blood hell! They're making all the Death Eater spawn sound like they've been rooting for the Resistance all along!" Sirius spat in disgust.

"What do you expect?" Hermione scoffed, "For some of them, the only thing they know is how to suck up. This is probably how they presented themselves."

--_tried visiting their former Head-of-House-turned-Headmaster in the school infirmary, where they knew he had been admitted. "He was not there." The source, who wishes to remain anonymous, told the Prophet. "My mates and I asked the school matron what had happened to him. She said he woke up, got well, and was discharged." _

_The students tried visiting his former quarters, located just beyond the Slytherin Common Room, where they figured he would be recuperating, but he was not there either. "The entire place was cleaned out! Top to bottom!"_

"How, in Merlin's name, did they get to the inside of Snape's quarters?!" Harry cried with a frown. "You need a _password_ to get in!"

"Harry, these are very angry people." Sirius replied gravely, "Do you really think a simple password is going to stop them from getting what they want?"

_Wanting to convey their thanks and praise to Mr. Snape, the students informed their parents of his discharge and implored them to find him so that they may thank him in person._

"Kill him in person is more like it." Ginny sneered.

"Son of a bitch!" Harry stuffed the paper in Sirius' hands and turned back to the bedroom, grabbing a pair of jeans from the foot of the bed and hopping into them. "They're hunting him down, the bastards!"

"Pup, I think you should take a minute to calm down—"

"I'm too worked up to calm down, Sirius!" The teenager screamed in reply.

All of a sudden, the baby across the room began to cry. "Ahhhhhhhh!"

"Oh, honey…" Ginny tsked under her breath and went to pick him up and rock him. Harry, meanwhile, tore open a drawer and grabbed the first shirt inside, throwing it on.

"What does the rest of the article say?" He snapped at his godfather, a fierce scowl upon his face.

"Er…" Sirius straightened up the paper and began speed reading.

"The parents went to his house in Spinner's End and searched that place top to bottom as well." Hermione filled in.

"I bet you they cleaned it out while they were there." Sirius muttered, squinting at something on the page.

"Actually, I think Dumbledore did that." Hermione interjected.

"How do you figure?" Sirius raised an eyebrow at her.

"Well, you know Dumbledore. He probably saw all of this coming." The girl shrugged.

"Which is why I'm going to talk to him right now." Harry growled. Grabbing his wand, he stuffed it in his sleeve and pushed past them on his way to the floo.

"Harry—"

"You were right, Hermione. There _is_ a leak inside the castle!" He exclaimed over his shoulder.

"Harry, it's not really a leak." Sirius handed Hermione the paper and went to chase his godson before he disappeared into the flames. "HARRY!" Still no response. "Come on." The animagus grumbled under his breath.

"_**HENRY JAMES POTTER**_!!!" He boomed.

Harry froze in his tracks.

Sirius cringed. It was very rare that he actually had to raise his voice to his godson, much more use his full name, but he knew for a fact that Harry knew better than to ignore that tone of voice—especially if it came from his godfather.

The entire room was plunged into silence. Even _Severus_ had stopped crying the moment he heard Sirius' scream, and was now pushing up against Ginny's chest, trying to get a better view of the proceedings.

"Pup, you _NEED_ to calm down." Sirius continued in a much calmer voice.

Harry whirled around and fixed his godfather with a cold, hard glare. "Why?" He growled through gritted teeth.

"Because this anger is not going to solve anything!" The animagus argued.

"It'll get me answers—"

"To what?!" Sirius interjected, trying to be his godson's voice of reason. "What answers do you need? The Death Eaters are looking for Severus because they want to kill him. There's no new information there."

"How about _WHICH_ ones?" Harry retorted. "_Which_ Death Eaters are after him?"

"What good will knowing _that_ do?"

"So I can target their kids—"

"Alright, _STOP_!" Sirius demanded, not wanting to hear any more of that particular answer from his godson. "You see? This is precisely why you need to calm down. You're not thinking straight!"

"Yes, I am!" The teen forced through gritted teeth, sending his godfather a death glare.

"No you're not!" The animagus argued. "You _never_ think straight when you're angry."

"He's right, Harry." Ginny added from behind Sirius, "This will solve nothing."

"Pup, you need to calm down. Take a breath, take a walk—whatever! Come up with a plan of action that doesn't involve violence, because violence is _not your style_!"

Harry tore his gaze away from his godfather at that point and scowled fiercely at the floor. "Says who?" He growled under his breath.

"Says _**ME**_!" Sirius replied, his eyes flashing and his nose flaring uncharacteristically. "I _know_ Remus and I taught you better than that!" Harry opened his mouth to reply, but Sirius held up a stern finger and fixed his godson with a rare, equally firm look. "Don't say anything you know you're going to regret." He warned.

And with that, Sirius spun around, turning away from his fuming godson and fixing his gaze upon Ginny. Wordlessly, he held his arms out and nodded towards Severus, signaling for the teenager to hand him the baby and to go calm Harry down.

Ginny bit her lip and peered down at the infant in her arms. Severus was sucking his thumb and watching Harry warily from the corner of his eye. The dark anger radiating off the normally calm young man was beginning to scare him. Thus, despite the fact that, under normal circumstances, Ginny wasn't quite willing to trust Severus to Sirius, the alternative—bringing Severus close to a fuming Harry while she fought to calm him down—was not an option she wanted to consider. Nodding, Ginny wordlessly passed him over to the animagus while she went to pacify her boyfriend.

Severus went without a fight, wrapping his free arm around Sirius' neck and leaning against his chest. He never once took his eyes off Harry, though.

"Come on, scamp, let's give them a few minutes." Sirius then turned his back to the couple and began making his way towards the kitchen.

Severus, not one to give up so easily, used the arm wrapped around the back of Sirius' neck to boost himself up so that he could peer over the animagus' shoulder. Kicking slightly to get more leverage, Severus was able to peer past Hermione's bushy hair to spy the couple in the middle of the living room. Harry and Ginny were whispering furiously to one another, giving Severus the impression that they were having a sort of silent argument.

"They're talking about the newspaper article that came out about you this morning." Hermione informed him, flashing the front page of the newspaper in his face and effectively blocking his view of Harry and Ginny.

As soon as the infant read the headline, he scowled at the newspaper and blew raspberries at it. _Stupid gossip rags!_ The voice at the back grumbled.

"Don't put them down too much." Sirius interjected, setting Severus down in his high chair so that he could get breakfast ready. "The article _did_ warn us that some Death Eaters are looking for you."

_Yeah, what else is new?_ Severus rolled his eyes.

"What do you want for breakfast?"

_Nothing you make. _Severus ignored the animagus in favor of shifting around so that he could catch a glimpse of Harry and Ginny.

"Severus, if you don't name something in ten seconds, I'm feeding you flavorless, dry, instant oatmeal." Sirius threatened dully.

The infant shot back around, fixing his gaze on the animagus and narrowing his eyes in challenge. "Ooo mo daweh!" He spat.

Sirius raised an eyebrow at the infant. "Oh, really? 10…" He began walking towards the cabinet he knew Harry and Ginny kept the oatmeal. "…9…" Severus turned away and refused to give in. "…8…" Sirius took out the horrid oatmeal. "…7…" Severus peered back at him through the corner of his eye. "…6…" Sirius took out Sev's baby bowl and spoon. "…5…" Severus' attention was now solely focused on him. "…4…" Sirius filled a glass of water and warmed it with a wave of his wand. "…3…" Severus gaped at the animagus incredulously. Water?! "…2…"

"WISDING OH!" The infant squealed, pointing to the top cabinet where he knew his Wizard Cheerios were located. Sirius peered back at him with a raised eyebrow. "Wisding oh, peas." Sev repeated, his shoulders sagging.

Sirius instantly dumped the water over his shoulder—literally—managing, by some miracle, to shoot it all in the sink. A wave of his wand ensured that the horrible, flavorless, dry, instant oatmeal ended up back in the cabinet from which it came. He then took Severus' baby bowl over to the other cabinet and poured a handful of cereal into it.

"Want anything, Hermione?" Sirius asked as he placed Severus' bowl on the baby's tray table.

"Just toast, please." The girl behind the newspaper replied.

"Coming right up."

"We're hoping Dumbledore had the foresight to empty out your house at Spinner's End before the Death Eaters got there." Hermione told the munching infant.

_Knowing __**that**__ meddlesome old coot, he probably did. _Severus rolled his eyes and shrugged. He didn't particularly care about his old things anymore. His new toys were by far more exciting! And he hated that old house anyway. So there was really nothing to cry about!

All of a sudden, Harry and Ginny appeared at the table and Severus squealed in delight. "Goo goo goo!"

"Good Morning!" Harry gave him a kind smile.

"Mowming!"

As Ginny got a kiss from baby, Harry turned to Sirius, who was flipping pancakes on the stove. "Thanks for stopping me."

"Don't mention it." Sirius gave him a cocky half-smile. "What would you have done, anyway?"

Harry shrugged. "Stormed his office, frothed at the mouth, something like that." Godfather and godson exchanged a laugh.

"And now that you've calmed down, what are you going to do now?"

Harry shrugged yet again. "I was going there to discuss his old possessions that Aberforth wanted me to get rid of. I'll be giving it back to him." The teen picked up the paper and gave the front page article a once-over, "And while I'm there, we might as well discuss this and some plans for his safety." He nodded at the infant. "What we'll do if all of this comes out, if he's exposed—"

"I already told you—"

"Padfoot," Harry stopped him before he could get any further, "It's not that simple."

"Oh, but it _is_, Harry." Sirius replied, turning from the stove to fully face his godson. "And the only reason you're not going through with it is because either he's unwilling or _you're_ unwilling."

"I _am_ willing!" Harry responded, indignant. "I'm _very_ willing! It's just that…I mean…It's still a bit weird coming from you—"

"I have a _bad_ feeling, pup." Sirius said, coming clean about the strange things he had been sensing for the past few months. "I have a bad feeling, okay?" At seeing Harry's raised eyebrow, Sirius blushed and turned back to his cooking, wanting to give his fidgety hands something to do. "It's the same feeling that I got…that I got before…"

Harry frowned, "Before what?"

"Before your parents went into hiding. I…" With a sigh, Sirius shrugged. Harry was beginning to sense that he didn't want to talk about it anymore.

Rising from the table, Harry approached his godfather with concern. "What, Padfoot?" After a while, when Sirius still refused to answer, Harry posed another question. "Do you have The Gift?"

"Forget it, Harry." The animagus shrugged, trying to pretend that he hadn't just said what he did. "It's not important—"

Harry could tell from the way his godfather's voice shuddered slightly and his aura fluctuated that Sirius wanted to say what was on his mind but he feared Harry's reaction. In particular, he feared his godson would think him crazy. "Please?" The teen pleaded, gripping his godfather's forearm in order to get his attention. "Please?"

The animagus froze. Glancing over, Sirius caught of glimpse of Harry's desperate face and sighed. Shutting off the stove, he spooned the cooked breakfast into separate plates before turning to face his godson completely. "I…I just feel that you should adopt him." He said, casting a fleeting look over Harry's shoulder to the eight-month-old at the kitchen table.

"Why?" The teen asked, fighting to keep his voice neutral.

"I don't know!" The animagus whispered in return. "I don't know. It's just this feeling that I have. It's the same one that I felt when your parents chose me as their secret keeper…and I told them to make me decoy and to give that job to Peter."

Harry looked confused. "What'd your feelings tell you then?"

"That it should've been Remus." The animagus grimaced. "I ignored my feelings back then…but they were right! That's why…that's why…" Sirius sighed and shrugged, "…that's why I'm…doing this right now."

As soon as the words were past his lips, he turned away from Harry and picked up all the plates with breakfast on them. "OKAY! Breakfast is served!" Pushing past his confused godson, he made his way to the dining room table amid playful cheers from Ginny and Severus.

Harry was frozen in place by the stove, staring blankly out the kitchen window while a million thoughts ran through his head. Perhaps he _should_ adopt Severus. Because what if Sirius' feelings/visions/whatever were right? What if someone tried to take his boy away from him? What if someone found a loophole in the guardianship papers? Or worse, found out about his past and used it against him? And besides, it wasn't like he hadn't thought about adoption before. Sirius' constant suggestions had it running through his mind regularly. Yet they all always stopped at the thought of Severus. What if Severus didn't want Harry to adopt him? What if everything was fine with the guardianship and so what was the point of adoption then? What if Severus didn't want Harry and Ginny to take that extra step?

Harry shook his head. _"I have a bad feeling, pup."_ Sirius' warning—and Harry _did_ take it as a warning—ran through his mind. This required some heavy thought.

_**

* * *

**_

"Ah! Harry, my boy! Come on in!" Dumbledore's face lit up as soon as he spied Harry at his door.

Harry gave him a tight smile as he walked into the room.

"And how is Severus this morning?" The old man asked, flicking his wand at a chair across the table. The seat immediately swept itself out for Harry.

"He's, um…He's fine." Harry struggled to find a spot to lay his boxes down as he took a seat. As per usual, every inch of Dumbledore's table was covered in junk. The teen decided to lay them on the floor by his feet.

"And Miss Weasley?"

"Doing great." Harry answered distractedly, digging through the top box for a specific shrunken package. "She's running the Gryffindor Quidditch tryouts this morning."

"Naturally. And Mr. Black?" The Headmaster smiled, "I have it on good authority that he moved in with the three of you?"

Harry looked up from his digging and raised an eyebrow at the old man. Did he even _want_ to know how the old coot knew that? "Er…He practically did, yes."

"Is everything going well? With Severus and Sirius living under the same roof, I mean?" Dumbledore asked with a knowing smile.

Harry sat back in his seat with a sigh and gave the old man a strange look. "There are…moments that the both of them have." The teen nodded. "Ginny said to me one night that she feels she's either raising two children, living with a brother-in-law, or living with a father-in-law."

Dumbledore chuckled. "As per Sirius' usual style, of course."

"The man has more mood swings than a teenage girl." Harry rolled his eyes. "You never know how he's going to act next."

"But he's got it where it counts." The Headmaster added with a smile.

Harry couldn't disagree with him there. "He's got it where it counts in spades." The teen nodded with a smile. "Which reminds me…If you don't mind—" Harry reached over Dumbledore's desk to dig out the day's _Daily Prophet_ from under the ton of half-finished machines on top of it. He then snapped the paper open and held up the ginormous headline for the Headmaster to see. Wordlessly, he raised a questioning eyebrow at the old man.

"Ah, yes!" Dumbledore threw the invention he had been working on aside and folded his hands in front of him. "_That_!"

"This." Harry nodded.

"Would it surprise you if I told you I cleaned out his house before the Death Eaters ever got there?"

"His house was not the first thing that popped into my mind when I saw it."

"Of course not. However, it may interest you to know that his house is practically your house now that he's your legal ward."

Harry rolled his eyes and threw the newspaper over his shoulder. "Professor Dumbledore," he forced through gritted teeth, leaning forward in his chair to frown at the man in front of him, "I don't give a _damn_ about the house!"

The old man looked away and sighed, "Of course not." He repeated, more to himself than to Harry. "My boy…don't worry too much—"

"Don't worry too much?" Harry repeated incredulously. "So I'm not to worry if the most dangerous people in the world are looking for my child?!" He exclaimed.

"I didn't mean that. Harry, please calm down." Dumbledore gave him an imploring look.

Harry's lips thinned into a tight line and he looked away, forcing himself to take a deep breath like his godfather advised him.

"Look…" The Headmaster began again, "Harry, Severus has the best disguise he can possibly have at the moment." Harry merely scowled at Fawkes' empty perch. "But I'm guessing Ginny already convinced you of that since he's sitting outside with the Lupins and Sirius watching the Gryffindor Quidditch tryouts."

Harry stood up so quickly his chair tipped over, "And what happens when his cover is blown?! What happens when his disguise fails?!"

Dumbledore calmly stared back at the agitated teen above him. "You're so sure it'll fail."

Harry blinked. He could feel his anger draining away as quickly as it appeared. Pushing away from Dumbledore's desk, Harry righted his chair with the wave of a hand and collapsed into it. "_Everything_ fails eventually." He croaked, closing his eyes and rubbing the wrinkles from his forehead. "Everything…comes to light."

"That's true." Dumbledore agreed, studying Harry with a critical eye. "But knowing you? You already know what to do once the truth comes to light. You're just trying to convince yourself that it's the right thing to do." The boy's eyes suddenly fixed on him and narrowed in suspicion. Dumbledore gave Harry and innocent smile and shrugged. "Arguments inside the Burrow are not quite secret, just so you know."

"I put silencing charms on the door."

"There are walls."

"_And_ the walls!"

"Oh!" The old coot smiled slyly down at his desk, picking up a small object and picking at it with his fingers. "Did you?"

"I even included your little toy there!" Harry added, frowning at the meddlesome Headmaster.

"Oh?" All of a sudden, Dumbledore acted all interested, "Which one?" He asked with an innocent smile.

With a roll of his eyes, Harry sighed and collapsed back into his chair, resuming his massage of his forehead. "Forget it." He croaked. Seeing as how Dumbledore now knew everything (_big_ surprise there), Harry figured he might as well ask for his advice. "I…I just don't know. Do you think he's going to go for it?"

"Harry," Dumbledore threw his toy down and folded his hands up once again, completely serious now, "That child sees you as his father—unquestionably!"

"I don't hear him calling me 'dad'." The teen retorted.

"He will."

"You're so sure!" The young wizard rolled his eyes.

"Someday soon." The Headmaster replied, not missing a beat.

Harry shut his eyes and shook his head. No.

"_Haweh!"_

"_There's my boy!" Hopping out of the fireplace, he threw his duffle bag across the room and dropped down to one knee, opening his arms out for a big bear hug. And then came the highlight of his week—Severus walked to him. Heck, Severus __**ran**__ to him! His baby boy ran into his arms for a big hug from—_

"No!" Harry banged his fist against the edge of Dumbledore's desk and looked away. "No." He continued shaking his head with a sigh. "No."

"So the reluctance is on your part—"

"Don't you _dare_ accuse me of that!" Harry snapped, his eyes flashing.

"You're reluctant—"

"I just don't want to get his hopes up—"

"Why would they be shot down?" Dumbledore interjected, raising an eyebrow at the teenager, hoping to push him into revealing the secret everyone knew he and Ginny were hiding.

Harry shook his head. "No." He set his jaw and fixed the old man with a firm look. "No. I didn't come here for the armchair psychology. I came to talk to you."

"Ah! And now the tables are turned." Dumbledore muttered to himself, a tight smile on his face.

"Most of your old possessions are in these boxes." He gestured downwards to the boxes at his feet before bending down to retrieve a particular parcel inside the top box. "They're all going back to you with the exception of…" With a wave of his hand, Harry enlarged the parcel, removed its cover, and threw it onto a fairly flat part of the overcrowded table, "…these."

Harry watched as Dumbledore swallowed and fidgeted around with his glasses and his hands before even reaching for the box in question. Of course, the teenager already knew what was in it—a silver chain necklace, a ring, a cup, a journal, and a pair of glasses—but the old man didn't. Yet, judging from his behavior, from the nervous ticks that gave him away, Harry realized Dumbledore knew _exactly_ what was going to be in that box.

"Only these?" Dumbledore gave him a funny smile—one that Harry knew was supposed to mislead him. "I'm surprised. I thought you would find more objects—"

"I did." Harry answered without missing a beat. "Their auras were too dark to keep. I obliterated them." Folding his hands in front of him, Harry waited for the old man's reaction.

The elder wizard's eyes widened for a fraction of a second and he shot Harry a quick panicked sort of look. Yet those emotions were quickly dampened the moment the Headmaster returned his gaze to the contents of the box. By then, a ghost of an emotion flitted just behind his eyes. It came in and out in passes and it didn't take a legilimens to figure out what it was. The Headmaster's emotions were fluctuating around the vicinity of grief. "Oh." He murmured, trying to look and sound interested, but Harry could tell his heart wasn't in it.

The teenager stroked his upper lip in thought. _That_ was interesting! He tried to figure out what it meant.

He watched as Dumbledore picked up the necklace—a man's, by the looks of it—and held it up to the light. The old man's fingers passed over each of the chain links, his eyes focused on a memory a lifetime away. After a while, he dropped the necklace and turned his focus on the pair of round-rimmed glasses lying flat and open at the bottom of the box. Harry watched as he ran a finger over the old, silver rim before fiddling with the earpiece, a ghost of a smile passing through his lips. The cup he picked up and cradled in his hands, running his thumb over the faded picture that one day used to be but was no more.

The old man took a deep breath and turned back to Harry, a smile on his lips but not his eyes. "This is all?"

"Those are in things _in question_." Harry corrected gently. "They have a dark gray aura—not quite black, but close." He paused, mentally debating on whether or not he wanted to reveal the next bit of information. The look in Dumbledore's eyes, however, decided for him. "Those were, in fact, the darkest objects in the house."

The Headmaster looked up in surprise, "But I thought—"

"I lied." Harry replied with a shrug, raising an eyebrow at the old man, challenging him to say anything further on the issue. "People do that. I wanted to see your reaction."

Dumbledore looked lost, "My reaction?"

"You know who those things belonged to." Harry replied. It was a statement, not a question.

"Of course!" Dumbledore turned away and picked up the silver chain once again, fingering it softly. "This was my father's."

Harry shook his head, regardless of the fact that the old coot was turned away. "It was Grindelwald's." He countered. Again, a statement and not a question.

The Headmaster looked up at him in surprise, the silver chain slowly slipping through his fingers. "How did you—"

"Professor, you are not the only one in this room who is capable of deductive reasoning." The teenager replied dully. He hated how the old wizard always seemed to assume that he was the only one in the world that was proficient enough in the skill.

Dumbledore closed his eyes and, for the first time since he caught a glimpse of the box, gave Harry a genuine smile. "Of course." He nodded. "So when did you figure it out?"

"About a minute ago." The teenager replied, "That's what I needed your reaction for."

The Headmaster gave him a confused look. "Right." He replied shakily.

"You know, it's quite funny," Harry smirked, "Those five objects, save for one, very much resemble Voldemort's non-organic horcruxes, save for one."

"Oh! But, no, no, no!" Dumbledore's eyes widened at Harry and he shook his head frantically, "No, no, Gallert, er…Grindelwald, he—"

Harry held up a hand and shook his head to stop the Headmaster in his tracks, "It's alright. I know he didn't make any horcruxes. He's dead." He stated bluntly.

Dumbledore's reaction was immediate. What light had reappeared in his eyes quickly dissipated again; the smile that was beginning to form quickly died; and the gaze that had slowly been climbing up to meet Harry's fell back into the box once more.

Harry leaned back in his seat and stroked his chin. Very, _very_ interesting!

"He—he's dead?" Once again, the old man worked to sound interested. Once again, it failed.

"Killed by Voldemort, a couple months back—in his jail cell." The teen informed him, his voice devoid of any emotion. Harry might as well have been talking about the weather.

Dumbledore swallowed hard. Picking up the necklace, he studied it and held it, rubbing his fingers over the chain's links as a Catholic would've rubbed the beads of the rosary during prayer. Harry noticed his hands were trembling.

"Really?" And his voice as well. "I didn't know that." This time, the teen was able to pick up the slight crack at the end of his statement.

Harry couldn't hold on to his stoic façade any longer. The sympathy was beginning to creep into his eyes and the waves of sadness coming off the old man were beginning to affect his mood as well. There was now not a doubt in his mind what Grindelwald and his things meant to the old Headmaster.

"I'm sorry for your loss, sir." Harry said, letting his emotions bleed through his voice and his eyes.

Once again, Dumbledore's head shot up in surprise. "I…He…Yes, he was a very good friend…" His gaze returned to the chain in his hand and his voice dropped to a murmur, "…while it lasted…"

"Of course." The teen replied dubiously, meeting Dumbledore's shaken gaze with a knowing look of his own.

Dumbledore shut his eyes and swallowed. This time, it was his turn to rub the wrinkles off his forehead. "Harry—"

"It's none of my business." The teen stopped him before he could get any further. "Who a person chooses to…care very much for…is none of my business." The old man sighed and nodded, opening his eyes but only managing to raise them to Harry's chest. There was no meeting his gaze. "But to know that you…cared very much for…him…" Harry waited until the old man met his gaze, if only out of pure curiosity, "…I am very, _very_ sorry about your loss…" Harry leaned forward in his chair and dropped his voice to a whisper, "…_all_ your loss."

Silence filled the room then. Although Dumbledore met his eyes, Harry knew the old man was merely looking through him; seeing things that might have been, but weren't; picturing scenes that could have happened, but didn't; hearing words that should have been said, but have never been heard. Harry knew Dumbledore knew what he meant by 'all' his loss—those 'could've', 'would've', 'should've' moments that will now never be, those missed opportunities, missed moments, missed life that he will never get back, those opportunities for true happiness that are now gone forever.

"Well…" The old man swallowed and gave him a wry smile. "What can you do, eh? When you're this old and still alone…" he shrugged, "…you get used to it, I guess."

"You're not alone." Harry countered, shaking his head as he did so.

"Yes, I am—"

"You have us, you have a brother."

"Aberforth doesn't—"

"Let _me_ talk to Aberforth." Harry waved it off. "The man can be unreasonable at the best of times. He's not very different from you." The teen then gestured to the box in the Headmaster's hands, "You can keep Grindelwald's things _**IF**_..." Harry held up a finger, ensuring the old man knew how important this condition was, "…you make me an Unbreakable Vow."

"Done!" The Headmaster replied, willing to do whatever it took to keep the precious objects, and not even giving a second thought as to the conditions of the Unbreakable Vow. Just the very _notion_ of being allowed to keep those pieces of 'junk' brought the smile back to his face.

That, in turn, brought the smile back to Harry's face. "Excellent!" Pushing against the table, he stood up and made to leave. "I'll have Professor McGonagall—or even better, Aberforth—be our bonder tonight when you come over to dinner."

"Dinner?" The old man raised an eyebrow at him.

"At the Den." The teen answered, adjusting his robes and pulling a sack of floo powder out of his pocket, "Professor McGonagall is coming as well; Aberforth too, if he ever wants the house back—which he does." Harry raised an eyebrow at the Headmaster, "Shall I expect you at seven?"

The Headmaster gave the boy a half-smile, half-grimace, glancing at the box in his arms before looking at Harry once again, "Is one of the conditions of the Unbreakable Vow that I make up with my brother?"

Harry smirked, "If it's not one of _your_ conditions, it'll be one of _his_."

"One of _his_?" Dumbledore's eyebrows shot to his hairline.

"Hey, _he_ wants the house back." Harry shrugged and made his way to the fireplace, "If he wants his house as badly as you wanted your things, I'll be fine."

Dumbledore smiled and genuinely began laughing at the teen, "You know, Harry…you would've done _well_ in Slytherin."

The young wizard grinned at him from inside the hearth, "I know." And in a flash, he was gone.

_**

* * *

**_

_SLAM!_

"Goddamn it, Potter!"

"Abe, if you don't want to agree to this, you obviously don't want the house _badly_ enough!"

"I DO TOO!"

"Alright then—"

The tall man pointed an intimidating finger in his face, "_Don't_ you 'alright then' me!"

Harry threw the finger aside and got in the man's face, "_LOOK_, Abe…I know the two of you have a bad history with—"

"HA!" Abe threw his cup across the room.

_CRASH! _

"_That's_ the understatement of the century!"

"And it is exactly _that_!" Harry cried at the top of his lungs, "A _**CENTURY**_ old!"

"It's _more_ than a century old!"

"There, you see—"

"And I—DON'T—GIVE A DAMN!"'

Harry sighed and downed another shot of firewhiskey. This was starting to wear on his nerves. "You give a damn about your goats!" The teen replied, deciding to change the conversation up a little.

"What the hell do my goats have to do with anything?!"

"They're starting to overrun your field." Harry pointed out the window, "You'll need more room for them."

"It's not worth making up with my _BROTHER_!" The older wizard spat the word out as if it was a curse.

"WHY THE HELL NOT?!?!?!"

"He killed our sister!"

"You don't fucking _know_ that!"

"Whatever! He was involved—that's all I need to know!"

Harry growled and grumbled under his breath before throwing his shot glass at the window, breaking it.

_CRASH! _

"You are a stubborn son of a bitch!"

"Yeah, what else is new?"

"Well, _I'm_ more stubborn than you!"

"You're drunk! You're not thinking straight!"

"You're sober! Neither are you!"

With a growl, Aberforth lobbed an empty butterbeer bottle at the far wall. Hearing the glass shatter into a million tiny pieces brought a satisfied smile to his face. Reaching under the bar, he pulled out a brand new bottle of firewhiskey, two glasses and a box of cigars, shoving one of the cigars into Harry's hand. "Let's go talk about this in my office."

The two of them made their way onto the back porch and sat in the two rocking chairs on opposite sides of the door. Using his wand, Aberforth lit his cigar and then Harry's. He then poured the firewhiskey into the glasses and handed one to his friend. For over half an hour, the two of them just sat there in silence—smoking their cigars and sipping their whiskey as they watched the goats graze.

"Over a century, huh?" Aberforth croaked, taking a long sip of his whiskey.

"Yup." The teen replied.

"Reckon it's been something like 130 years."

"Yup."

"Long time."

"Yup.

More silence. More smoking, more drinking, more goats.

"Reckon you've been mad at him long enough?" Harry raised an eyebrow, peering at the other wizard from the corner of his eye.

"Guess so." Abe shrugged, taking another sip of whiskey.

"We done being mad?"

"Most likely."

"How 'bout that Vow?"

"Whatever."

"'Whatever' mean 'yes'?"

"Whatever."

"Excellent!" Harry downed the rest of his glass of whiskey and stood up to leave. "You know…" He started, brushing the ashes off his robes, "…you're not really sober, which means you're thinking straight."

"You're not really drunk, which means you are too."

Harry smiled and offered the bartender his hand, "Life's a bitch, huh?"

Aberforth grinned and took it, "I love our real talks."

"You know that's right." Harry pulled the bag of floo powder out of his pocket and headed for the fireplace.

"Harry?" Abe's earnest voice made the teenager turn to face him out of sheer surprise.

"Yeah?"

"He lonely too?"

Harry studied the elder wizard's face for a fraction of a second before nodding, "Yeah."

The bartender acknowledged his answer with a nod before turning back to watch his goats once again. "That's an even bigger bitch." He heard Abe mutter under his breath.

As Harry climbed into the hearth and prepared to go home, he couldn't help but agree. "You know that's right."

_**

* * *

**_

"Hey, Remus, what's going on in there?" Sirius asked, nodding his head towards the swinging door that lead into the dining room.

The animagus was lying flat on the living room floor between Severus and Teddy, who were using his chest as a table for their letter puzzle. From his vantage point, he could see Ginny leaning against the door, holding it open as she watched whatever was happening in the dining room. Curious, Tonks and Remus glanced over their shoulders to see what piqued the canine's curiosity.

Jumping off her husband's lap, Tonks peeked inside the door and quickly gasped, covering her mouth lest she involuntarily made a sound. Ginny met her gaze then and Sirius watched as she tapped her lips with her finger and then fully stepped into the dining room, closing the door behind her. Now all the occupants in the living room were curious as to what was going on and graced Tonks with expectant looks.

"They're making an Unbreakable Vow." The metamorphamagus whispered, pointing to the door behind her.

"Who?!" Molly asked, her knitting forgotten for the time being.

"Albus with Harry and Aberforth with Harry. Professor McGonagall is their bonder." She replied.

"Do you know what it's about?" Arthur asked, intrigued.

"Let's find out, shall we?" George interjected, pulling an Extendable Ear from his pocket.

"George!" Molly chided, reaching for the Ear, "Oh, no you don't!"

"Fred!" The twin threw it to his brother, drawing their mother to him.

"Padfoot!" The animagus stood up as quickly as he could, immediately drawn into the game.

"Throw me the stringless Ear, mate!"

"Give me that!" As Molly nabbed the Ear from Fred, George threw Sirius their newest, stringless Extendable Ear model.

"Here you go!"

"Sirius!"

Catching the stringless Ear, Sirius hopped over the infants and made a mad dash for the dining room door.

"GINNY!"

The door cracked open just as Sirius got to it and, out of impulse, the animagus reached over and threw the Ear into the room with all the subtlety of a soldier flinging a grenade.

All the Weasley children, including Hermione, Remus, Dora, and the two infants burst into laughter as the usually suave animagus botched their entire scheme in a moment of sheer panic. Then, just as the room began to calm down, the innocent smile on Sirius' face stirred up giggles once more. He was smiling at someone just inside the dining room door, most likely Ginny, and within seconds he began backing into the bookcase against the wall, retreating from whoever was advancing against him. Sure enough, Ginny appeared a second later, advancing on Sirius with a scowl. As soon as she was satisfied with how far she made him retreat, she raised a hand and threw the Extendable Ear back against his chest. The entire room then burst into another round of laughter at Sirius' expense as Ginny turned on her heel and reentered the dining room, slamming the door shut behind her.

"Real smooth, Padfoot!" Remus teased, wrapping his arms around his wife's waist.

"Shut up!" Sirius threw the ear back at a laughing George, who immediately pocketed it before dodging a swipe to the head from his mother.

"You're such a child, Sirius!" Molly rebuked the animagus, frowning at the devil-may-care air about him.

"I'm not a child _all_ the time!" Sirius retorted.

_SQUEAK!_

All of a sudden, all heads in the room turned towards Severus, who was sitting on the floor with a bright red-orange ball in his hands, studying it with a look of intense curiosity on his face. Then, he squeezed it again.

_SQUEAK!_

Before anyone could blink, Sirius grinned, leapt to the side, and big black dog immediately landed in his stead.

_WOOF!_

The dog crouched down on his front legs and focused his playful eyes on the infant with the ball. His tail wagged energetically and his tongue hung out of his mouth in anticipation. _Woof!_ He then touched his wet nose to the ball in Severus' hand and waved his head to the side suggestively.

Severus, for his part, was confused by the little display. His eyes traveled from the ball in his hand to the big black dog and back. He didn't know what the mutt wanted him to do. Deciding to try a few different things in order to test the dog's reaction, Severus settled for squeezing the ball yet again.

_SQUEAK!_

_WOOF!_

Padfoot leapt from side to side excitedly, barking and watching Severus with an excited look in his eyes.

Severus exchanged a look with Teddy next to him and within seconds, both infants were collapsed on the floor amidst a laughing fit.

Remus and Dora grinned. "Keep it up, Padfoot, I think they like it."

_SQUEAK!_

_WOOF!_

Sirius repeated the excited leaping, which met with the same results. Sev and Teddy laughed so hard they turned red in the face.

"I wish I was as easily amused as them." Hermione commented wistfully. "I don't think people our age could ever understand the humor in a squeaking ball and an excited dog."

"Speak for yourself." Ron replied, elbowing her in the arm before pointing to the laughing twins next to him. Both Fred and George collapsed into a fit of giggles every time Sev squeezed the ball and Padfoot reacted. Hermione rolled her eyes. "You just have to see it from the eyes of a child, I guess."

After several rounds of squeezing the ball, Padfoot decided to nudge the ball in Sev's hand hard enough to toss it out. The child gasped in surprise once the ball flew out, but as he watched Padfoot retrieve it and bring it back, it became the newest funniest-thing-ever.

"Ah!" Teddy nudged him on the shoulder.

"Uh?" Sev peered back at his friend curiously.

"Ah!" Teddy pointed to the ball. "Ah!" And then pointed to an empty part of the room.

With a grin, Severus picked up the ball. Padfoot immediately crouched in excitement. _My, this is entertaining!_ The voice at the back of his mind drawled. _The mutt acting like a mutt._

_No!_ His little voice answered. _Acting like __**my**__ mutt!_

Severus threw the ball and Padfoot quickly leapt to retrieve it, dropping it about a foot out of Severus' reach. But that was okay. After calming down from his laughing fit, Sev simply climbed to his knees and crawled after it. Teddy rolled after him, much to the amusement of everyone else in the living room. Another throw and retrieval later, Padfoot dropped the ball two feet out of his reach. This time, despite Teddy's hysterical laughter next to him, Severus didn't quite laugh as hard or as long.

_Bring it here!_ Sev whined in his head, pointing to Padfoot and then pointing to the ball. Much to his disappointment, the mutt merely shook his head and lay down next to the ball.

"Ah!" Teddy exclaimed, pointing excitedly at the ball on the floor.

Grumbling under his breath, Severus crawled towards the ball and Teddy rolled after him. Another throw and retrieval after that, Padfoot dropped the ball three feet out of his reach. This time, despite Teddy's continued hysterics, Severus laughed no more.

"Hew!" He cried, pointing to the carpet directly in front of him.

Padfoot shook his head stubbornly.

"HEW!" He squeaked louder.

The mutt merely shook his head yet again.

Severus bit his lip. He wanted to keep playing! He didn't want to keep crawling after the ball, though!

"Ah!" Teddy poked him in the arm and he glanced over. The other infant pointed to the loose ball.

"He mo wamp bing!" Sev whined, complaining to his best friend about the stupid mutt's behavior.

_WOOF!_

Ever so slowly, Padfoot crept over on his belly, bypassing the ball and heading straight for the older infant. _Woof!_ He barked softly, nudging Severus with his wet nose.

"What does he want him to do, Moony?" He heard Tonks whisper behind him.

"I don't know."

Well if _they_ didn't know, how was _Severus_ supposed to know?! He wasn't psychic! He didn't speak Mutt! Scowling at the stupid, disobedient dog, he decided to ask him. "Wha wamp?!" He demanded.

_Woof!_ Padfoot butt his head against the infant's shoulder. Not hard enough to hurt, but hard enough to nudge. He then turned around and laid down in front of the infant, waiting for something.

Severus frowned. What the hell was _that_ supposed to mean? "Wha dat?" He snapped, annoyed at not being able to understand Padfoot's signals.

_Woof!_ The dog began tilting his head towards the ceiling, repeating the gesture continuously.

"Oh!" Fred leapt up excitedly. "I get it!"

"It's charades." George grinned.

"He wants you to _walk_ to the ball!" The twin exclaimed.

"Yes, I do believe that is correct, Fred."

"Why, thank you, George!"

"He wants to _help_ you walk to the ball, kiddo. Right, Paddy?"

_WOOF!_ The dog barked at them excitedly.

_Well why didn't the stupid mutt just __**say**__ that?! _Severus rolled his eyes. Grabbing onto fistfuls of the mutt's fur, Sev pulled on them to help himself climb to his knees and then to his feet.

_Woof!_ Padfoot too slowly raised himself from the lying down position to the crouched position.

"Baw!" Sev ordered, pointing to the fallen toy on the floor.

_Woof!_ Using Padfoot for support, Severus walked to the ball at the same time the dog crept towards it and then squatted down to pick it up. Once again, he used Padfoot to help him climb to his feet before throwing the ball to the far side of the room.

"Go get!" He ordered, pointing to the ball and scowling at the unmoving dog.

"Sweetheart, if he moves, you might fall down." Molly informed him kindly.

Sev's eyes widened. _That's true._ The infant bit his lip. He wanted Padfoot to go get the ball, though! How was Padfoot supposed to fetch the ball and support him at the same time? All of a sudden, a thought came to him. Patting Padfoot on the head, he told him, "Go get baw wi me!" And soon enough, Severus began walking towards the fallen ball, Padfoot crouching around right next to him, ready to support him should he need the help.

Before the infant could pick up the ball, however, Padfoot batted it away with his nose, throwing it across the room. Without missing a beat, Severus gave chase to it, stepping around Remus, Teddy, and Dora's chair to catch the loose ball. Once again, Padfoot managed to beat him to it (without once leaving his side). Instead of batting it away again, however, the dog picked it up with his mouth and continued on his way. Severus squealed in delight and began to walk faster; trying to catch up to the creeping dog's head. Several times he had to stop to find his balance, and each time, the mutt stopped as well, standing still and being the safety net for the infant. Only when Severus was able to walk on his own two feet again did Padfoot restart the chase, much to the infant's delight.

"He's such a child, huh, mum?" Fred gave his mother a smug look.

"Oh, hush!" Molly waved him off, her attention focused solely on Severus.

"Bloody hell! He tricked Snape into learning how to walk!" Ron exclaimed.

"Severus already _knew_ how to walk, Ronald!" Hermione retorted, "You remember. You were there when he took his first steps!"

"He knew how to take a few steps, not how to _walk_!" Her boyfriend argued. "_That's_ not taking a few steps. That's _walking_!"

"And it's so _BEAUTIFUL_, isn't it?!" Molly exclaimed, tears in her eyes.

All of a sudden, Padfoot threw the ball to the side and barked loudly, announcing himself and Severus, before running headlong into the dining room door.

The entire family swiftly shot to their feet then, gathering at the open doorway in order to catch Harry and Ginny's reaction.

"HAWEH!" Sev squeaked as he burst into the room beside Padfoot. "IMMY!"

_**WOOF**__! __**WOOF**__! __**WOOF**__!_

Severus looked up just in time to see both Ginny's and Harry's eyes widen in surprise before they began to stutter.

"You're—"  
GASP!  
"Oh m—"  
"Oh, darl—!"  
"He's walk—"  
"He's u—"

"_**YOU'RE WALKING**_!!!" They both exclaimed simultaneously, shock and joy evident on their faces.

_WOOF!_

"Did you help in this?" Harry asked the dog.

_WOOF!_

"Look at you, my darling!" Ginny knelt down and opened her arms for a big hug. Severus squealed and ran right into them. "Oh, you're _walking_!"

"You're walking, cub!" Harry exclaimed, helping his girlfriend stand before enveloping her and the baby in a hug. "And not just a few steps—you're actually _walking_!!!"

"Oh, we are so _proud_ of you, darling!" Both Harry and Ginny planted a kiss atop his head at the same time. "Good job!"

"Congratulations, cub!" A familiar voice exclaimed behind Harry.

The teen turned around and grinned at his godfather, offering the man his hand. "Thank you, Sirius."

The animagus smiled and took his godson's hand, pulling him into a hug instead. "No, Harry," He murmured into the teen's ear, "Thank _you_!"

The teenager raised an eyebrow and pulled away, giving his godfather a concerned look. "For what, Padfoot?"

The animagus gave him a mysterious smile. Harry then watched as his godfather's eyes slowly traveled about the room; from a hugging Ginny and Severus, to Albus and Aberforth, who were standing in one corner (actually _talking_ to one another), to Minerva and Andromeda, who were standing in another corner, clapping, to Molly and Arthur, who were snapping pictures by the door, to a smirking Ron who had his arm over a laughing Hermione, to an amused Fred and George, who were teasing their doting mother, to a grinning Tonks who was nuzzling Teddy's ear as the infant laughed into Remus' chest, until finally they landed back on Harry.

"Everything, pup." Sirius replied, his voice cracking slightly at the end. The animagus cleared his throat in order to get rid of it. "Just…everything."

And as Harry studied his godfather eyes, and watched them travel the same path as before, the teenager quickly realized what his godfather was talking about. Sirius was thanking him for giving him _everything_. He was thanking his godson for giving him the chance to be a part of this (huge) family. He was thanking his godson for helping him rebuild his life and for not shutting him away. He was thanking his godson for giving him the chance to prove that there was more to him than the teenager he used to be.

Most especially, however, he was thanking his godson for saving him from loneliness.

Harry smiled. He could understand that—wholly and completely. No one was meant to be lonely; not Albus, not Aberforth, and certainly not Sirius. Offering his godfather his hand once again, it was his turn to pull the older man in for a hug. "You're welcome, old boy." He murmured in his ear, "And the feeling is mutual."

"Haweh!" And just like that, the godfather-godson moment was broken in favor of a different kind of moment.

"Go ahead, pup." Sirius gave the teen a half-smile and a small shove in Sev and Ginny's direction. "This is _his_ moment. We'll talk later."

It was then that Harry recalled his early conversation with Dumbledore and his assessment of his godfather. _Oh yeah! He's got it where it counts __**in spades**__!_

_**

* * *

**_

"Harry?"

"Yeah?"

Severus tried his best to stay as still as possible.

"It's been a month, love."

"I know."

He tried to take deep, slow breaths too—the kind people who were asleep or pretending to be asleep were supposed to take.

"And…?"

Sev couldn't help himself. He held his breath.

"I am _SO_ close, love—so _ridiculously_ close!"

"But not there." Ginny's voice sounded sad and disappointed.

"I am one ingredient away, Gin—just _one_! Severus and Slughorn have been helping me improve this by leaps and bounds!"

"Harry, you promised—"

"And I'm keeping it!" Sev felt the bed shift beneath him and sensed Harry's hand reach over him to touch Ginny's face. "I'm _keeping_ it, love! One ingredient! There is _one_ tiny piece of the aura that's still wrong. If I can just find it and correct it, if I can make the whole thing feel _right_…"

And then there was silence. Severus released his breath in favor of holding another one. He didn't dare move a muscle. What? What was Harry going to say? What? What?! _What_?!

"I overestimated when I said 'a month' last time. Three weeks, tops! It'll take three weeks to brew."

"Harry, do you _have_—"

"We make our own miracles." Harry stopped her before she could get any further. "Remember? We make our own miracles?" His voice then dropped to a whisper. "You promised me, Gin. You promised me you wouldn't think like that."

"Harry, I don't want—"

"Shhh!" Sev's eyebrows furrowed. "You're not going to do this alone because I am right here and I am _staying_ right here—no ifs, ands, or buts."

Ginny sounded like she was trying to get a hold of herself.

Finally, after a minute or two, Sev heard her swallow before she replied with the full strength of her will behind her voice, "Right…Right! Harry?"

"Yes?"

"I want you done by tomorrow." She practically ordered her boyfriend. "You start steeping/brewing/whatever your potion by tomorrow. I am only putting up with this crap for another three weeks!"

Sev felt the mattress beneath him begin to vibrate from Harry's silent laughter. "That's my girl!"

"You promise?"

"I promise."

The two exchanged goodnights and Sev felt them lean over him to share a quick kiss.

"I love you, Ginny."

"I love you, Harry."

And Severus loved them too.

* * *

**Goodness! What could they possibly be talking about?! :-) **

**Next, Severus helps Harry finish his potion, the infant gets another immunization shot, Sirius and Severus have a breakthrough, and an incident occurs while the gang trick-or-treats on Halloween that...well...you'll just have to read to find out. Won't you? ;-)**

**Once again, a big THANK YOU is in order to all my readers and, most especially, my REVIEWers out there. You're kind, amazing, wonderful, generous, and I don't have enough words to describe you. I hope everyone enjoyed this latest installment, please don't be shy to say 'hi' and let me know what you think, and I shall see you all next weekend! :-) **


	34. A Picture Frame Worth a Thousand Words

"Come on, come on, come on, come on!" Harry muttered under his breath. "Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on!"

"Harry?" The teen could hear Ginny's voice echoing down the basement stairs. "Harry, Kingsley just flooed in…"

"Come on, come on, come on, come on…"

"…he said our floo is working now!'

"Come on, come on, come on! Where _are_ you?!" Harry growled at the array of colors before him, checking and double checking the paperwork in his hand. "_WHY_ do you feel so wrong?! Slughorn says you should be right, Severus says you should be right, all the potions books say you should be right. _WHY_, in Merlin's name, are you _not_ right?!" The teenager screamed at the simmering vial of dark blue substance before him. One ingredient was slightly off but, for the life of him, Harry couldn't figure out which ingredient it was and why it was off!

"Harry?"

"In here, Gin!" The teen answered distractedly from his lab. "Watch out! There's a bit of a mess."

A bit of a mess? _That_ was the understatement of the year! Every conceivable surface in the _entire_ lab was covered with papers, quills, inks, cutting boards, herbs, plants, potions books, herbology books, muggle bio-medical and chemistry texts, vials, microscopes, mortars and pestles, clamps, Bunsen burners, beakers, cauldrons, flasks, gloves, knives, various dead animals and dead animal parts; every blackboard and whiteboard in the room was covered in numbers and Greek letters; there were grow lights illuminating small pots of plants and black lights illuminating small round things in flat, clear dishes. That last one made Ginny nervous.

"Harry, are these things safe for Severus?" She asked worriedly, pointing to the black lights and the things they were illuminating.

Severus peered over Ginny's shoulder to see what got her so worried. He could probably answer that question better than Harry could! What he saw, however, was like nothing he'd ever seen before, and it looked _wicked_! "Wha dap?!" He exclaimed excitedly, pointing to the same objects Ginny was nervous about.

It took Harry a second to look up from his work and glance at the object in question. "Oh! Yeah, those things are fine. They're just bacteria I'm growing in a Petri dish. The black light illuminates them. As a matter of fact, they come from Fawkes."

"Fawkes?" Ginny had to watch her step, as some of Harry's papers had migrated to the floor and she didn't want to slip and drop Severus. "Dumbledore's phoenix?"

"Yeah." Harry replied, distracted by his potion once again, "There's bacteria…in his tears…and they have healing properties…" Waving his fingers around in the aura, the teen tried focusing solely on the structure of the potion. "…and I'm trying to reproduce them."

"Will it be the same, though?"

"Argh!" Harry took his glasses off and flung them against the wall of his research station. "Damn it!" The teen dug the palms of his hands into his eyes, trying to rub the tiredness out of them.

"What?!" Ginny exclaimed, slightly alarmed.

"I can't find it!" Her boyfriend growled, frustration lacing his voice. "It's _one_ goddamn thing and I can't find it!"

"Harry, calm down!"

Severus peered over the top of his sling to see which potion's aura Harry was trying to manipulate. Was that the same one he and Ginny were talking about last night during the conversation he eavesdropped on? Didn't Ginny give him a deadline on it? And wasn't that deadline today? Pulling himself up to get a better view, Severus squinted at the potion in question.

"Maybe you're just looking too hard."

"How is it _possible_ to look too hard?!"

The aura of the potion looked ridiculously familiar. Then it hit him—that's the potion Harry has been asking him to help with for the past few months! YEAH! It was an antidote of some sort, wasn't it? Severus tried to wrack his brain. He couldn't quite remember what it was an antidote for. He was pretty sure Harry explained it to him a few months ago, when they had first started working on it, but Severus remembered only paying him half an ear.

"It is _entirely_ possible! And you are being a grouch!"

"Of course I'm being a grouch! I'm—" Harry cut himself off and turned away, growling something incoherent under his breath.

Ginny stood behind him, silent, watching as the man she had fallen in love with over the years began to fall apart before her eyes. The teenager was torn. She wanted him to finish this potion, yet she didn't want him to push himself too hard. Harry had already stayed up late last night working on it, and then had gotten up before dawn to get a head start for today. She knew he was putting every minute he could spare into this project, and she wanted him to, but at the same time she didn't want him to drive himself to the point of exhaustion. Exhaustion meant less strength, which in turn meant less magical energy. And for Harry, who needed _every ounce_ of magical energy he could spare, exhaustion was simply not an option.

"Haweh?" Severus' curious and concerned voice startled Ginny out of her thoughts. When she focused on her boyfriend once more, she found him slumped over his research station, his hands under the table, vigorously rubbing his right leg.

"Harry?" The girl exclaimed, alarmed.

"I'm fine." Harry replied immediately, his voice muffled as he spoke into the table.

Ginny could tell from the sound of his voice that he was lying. "No, you're not."

"Just give me a minute."

"Take a break, love!" She said, appealing to him with her voice. When she noticed his tense back muscles, she began massaging his shoulders, trying to sweeten him up to the suggestion. "Just a minute or two." Then she realized she knew _exactly_ what could get him to agree. "Let Severus have a look at it. He'll be a fresh pair of eyes for you."

The infant on her chest sat up excitedly at the suggestion. "Me wook! Me wook!" Sev exclaimed, eagerly bouncing in his sling.

"Come on, Harry," Ginny whispered in his ear, "Take a minute…Have a pain reliever…and perhaps a Pepperup Potion?"

"Me wook! Me wook!"

The back massage did the trick. Harry groaned and gave in to his girlfriend, rising from his stool and offering it to her and the infant. "Fine. Be my guest!" Rubbing the back of his neck, he slowly ambled over to his potions stores on the other side of the room.

"Alright, sweetheart, let's see what we've got here!" Ginny watched Harry through the corner of her eye while she laid out the structures and aural colors of the potion with her hands, enabling Severus to inspect it more easily.

"Wha gop? Wha gop?" Sev tried putting the tips of his fingers together while he thought it out, but since he didn't quite have the coordination to do that yet, he settled for clapping his hands together softly.

Severus narrowed his eyes and gave the aura of the potion every bit of his attention. Alright! What have we got here? What—have—we—got—here? Hmmm? The pinks and the blues looked correct. He didn't want to mess with those. The yellows were swirling nicely. The purples and reds were blended just the way they should be. The oranges were doing great. And the greens?

"Da gweeem?" The infant muttered under his breath. His eyebrows furrowed. That was unusual. Where was the green aura? He could've sworn it was there before! Reaching a finger out, Severus moved aside a few structures and colors in search of the elusive green aura. _Where_ was it?!

"What's the matter, love?" Ginny asked behind him.

"Mo gweem." Sev replied, a note of concern in his voice.

"No green?" The teenager raised an eyebrow.

"Mo gweem auwa." The baby pointed to the spot he knew the green should have been.

"Was it there before?"

"Uh-huh!" Sev nodded his head.

"But not anymore?"

"Uh-uh!" Sev shook his head.

"Well, let's look for it."

"MO!" Sev shook his head vigorously this time. "Mo heew mo mow!"

"At all?"

"Uh-uh!"

Ginny frowned. "And it's _supposed_ to be there?"

"Uh-huh!" The infant answered assuredly.

The teenager bit her lip. That _could_ be the missing link Harry's been searching for all day. "Alright, love, it's time to think. What structure does the green aura have?"

"Swoaw!" Sev replied, swirling his finger around and around.

"Alright. Swirls." Ginny nodded. "Where are the swirls, Sev? Help me look for them."

The baby spotted one almost immediately. Leaning forward, Sev picked it up with his finger and pulled it out. To his surprise, not only was everything else connected to that one particular swirl, but the swirl itself was the wrong color! "MO!" He snapped. "Mo gwey! GWEEM!" He scowled at the swirl and then looked up at Ginny with wide eyes. "Dis gweem, mo gwey!"

"Then, by all means, sweetheart, turn it green again." She replied kindly, giving him an encouraging nod.

Turning back to the errant swirl by his finger, Severus stretched out his consciousness, just like Harry taught him, and demanded the swirl to revert back to its original color. _I want you to TURN GREEN AGAIN!!!_

All of a sudden, a jolt shot up his arm, making the infant gasp in surprise. Then something strange happened. Not only did the swirl turn green again, but it turned _bright_ green! And it wasn't the only one. In a flash, the entire aura of the potion began glowing vibrantly. The blues, pinks, yellows, purples, oranges, and reds brightened up considerably. Sev didn't even think that was possible, but it happened! The potion itself turned from a dark blue to a vivid fluorescent blue and the whole thing started pulsing so strongly Severus felt its energy blow through his baby hair.

"Whoa!" The infant breathed in awe, his eyes wide with wonder.

"Harry!"

The sound of thumping boots, paper scraping against wood, and breaking glass preceded Harry's appearance at their side. "What? What's happened?!"

"I think he's done it!" Ginny replied excitedly.

"He's done it?!" Harry croaked in surprise, his eyes wide with disbelief. Peering over their shoulder, Harry inspected the aura of the potion, sticking his hand in the mess to get a sense the structure and color mixtures. What he felt caused his heart to race and adrenaline to pump in his veins. "It's right!" He grinned down at his girlfriend and his ward like he had never grinned before. "It _feels_ right! It feels _RIGHT_!!!"

"It's right?" Ginny's eyes widened as well, nodding her head, asking for final confirmation.

"It's right!" Her boyfriend laughed, sweeping down and enveloping the both of them in a big bear hug.

Sev squealed in delight. He didn't know why Harry and Ginny were so excited, but he was sure as heck enjoying the atmosphere. "I'm so _proud_ of you, cub!" Harry murmured in his ear. "You have _no_ idea how much!" All of a sudden, wave upon wave upon wave of pride and love flowed into the infant from his bond with Harry.

Smiling shyly, Sev ducked his head into Ginny's chest and began chewing on two of his right fingers. Harry was wrong, he thought. He had _some_ idea of how much.

_**

* * *

**_

"Ah! Hello, Harry!" Professor Dumbledore greeted them with a smile as they entered the hospital wing. "And hello, Severus!"

"Headmaster." The teen nodded at him before turning to the matron. "Madame Pomfrey."

"Hello, Professor Potter, Mr. Snape."

Harry nudged the drowsy infant in his arms and Severus nodded his head, but refused to take his ear off Harry's chest or open his eyes.

"He's still a little sleepy." Harry shrugged, taking a seat on the bed Madame Pomfrey directed them to. "What are you doing here, Professor?"

"Oh, I'm an old man, Harry, as you've no doubt noticed." Dumbledore joked good-naturedly. "I have a check-up every few months to make sure I'm doing well."

"Yes, and if you don't lay off the sweets, I'll begin making it a _monthly_ check-up, Albus!" The matron added sharply.

"I'll take your word for it, Madame." The Headmaster smiled at her sweetly, rolling down his sleeve.

"How did the move-in with Aberforth go this weekend, sir?" The teen inquired, adjusting Severus in his arms so that he infant was in a more comfortable sleeping position.

"You should know, my boy, you were there."

"True, and you were actually being civil to one another _when_ I was there." The teen replied with a smirk, "But I was talking about when I wasn't."

Dumbledore chuckled, "Well…there have been no incidents thus far. We're on speaking terms, you can say."

"But I shouldn't expect you to start spending time at Haven Place anytime soon, is that is?"

"I think my brother is rather reluctant to allow me to be under the same roof as him for any length of time in excess of twelve hours."

Harry shrugged. "He'll come around. You'll be brothers again in no time."

"Alas," Dumbledore eyes took on a faraway look, "I'm afraid we never really _were_ brothers."

"No time like the present to start then." Harry replied, not missing a beat.

"Right!" Madame Pomfrey came up to the bed next to Harry and Severus, a floating tray trailing in her wake. "First, a few preliminary questions," The healer pulled a file and a quill from the tray and began firing away, "When was the last time he nursed?"

"This morning."

"How often does he do it?"

"Ginny's only nursing him half the time now. The other half of the time, he's on solid foods."

"Excellent! And…when I gave him his last immunization, did he have any negative reactions?"

"No." The teen shook his head. If he had, they would've ended up back here for sure.

"Good!" Looking up from her chart, the matron took in the infant in front of her. "Is he asleep?" She asked. Harry nodded. "Excellent! This should be a breeze then."

As Madame Pomfrey recorded his height and weight and prepared Sev's immunization shot, Dumbledore engaged Harry in further conversation. "Isn't he typically awake by this hour, Harry?"

"He is, yes." The teen nodded, "But then he's also typically playing with Teddy by this hour as well." Harry shrugged, "When I told him I was taking him to an appointment this morning, he decided to sleep in after Ginny left for class."

"You know, I must say, the two of you are doing an admirable job, balancing work and family life as you are." The Headmaster complimented him, genuine admiration in his eyes. "And you're not even married!"

Harry peered at Dumbledore over the rims of his glasses, "_Yet_. And what's marriage without commitment, anyway?" He shrugged. "Ginny and I think that if you're not willing enough to commit to a relationship—to do anything and everything to try to make it work—then what's the point of getting married? It's never going to work out in that case."

"I completely agree." The old man nodded, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "And do you feel you're at that point? Do you feel you're committed to each other enough that you'll do anything and everything to make this work?" He gestured towards the sleeping Severus.

"Oh, we've passed that point, sir." Harry answered, giving the infant in his arms a quick kiss atop the head. "We passed that point the moment she and I signed the guardianship papers together. We're as good as married now." Then he shrugged and shook his head. "I don't know. There are a lot of people—most especially in the muggle world—that think it's not possible to find your soulmate at this point in your life; that you need to go out with other people before you truly find 'the One'."

"Harry," Dumbledore gave him an amused smile, "The only people who say that are the ones who truly don't know who they are when they start dating other people. And the people they date as well have no knowledge of themselves either." The old man said gently, "Yet for those of us who actually have _heads_ atop our shoulders, it's not wholly unbelievable to find the one person that we're going to spend the rest of our lives with at a young age."

"So it's not wholly unbelievable to spend almost your entire life with one person then?" Harry raised an unsure eyebrow at the old man.

"Don't give the doubters something to talk about, Harry. That gives them power over you." Dumbledore replied, pushing off the bed he was on to go sit beside Harry and the sleeping Severus. "You'll see—a hundred years from now, when you and Ginny are still together and falling more in love with each other every single day, look who'll be talking then."

Harry smirked. The teen couldn't bring himself to harbor any ill feelings for the Headmaster when they had these sorts of talks. The old man always knew what to say to make Harry feel better. "Thanks, sir."

"You and Ginny are going to make it" Dumbledore said, nudging the teen on the shoulder playfully. "I have no doubt of it. You both have good heads atop your shoulders." Then he leaned in and dropped the pitch of his voice, "And I must say, you have excellent role models to look up to." The old man pointed out, his eyes twinkling.

"Mr. and Mrs. Weasley?" Harry asked, not entirely sure what the Headmaster was talking about.

"I have it on good authority that they met when they were very young—younger than you and Ginny were when the two of you met, in fact—and Arthur walked up to Molly and told her, point blank, that he was going to marry one day."

Harry snorted, "And the rest is history?"

"As the saying goes." The Headmaster nodded with a smile. The old man laid his hand atop the teenager's shoulder and gave him a supportive squeeze. "You'll be fine."

"Okay!" Madame Pomfrey breathed a sigh of relief as soon as she pulled the needle out of Severus' arm and bandaged up the site. "My, that went better than I expected! He didn't wake—"

All of a sudden, there was a loud banging noise around the vicinity of the doors and, as all the adults looked up in surprise, the infant jolted awake and began to cry. "What was that?" Harry asked in concern, hugging Severus tighter and getting ready to disillusion himself and the infant.

"I don't know." The Headmaster replied, a look of equal concern on his face. "I'll go check it out."

_I'll do you one better._ Harry closed his eyes and threw his senses out. His ears picked up a rapid heartbeat atop a set of fast-moving footsteps which got fainter with every beat. Someone was running away from the infirmary and they were muttering something under their breath. _"Baby…Potter…baby."_

Harry's eyes flew open at the same time Dumbledore came back into the room. "That was strange. I saw no one."

The teenager's lips, however, thinned to a fine line, "Someone saw us." He forced through gritted teeth, berating himself for letting his guard down and being seen. "Someone saw the baby."

Pomfrey and Dumbledore exchanged a worried glance. "Do they know who he is?" The matron asked cautiously.

Harry closed his eyes and stretched out his sense of hearing once more. All he could hear the guy mutter was "Potter" and "baby" over and over again. "I don't think so." He replied, "But they _definitely_ saw him."

_**

* * *

**_

"We just have to be extra careful from now on." Ginny said after Harry retold the story at the dinner table.

"What? You're going to start calling him 'Henry' every single time you go out from now on?" Sirius raised a dubious eyebrow at them.

_Bffffffft!_

"Yeah!" Sirius pointed at Severus and nodded, "The kid's going to have an identity problem when he gets taller again. I mean, yeah, I know Severus is not that good of a name—"

_**Bfffffffft!!!**_

This time, Severus blew raspberries directly at Sirius, but the animagus managed to block it with his napkin before continuing.

"—but it's _his_ name."

"UH-HUH!" Sev agreed, pointing to Sirius and widening his eyes at Harry.

"Alright. First of all," Harry pointed at Severus, "no blowing raspberries at the table. Second of all," he pointed at his godfather this time, "stop provoking him. And _third_ of all—"

"I said no such thing about calling him 'Henry' all the time." Ginny replied, indignant.

Harry pointed to his girlfriend with a shrug, "Yeah."

"Then what do you mean by 'extra careful'?" Sirius frowned.

"Uh-huh?"

Harry and Ginny exchanged a look.

"Oh, that can't be good." Sirius murmured, exchanging a look with the little guy next to him.

_**

* * *

**_

"I don't see why you can't just leave him here with me! Why do you have to go and bother Molly?!"

"My mother is not being bothered, Padfoot. In fact, she _volunteered_!" Ginny argued.

"Well I'm volunteering too!"

Severus peered over Harry's shoulder to watch the argument between Sirius and Ginny.

The teenager sighed. "Sirius, Severus is not the only one who'll be going to the Burrow during the day. Teddy will too! Dora's paid maternity leave is up."

Sirius frowned. "What about Andromeda? And Remus isn't working three days out of the week. What about him? What about _ME_?!" The animagus' canine ears perked up when he heard his godson sigh across the room. "Harry? What's _your_ take on this? Do you and Remus not trust me?" He asked, genuinely offended and hurt by his best friends' (nay, his _family's_) implications.

Harry, for his part, looked like he was stuck between a rock and a hard place. The teenager bit his lip and shifted his gaze from his hurt godfather, to his uncertain girlfriend, to his curious ward, and back to his hurt godfather. "I…_do_, Sirius."

The animagus' frown quickly turned into a scowl. "You hesitated." He pointed out, disbelief lacing his voice.

Severus' eyes widened at Harry.

"No, I didn't—"

"Yes, you _did_!"

"If I might suggest something?!" A voice boomed out of nowhere, startling all the occupants in the quarters. The tenseness in the room was suddenly broken as everyone gaped at the ceiling in surprise.

Swallowing, Harry addressed the voice, "Go ahead, Sir Merlin!"

"You'll forgive me for interrupting, Sir Henry," The voice continued, "But I was beginning to sense that people were starting to say things they actually did not mean." He cleared his throat suggestively.

Both Harry and Ginny glanced at Sirius guiltily while the animagus peered back at them with a hurt scowl of his own. Severus, for his part, was looking between the three of them, genuinely intrigued by this conversation.

"If I may, I would like to suggest _everyone_ getting together and discussing this as a family before…" The old wizard paused, "How it is they are putting it these days? Before…everything blows up? Er…out of proportion?"

"Thank you, Sir Merlin!" Ginny interjected, giving the ceiling a kind smile and knowing that Merlin would see it. "We understand. Thank you. We'll take it from here. If you would be so kind—"

"Sir Remus, Lady Nymphadora, Lady Andromeda, and Master Teddy are on their way." Merlin answered, a smile in his voice. And with that, he left the family to their affairs.

An awkward silence filled the room. Sirius stood at the door to the master bedroom, arms crossed over his chest, glaring daggers at the plush carpet. Ginny stood by the rocking chair, biting her lip and peering at Sirius worriedly. Harry stood by the crib with Severus in his arms, looking between his godfather and his girlfriend, trying to decide on how he wanted to approach the situation.

Ironically, it was _Severus_ who broke the ice. "Woom!" He exclaimed, peering at Sirius curiously.

Everyone's attention instantly turned towards him. "What was that, cub?" Harry asked, making sure the keep the charged emotions out of his voice.

"Wamp see Papoo woom." The infant replied, pointing at the animagus for clarification.

Harry and Ginny glanced at Sirius in confusion. The animagus, however, was solely focused on Severus, examining him with a look of guarded curiosity. "You want to see my room?" The infant nodded. "Right now?" Another nod.

"_What are you playing at, Sev?"_ Harry asked the infant through their mental link, stretching himself slightly into Severus' mind so that he may hear the child's response.

"_If I'm going to have to choose between two evils, I want to damn well know which one is the lesser of the two!"_ He heard the Severus snap in his head.

Harry frowned at the infant who peered up at him guiltily. "Mam ah back!" He cried, pointing to the back of his head.

"Man at back?" Harry echoed, an eyebrow raised in question.

"_That was the mean guy who's always screaming at the back of my mind!" _An altogether different voice replied through their bond. Harry shook his head to try to clear his confusion.

"Harry?" Ginny shot them a strange look.

The teenager shook his head. "Sorry. The…Severus has two voices in his head. One of them is giving me a headache." Feeling the blush creep up his cheeks, Harry cleared his throat and promptly changed the subject. "Padfoot, may we go up to your room? Severus would like to see it."

Sirius now looked like he was torn between being hurt, being curious, and being confused. All three of those emotions certainly showed up in his facial features. Severus thought he looked downright funny. "Um…sure." The animagus replied warily. Turning on his heel, Sirius led the trio up the stairs and into the middle room on the loft—the bedroom he now claimed as his own.

Now it was Severus' turn to be wary. He was entering into former-enemy territory and he didn't know what to expect. Truth be told, he didn't know why he wanted to come in here in the first place. As Harry, Ginny, and Sirius were arguing, he found himself torn between agreeing with Harry and Ginny and agreeing with the mutt. Ideally, he didn't want to stay with either of them. He preferred staying with Harry and Ginny, Remus and Dora were his second choice because Teddy was there. But choosing between Molly and Sirius?! Severus honestly didn't know which one he would choose!

On the one hand, Molly was a lot like Ginny. She smiled a lot and gave him lots of hugs and kisses and praises and such. She did arts-and-crafts with him. She sang to him. Yet she was also too overbearing. She pushed herself on him. She made him do things he didn't want to do sometimes. She was loud most of the time. The only times he could stand her were when she remembered to actually talk in normal tones rather than the loud, grating tones she tended to adopt on a regular basis. Then, on the other hand, there was Sirius. The mutt was a lot like Harry. He called him cub. He snuck him things behind Ginny's back. He didn't push Sev into doing things; he tricked him into doing them instead. He turned chores into games. When Severus wanted him to back off, he did…usually. Sirius could take a joke to the point where Severus would start crossing lines; by then, a simple change in tone would have Severus checking himself. And Sirius sang to him too! Yet the big issue with him was their history. Severus couldn't find it in himself to trust Sirius; not just yet; not with everything that the man put him through in his previous life. He wanted to, sure! He'd seen how Sirius was with Harry. He'd seen how responsible, fatherly even, the mutt could be…at times. Yet it was that last part—that 'at times' part—that held Severus back from trusting Sirius the way Harry trusted Sirius. The mutt had yet to prove to Severus that he could be trusted with his, Severus', life.

How that chain of thought led to him wanting to inspect the mutt's room, he didn't know. All he knew was that the word 'room' all of a sudden popped out of his mouth when he was trying to find a reason as to why he would choose Sirius over Molly. It was like his subconscious mind knew that there was something in that room that his conscious mind needed to acknowledge. What that something was, however, Severus didn't know.

The first thing Severus noticed when they entered the room was the color. Or rather, the lack of it. There was not a single red banner or red bed sheet or red anything in sight. To be fair, there were no greens or blacks either. There was, however, a big blue and gold coat of arms mounted atop a plaque and Sev recognized it as the new official Potter crest—the one he and Ginny designed for Harry's birthday. It was hanging on the wall by Sirius' wardrobe. Other than that, the room was the same off-white color as the master bedroom downstairs. Also missing from the walls was Sirius' collection of bikini-clad muggle girls. He had a picture of his motorcycle hanging on the wall by his bed, but there was not a single bikini model in sight.

Sev heard Harry's low whistle above him. "Where are the Playboy pinups, Sirius?" He asked with a smirk.

Despite himself, the animagus snorted. "Under my bed." He then threw himself onto his bed and leaned against the far wall, watching his godson and his ward inspect his room.

Sev twisted around in Harry's arms in an effort to take in the entire space. Truth be told, there wasn't much take in. The space itself was small and there wasn't much there. The man had only _just_ moved in after all! What could possibly be in this room that was so important that his subconscious mind was screaming for him to…?

That's when he saw it—Sirius' desk. Aside from the bed, the wardrobe, and the giant bean bag in the corner, the desk was the only piece of furniture in the room. It sat underneath a long window that overlooked the Quidditch pitch and the majestic mountains just beyond. Scattered atop the desk were writing pads, parchment, quills, inks, and, most importantly, pictures. Harry must've sensed Severus' sudden interest in the desk for the teen soon carried him closer so he could inspect it further. As expected, there were the obligatory pictures of himself with his motorcycle, the Marauders (minus Pettigrew), and Harry. However, there were some unexpected photographs as well. A picture of the Order of the Phoenix was tacked to the wall underneath the window, a picture of Remus, Tonks, and Teddy taped to the wood next to it. A photograph of the bride, groom, best man, and maid of honor at the Potter wedding sat beside a portrait of Harry, Ron, and Hermione from long ago. Then there was the newest picture—Sev could tell it was new from the way its frame gleamed while the others didn't—sitting in front of all the rest. It was a portrait of himself, Harry, and Ginny, all of them asleep. It must've either been taken at Godric's Hollow or while he was sick a few months ago for he was sleeping between them.

"When was this taken, Padfoot?" Harry asked, leaning forward and inspecting the same picture he was.

"Last July." The animagus croaked, fiddling with a loose piece of thread on his comforter. "That first weekend you guys invited me up there to the Den. I took that." He shrugged half-heartedly. "I liked it."

Severus frowned. He was confused. Did the mutt like him or not like him? Or did he like him because of Harry? Was he nice to him because of Harry or was he nice to him because of him? Did the mutt genuinely care for him? Or did he care for him because of Harry? This whole care-by-association thing was the most confusing thing _ever_! His and Padfoot's relationship-thing was the most complicated one out of the set! Not even he and Dumbledore had such a complicated relationship-thing! Sirius cared for him. Why? He cared for Sirius. Why? Severus used to think it was because of Harry. Yet Remus highly doubted that, and now Severus was questioning that assumption as well. But without the assumption that Sirius cared for him only because he cared for Harry, what did Severus have to go on? Why would Sirius care for him otherwise?

"Is it so…" Padfoot's gruff voice startled him from his thoughts, "…hard…to believe that I could care for Severus?" He asked, leaning against the wall of his room and peering up at his godson with an upset frown on his face. "Without you being in the middle?"

Harry shut his eyes and squeezed his lips together into a thin line. Without even stretching into Harry's mind, Severus could tell his guardian was as equally as confused as he was and as equally upset as Sirius was. "I…honestly…don't know how to answer that, Sirius." He replied, not meeting his godfather's eyes.

Sirius scoffed and turned away, scowling at the window.

Severus bit his lip. He didn't like this. He didn't like this at all. Harry was supposed to be on _good_ terms with his godfather! They weren't supposed to upset each other like this. And, most especially, _he_ wasn't supposed to be at the center of their arguments! Severus had spent enough time at the center of people's arguments when he was this age the first time around. He didn't want that to happen again!

"STOP!" He cried, startling both adult occupants in the room. He first pointed a finger directly at Harry's face, "Mo fye!" he cried, before turning the finger to Sirius, "Mo fye!"

Turning back to the table, Severus started searching the desk for something—_anything_—other than that single picture that would let him know _exactly_ how Sirius felt about him! Pictures of other people, cardboard, scissors, glue, papers, papers, papers…Severus paused. His eye had caught onto something unusual beneath a bunch of loose parchment on the desk.

"Uh!" Sev desperately reached towards the table in an effort to get Harry to move closer. He needed to see what that thing was! His subconscious was yelling for him to look at it.

"What?"

"Dap!" The infant cried, messily shifting the loose papers to the side like a puppy digging for a bone. "Dap!"

"What?" Shifting Severus to another arm, Harry lifted him up to stop his digging and single-handedly shifted all the scattered parchment to the side, revealing the inverted picture frame sitting underneath.

"Dap." Sev replied under his breath, pointing to the object. He had seen the corner of the frame sticking out and desperately needed to know what was in it. He had a feeling he knew what it was, but he needed the confirmation.

Glancing curiously at his godfather, Harry readjusted Severus in his arms before picking up the medium-sized picture frame and turning it over. To his surprise, it was a picture! It was a _painted_ picture!

It was Severus' painted picture. The infant could recognize it from anywhere! At first, Ginny wanted to make a macaroni face for Sirius, but in the end Sev decided he didn't want to expend that much energy on the mutt and they settled for a painting instead. He remembered drawing those two big blobs on the either side of a tiny blob. He recalled connecting them all by squiggly lines. He remembered Ginny telling him to add faces and legs to the picture so that they all didn't just look like floating brown ghosts. He remembered adding the red paint to Ginny's head so that he could tell that was her. He recalled drawing Harry's lightning bolt scar and putting happy faces on all three figures. And then he remembered drawing Sirius. He had added a blob next to Harry's—standing up this time, like a real man. He added arms and legs and black, curly hair and a smiley face on him too, because Sirius always smiled (well…except for right now). He remembered insisting on the addition of the word _Woof!_ to a quote bubble next to Sirius' head. Then, as Ginny helped him write it, she insisted on labeling the piece _My Family_, which she helped him write near her own head. Finally, at the bottom right-hand corner of the paper, she had helped him sign his initials, _SS_.

"_Severus drew a picture for you too, Sirius." Ginny announced, handing the painting to Severus so that he could present it to Sirius. _

_The infant blushed and buried his face in Harry's robes. Sticking out his hand, he grabbed the painting Ginny was offering him and then shifted it in Sirius' direction, offering it to him without looking. He felt the animagus take it hesitantly. "Thank you, Severus." _

_The baby never saw his face, but he recognized that tone. _

"This is Sev's picture!" Harry exclaimed in surprise, "The one he drew for you."

"Mmm." Sirius grunted in response, nodding at the window. Both Sev and Harry peered up at him but the animagus was turned away.

Sirius had framed it! Sirius had framed it and, from the way a random thumbtack was stuck into the wall on top of his bed, Severus figured he was about to hang it somewhere on his wall. "Mmm…wike mime dawing?" He asked in disbelief. Although he recognized—before he even started painting the picture—that the simple gift from him _could_ mean the world to Sirius, he never dreamed that it actually _would_! Severus never imagined that something of his own creation would mean anything to Sirius Bloody Black! But, obviously, he was wrong.

The animagus peered back at the infant warily. "Yeah…" he replied, his voice almost as low as a whisper, "…I do." And when he met Severus' gaze, the baby could tell he was being nothing but honest. Yet he was also being a bit guarded as well. Sirius was holding back for fear of being hurt.

Severus sighed. Enough of this ridiculous dancing around! "Uh!" All of a sudden, the infant began reaching downward, towards Sirius' bed. "Bowm, Haweh!" He cried, "Bowm, Haweh, peas!"

Confused, Harry placed the framed picture back down on the table before plopping the infant square in the middle of Sirius' bed. The two men then watched with curiosity as Severus sat back on his heels, studying Sirius' bewildered face for a full minute, before he pushed up, crawled straight across the bed and climbed right into Sirius' lap. The animagus' eyes widened in shock and he quickly adjusted his position to better accommodate Severus. Harry, too, looked pleasantly surprised.

Pushing himself onto his knees, Severus grabbed a fistful of Sirius' robes to support himself as he pulled up. Meeting Padfoot's eye, the infant asked, "Ooo wike mime dawing?"

Bewildered, the animagus slowly nodded in agreement. "Yes."

And just like that, a smile erupted across Severus' face. "Okie!" He squeaked, his eyes alight with delight. Shifting slightly, he plopped himself down in Sirius' arms, stuck his thumb in his mouth, and got comfortable.

Sirius peered up at Harry in confusion, but his godson merely shrugged.

"Harry?" Remus' curious voice preceded his head, which popped in through the crack in the bedroom door.

"Yeah?"

"Merlin told me there's something you wanted to discuss—" The werewolf's eyes widened until they were as big as saucers once he caught sight of Sirius cradling the infant Severus in his arms. "Er…something."

"Yeah, uh…" The teenager scratched the back of his neck as his gaze shifted between a shocked Remus and a confused Sirius before moving down to Severus, who was busy snuggling into Sirius' chest. "…I think we should discuss the whole…sitting arrangement again."

"Right…" Remus nodded lamely, still gaping at the duo on the bed.

Sirius merely gave his best friend a goofy (yet genuinely happy) smile and shrugged, "Life's weird!" But at least things were looking up now!

_**

* * *

**_

"Alright…" Harry raised his hand as he levitated their growing number puzzle letters over their heads.

Severus, who had been busy fussing with his stuffed lion cub's tail, turned when he saw Harry's hand move and promptly imitated the gesture.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing, cub?" He asked with a laugh.

"Wha do-ing." Sev chuckled as well.

"Are you imitating me?" The teenager raised his arm and scooped Severus underneath it, cradling the infant into his side.

"Me-teh-ting." The infant repeated, before curling himself into a ball and snuggling into the crook of Harry's arm.

"Remus told me you started teaching Teddy some signs yesterday." The teen felt a nod against his arm. "That's great! Does he get it?" Another nod. "You must be a good teacher then."

_Bfffffft!_ Severus blew raspberries into Harry's robes. "Why-ew!" He croaked.

"I'm not a liar!" Harry smirked.

"WHY-EW!"

"What are you two doing?" Ginny's voice carried from the door. The two boys peered down at her simultaneously.

Ginny was finding it hard to suppress a smile. Harry and Sev were still in their pajamas, lying down in the middle of the bed, with various letters floating about their heads, and they were both peering at her with wide, innocent eyes.

"I was just about to teach Sev some beginning levitation." Her boyfriend replied, "And after that, we were going to go through some mental communication exercises."

"Well, the mental communication you can practice while we're in class." Ginny replied, heading towards the wardrobe, "You can kill two birds with one stone that way."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "She has a point." He murmured to the infant. After planting a kiss atop the baby's head, Harry reluctantly forced himself to get up and face the day. After making sure to pack Severus between two big pillows, he headed off to the bathroom to go through his morning routine. Behind him, the hitherto floating alphabet letters gathered themselves up and put themselves back into their box on the side table. Severus squealed in delight and giggled at letters, flipping himself onto his belly to watch them dance around their box before settling in.

"What's so amusing, sweetheart?"

"He likes the dancing letters." Harry replied, walking out of the bathroom with his white shirt on but unbuttoned, his red tie around his neck but untied.

"Maybe we should take him to see a play or something this winter holiday." Ginny suggested, flitting around the room, packing Severus' diaper bag.

"Sure." Harry shrugged.

"I hear there are many good shows on West End."

"Eh…" Her boyfriend shrugged, trying to sound nonchalant about the whole thing. "We can see a West End show this holiday. _Or_…we can see a Broadway show."

Ginny looked up from folding Severus' clothes to give her boyfriend a confused look. "Broadway?"

"Yeah, it's exactly like—"

"Mo! Mo wamp dap, Immy!" Sev squeaked, interrupting their conversation.

"I'm sorry, sweet?"

"Wamp dis wike Haweh!" The infant tugged at his t-shirt and then pointed to Harry's collared white shirt for clarification.

"You want _that_ kind of white shirt?!"

"Uh-huh!" Sev nodded resolutely.

"But, sweetheart, that's the kind that you wear to Sunday Service." Ginny argued.

"Bu wamp dis wike Haweh!"

"Sev—"

"_Peas_, Immy?"

"You're going to the _Burrow_ today! With _Sirius_! And _Teddy_! To play _**outside**_!" The teen sounded like she was on the verge of begging him to reconsider.

"Gin," Harry broke in before Sev could revert to tears, "Just let him wear the shirt." He continued, a twinkle in his eye. "It's his choice what he wants to wear."

"Harry!" Ginny's eyes widened at her boyfriend and she lowered her voice to a whisper, "It's going to get filthy! And he's going to regret it the moment he starts feeling hot and itchy."

"Love," Harry chuckled and pulled Ginny into his arms, bringing his mouth to her ear and lowering his voice to a whisper as well. "Let _him_ come to that realization himself! Just pack an extra shirt just in case. Then later you can say 'I told you so.'" Pulling away, Harry smiled at Ginny's dubious face before giving her a quick peck on the lips and then turning his attention to his infant. "You want to wear a white collar shirt, cub?"

"Uh-huh!" Sev replied excitedly.

"Coming right up!"

With a sigh, Ginny rolled her eyes and shook her head. Whatever. She stuffed the folded clothes in Severus' diaper bag.

"Dap too, Haweh!" Sev exclaimed, pointing to the red tie around Harry's neck.

"My tie?" Harry's eyebrows furrowed. "You want a tie too?"

"Wed!"

"Gin, does he have a red tie?" He asked his girlfriend.

"He doesn't have _any_ tie."

"I'll tell you what." The teen replied suddenly, clapping his hands as an idea abruptly came to him. "I'll lend you one of my ties; but we'll shrink it and we'll clip it onto the front of your shirt instead of tying it around your neck. How does that sound?"

"Dap too!" Sev exclaimed excitedly, pointing to the chair beside Harry, where the teen had laid his robes for the day. "Dap too!"

Harry peered down at the cloak Ginny and Sev made him for his birthday, and then looked up to exchange a glance with his girlfriend.

Ten minutes later, when Sirius padded down the stairs and into the kitchen with the morning paper under one arm, Harry and Severus were seated at the table, next to each other, preparing breakfast.

"Hello, hello, hello…?" Seeing Harry and Severus side-by-side, in outfits that matched down to the letter—literally—gave the animagus pause. "Why do you have a miniature clone, Harry?" Sirius asked, a little creeped out.

"Don't ask me. He chose his outfit today." The teenager shrugged.

Sirius was confused. "But you and I were going to the Burrow today, cub!" He argued with the infant, "We were going to go outside, roll in the mud! Remember?"

"Sirius, _please_ tell me you don't mean that literally." Ginny commented from the counter.

"Relax, Ginny." Pulling out the paper from under his arm, the animagus took a seat and peered at his godson worriedly. "Harry?"

"Yeah?"

"I want you to promise me right now you're not going to go mental or anything."

Suddenly, everyone's attention turned towards him. "Why would I go mental?" The teen asked suspiciously.

"Because…" Sirius took a deep breath and decided to let it all out in one, "…the front page story of the Prophet is about you and how you're suddenly caring for an infant that popped out of nowhere; and about how they've been reporting this all along, but every time the reporters try to take a picture, the pictures come out wrong. Thus, nobody believes them. However, they now have definite proof from a source inside Hogwarts." There. He'd said it. "Long story short, everyone knows you _and_ Ginny are caring for a child, but they don't know who the child is."

"Great, now everyone's going to bug me about why I didn't tell them I was taking care of the baby!" Ginny grumbled from the counter, taking out her anger on the toast.

"That's it?" Sirius raised an eyebrow.

"Don't talk to me right now, Sirius!" Ginny snapped.

Sirius cringed instinctively. "Okay…" Obviously, she was angrier than she was letting on. Turning to his godson, the animagus tried to gauge his reaction. However, he found it a bit difficult, seeing as how Harry was merely scowling at the breakfast table, unmoving. "Pup? What do you think about all this?"

All of a sudden, Harry snatched the newspaper up from the table, rolled it up tight, and threw it into the fireplace, making the fire flare violently. The teenager had moved so quickly that Sirius was sure he would've missed it had he blinked. "_That's_ what I think about all this." He grumbled.

"Right!" The animagus nodded, turning away from the table and making a face. Perhaps he should avoid having a conversation with either of the adults this morning. "Hey, cub! How're you doing this morning?"

Arguably, the conversation between Sirius and Severus that morning was the best (meaning, the most civil) they'd ever had. While Harry and Ginny sat there, eating their breakfasts and allowing their tempers to cool, Severus explained to Sirius that the reason he chose that particular outfit was because he wanted to look suave and dress nice—it wasn't a crime, after all—and his choosing those clothes had nothing to do with Harry whatsoever.

Yeah! Like Sirius believed _that_ load of bollocks!

By the time breakfast was over, both Harry and Ginny were calm enough to discuss cover stories and strategies for avoiding any unwanted questioning. Sirius was impressed with the depth and meticulousness of their plans, especially since they were thought up on the spot!

"As long as they don't know your name, Sev, we should be fine." Harry assured him.

"Perhaps it's time you take my suggestion seriously then." His godfather murmured out the side of his lips.

"I've always taken it seriously, Padfoot."

"Harry!" Ginny exclaimed, calling the boys' attention over to her, "This is just a reminder. You promised Severus a trick-or-treating experience last month, so we should start planning for Halloween."

"Oh! That's right!"

"Wicked!" Sirius exclaimed, exchanging a smile with the infant. "I've never been trick-or-treating! What is it? It sounds _fun_!"

"It's mostly a kids' activity, Padfoot." Harry rolled his eyes. "You dress up in costumes, go around the neighborhood, door-to-door, they open it, you say 'trick-or-treat', they give you candy. Kids love it."

Sirius sent him a confused look. "But…I don't understand. If the candy's the 'treat' part, what's the 'trick' part then?"

"Padfoot, there _is_ no 'trick' part." Ginny replied lamely, feeding Severus some oatmeal.

"So why do you say 'trick-or-treat' then?"

"Ah!" Severus agreed. He too wondered at that.

"Because it's tradition." Harry replied.

"But that doesn't make sense! If there's no 'trick' part, then there's no point in saying 'trick-or-treat'. That's, like, giving them a choice between a 'trick' and a 'treat'. If everyone just chooses 'treat' by default, and there _are_ no 'tricks', then why don't kids just go around yelling 'treat' rather than 'trick-or-treat'?"

Harry and Ginny both sighed while Severus grinned at Sirius. "UH-HUH!" He agreed whole-heartedly.

"Alright!" Harry replied, "Crash course on Halloween muggle-style!"

_**

* * *

**_

"I _**LOVE**_ Halloween muggle-style!" Sirius exclaimed, examining all the candy in his pumpkin bucket and comparing the weight of his bucket against Severus' and Teddy's.

The gang (Harry, Ginny, Severus, Sirius, Remus, Dora, Teddy, Ron, and Hermione) was out at Godric's Hollow for the night. Fortunately for everyone involved, Halloween fell on a Saturday this year, meaning no training, no work, no school—everyone was free to have fun! Thus, here they were in Godric's Hollow, taking the boys (and that included Sirius) trick-or-treating for the first time.

"Are we going to go out to all the houses?!" The animagus asked excitedly.

"Not everyone celebrates Halloween, Padfoot." Hermione replied matter-of-factly.

"How can you not celebrate Halloween?" Ron commented, chewing on a Tootsie Roll, "I don't understand that."

"The key word is 'celebrate', Ronald."

"I still don't understand."

"Hey! Guess whose house this is, Sev." Ginny said with a suspicious smile.

"It's the Millers' house." Harry replied, adjusting the hood of Severus' lion cub costume so that it covered his ears and forehead properly. Harry was fortunate he found a baby lion cub costume that could double for footsie pajamas with a nice, warm hood on a regular night. Ginny wouldn't have agreed to buy it otherwise. It was ridiculously expensive for a one-time outfit. "Remember the Millers, cub? The family we met when we first came to Sunday Service?"

"Uh-huh." Severus frowned and stuck out his tongue, making a face.

Sirius snorted. "What was that for, Sev?"

"He got in trouble for making an inappropriate remark about them when we first met." Ginny replied.

"So I trust you're going to be a perfect gentleman to them tonight, right, cub?"

"Twick-oh-tweap. Wamp twick." The infant muttered under his breath. Behind them, Sirius began laughing out loud.

Harry's suspicious gaze moved from his ward to his godfather and back to his ward. "Behave, the both of you!" He rebuked softly.

"Yep, sew."

Sirius snorted. "Yes, sir."

Ginny rang the chime and the door swung open almost immediately. "Harry!" Mr. Miller exclaimed, a gigantic smile on his face. "Oh!" His eyes widened as he took in everyone else's presence, "Hello, everyone!"

"Trick-or-treat!" The group of nine exclaimed in perfect harmony.

"Oh! Look at all of you!" Mrs. Miller came to the door carrying a big bowl of candy. "Oh, it's little Henry! And Teddy!"

"Hello, Mrs. Miller." Remus greeted with a smile. "Mr. Miller!"

"Hello, Remus, Dora."

"Sirius Black!" Mr. Miller cried in surprise, his eyes widening to the widths of saucers.

"Mr. Miller, it's fine. He's my godfa—"

"Twick-oh-tweap!" Sev interjected, holding his hand out to the couple and waving his open palm at them impatiently. "Twick-oh-tweap!"

"Henry!"

"Oh, no, its fine!" Mrs. Miller laughed, scooping a soft candy bar out of the bowl and placing it in the infant's hand.

"Ank ooo." Sev replied with a smile.

"Aw…Do I get one too, Mrs. Miller?" Sirius sent her a charming, simply irresistible smile of his own before thrusting his own candy bucket forward.

Mr. Miller turned his saucer eyes onto his wife suspiciously. "Of course you do, Mr. Black." Mrs. Miller gushed, dumping a handful of their candy into his bucket.

Severus scowled at the cheating animagus. _Bfffffffft!_

Five minutes later, when the group was finally able to pry themselves away from the Millers after a bit of small talk, Harry (with Severus in his arms) and Sirius were leading the group through the family's big front yard.

"You totally cheated, Padfoot." Ron commented.

"Who said this thing was a contest anyway?" Sirius shrugged. "I thought we were pooling candy." The animagus was about to pop a piece of fudge in his mouth when a hand suddenly grabbed his arm and froze him in his tracks.

"Harry?"

"Sirius…" In the millisecond it took for Sirius to turn to his godson, Harry's face had drained of all color and his grip on his godfather's arm had become vice-like. The animagus' frown deepened as his sensitive ears picked up on the quivering of his godson's voice as well.

"Harry…Harry, are you alright?!"

All of a sudden, the teenager yanked him closer and thrust Severus into his arms. "Take him!" Harry croaked. Sirius immediately wrapped his free arm around the infant. "Take care—" was all Harry managed to force through his lips before his grip on his godfather's arm slackened and he crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

"_**HAWEH**_!" "_**HARRY**_!"

Ginny was the first to crouch by his side. Everyone else huddled around her a fraction of a second later.

"What happened?!" Hermione screamed behind her.

"Harry?!" Ginny tried tapping his cheek with one hand in a vain effort to wake him up while her other hand felt his wrist for a pulse. "Harry, come on! _Come on_, love!" Three agonizing seconds later, she felt a familiar beat beneath her fingertips, but it was weak. "Harry, I swear to God, if you die, I'm gonna _kill_ you!"

"DIE?!"  
"What?!"  
"What the hell are you talking about?!"  
"HAWEH!"

"He's alive, but just barely!" Ginny informed them.

"What?!"  
"What happened?!"  
"**HAWEH**!!!"  
"What do you mean?!"  
"Just _barely_?!"

"We need to get him to St. Mungo's _**NOW**_! Remus!"

"I got him." The werewolf knelt down next to Harry's unconscious body and quickly scooped him into his arms.

"HAWEH!"

"Hermione, maybe you can get the Millers—"

"Got it!" The girl instantly took off towards the door.

"Ginny, what's going on?!" Ron croaked.

"HAWEH!!! HAWEH!!!"

"I'll tell you once we get to the hospital." The teenager replied, hastily thrusting Severus' diaper bag into her brother's arms.

"HAWEH! HAWEH! HAWEH! Immy!"

"You _know_ what's going on?!" Sirius cried disbelievingly, trying to keep up with both Ginny and Remus without dropping a squirmy Severus.

"You see?! I _knew_ something was wrong with Harry!" Tonks exclaimed, instinctively tightening her arms around Teddy.

"Something was wrong with _Harry_?!" Sirius croaked.

"_**HAWEH**_!!!"

"Well, hel—" Mr. Miller never got the chance to finish for as soon as his door was open wide enough, Remus kicked it the rest of the way in and barged into the house.

"Where's your floo?!" He growled.

"Harry!" Mrs. Miller screamed upon catching sight of the body in Remus' arms. It didn't take her long to get a hold of herself, though. "It's in there!" The flustered housewife replied, pointing to the living room.

"_**HAWEH**_!!! _**HAWEH**_!!! _**IMMY**_!!!"

After climbing into the floo next to Remus and her unconscious boyfriend, Ginny frantically addressed the rest of the group, "Everyone else meet us at _**ST. MUNGO'S**_!"

And in a flash, they were gone.

* * *

**FINALLY! The cliffhanger I've been dying to get to!!! :-D Oh, it feels SO good to reach a goal!**

**Next up, we find out what's been wrong with Harry all along. Any thoughts as to what it was? ;-)**

**Once again, a big THANK YOU to all my readers and REVIEWers. You're all very wonderful people! :-) As per usual, don't hesitate to let me know what you think! **


	35. The Thief in the Night

"_**HAWEHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH**_!!!" Severus screamed at the top his lungs, bucking wildly in Sirius' arms and trying to launch himself into the floo.

"_Yes_, Severus, we're going!" The animagus growled, climbing into the hearth before the dust from the last group's hasty departure could even settle.

"I'll go with you!" Hermione added, climbing in next to them. "You'll need a hand to throw the floo powder."

"_Quickly_!" Sirius hissed.

"Go! We'll be right behind you." Tonks assured them.

"ST. MUNGO'S!"

_BOOM!_

Sirius was jumping out of the hearth and into the fray before Severus' head could even stop spinning.

"I need Healer Ampharius here STAT!"  
"That was Harry Potter!"  
"We've got another case right here!"  
"Might as well call a priest."  
"I need a magical medical history done on this patient _at once_!"  
"We're moving him! Let's go people!"  
"Curse ward!"  
"You can't move him! He's _**convulsing**_!"  
"I need some Atropine, Pralidoxime, and some Diazepam here _**NOW**_!"  
"Are you the next of kin? I need you to sign some forms."

All of a sudden, Severus' world began moving in slow motion. The room was swarming with people! It must've been the emergency ward for there were at least five floating stretchers in the immediate vicinity. Healers were fluttering about like butterflies, flying from patient to patient, waving wands and muttering words in Latin. There were sparks flying around. Random family members huddled in corners, most of them with tears in their eyes, as they watched their loved one being subjected to several spells at once. Pieces of parchment drifted down from the ceiling like notes from Heaven only to be yanked by the nearest healer and crammed into a folder for further scrutiny at a later time. There were potions being jammed down people's throats, needles being thrust into patients' arms. Orders were being thrown around like fireballs from the mouths of dragon healers. On occasion, a pack of healers with a stretcher between them would charge through the ward, dodging other healer packs in an effort to get to their destination faster.

Then there was Ginny. She was standing by the stretcher on the right side of the room, farthest from the floo. The entire room seemed to be moving around her while she stood still, frozen in place by what was happening right in front of her eyes. She had a hand tucked under one arm while her other hand covered her mouth. On her face, she wore mask of pure anxiety. Remus stood behind her, a hand on her shoulder for support and his eyes fixed solely on the figure shaking violently on the stretcher.

Harry.

Like all the other patients, he had a team of healers swarming around his stretcher. One of them was trying to hold him down, another was using a lighted wand tip to check his pupils, and another was waving his wand over him in a circular pattern, his eyes closed in concentration. Yet another healer was focusing solely on his right leg, a frown fixed upon her face, an additional healer was standing nearby, looking over a folder with an even bigger frown, and one more was standing by Ginny with a clipboard and quill, trying to get her attention.

All of a sudden, an additional healer quickly burst into the scene. Severus watched as he jumped over chairs and tables in an effort to get to Harry's stretcher. The commotion he caused along the way made the healer with the folder look up and reach towards the runner.

"Throw them over!" Sev heard her scream, her voice low and deep in his slow-mo world. "He's _convulsing_!" And just like that, three cylindrical objects went flying through the air—one blue, one red, and one green. From what Sev could tell, they each had a hole on one end and a button on the other. Halfway through the room, the strange cylinders picked up speed until they fell into the hands of the folder-healer. The witch then threw the folder aside and shoved two of the colored cylinders into each of the hands of two other healers, keeping the third. The infant watched as each of the three healers picked a body part and, in perfect conjunction, stabbed Harry with the hole-end of their cylinder, pressing the button at the same time.

Then everything in Sev's world hit fast forward.

Harry jerked up violently just as Sirius reached his godson's side. His eyes opened wide and he had a frantic look about his face.

"Mr. Potter. Mr. Potter, can you hear me?"  
"Are you feeling any pain?"  
"Do you know what's going on?"  
"You're in St. Mungo's. It's alright."

All of a sudden, Harry's eyes found Severus' and in that instant, a slew of images flashed into the infant's mind.

_The outside of the Den._

_The entrance to the basement._

_Harry's potion's lab._

_Harry's research station._

_A cauldron full of fluorescent blue potion simmering atop the desk. _

_Five empty medium-sized vials sitting next to a simmering cauldron. _

_Harry screaming, "All five!"_

And just as quickly as they appeared, they were gone. Harry had lost consciousness yet again.

"Let's move him! _**NOW**_!" Like the sound of a pack leader howling to her group, the healer in charge bellowed into everyone's ear a millisecond before the pack of healers around Harry's stretcher began running towards the end of the ward, floating their patient between them. Ginny, Remus, Sirius with Severus, Hermione, and the recently-arrived Ron and Tonks with Teddy promptly took after them.

"Are you his girlfriend?!" The head healer yelled behind her.

Ginny, at the head of their group, replied, "Yes!"

"How much do you know about his medical history?"

"Everything!"

"Do you know what could've caused his collapse and his seizure?"

"He has a curse inside him!"

"Master Healer, that's a free room!" One of the male healers exclaimed to his superior, pointing to one of the open doors up ahead.

"Get him in there!" The sound of boots skidding against tile floor filled the air as some of the group had a hard time making such a sharp turn after running so quickly. Fortunately, Harry's stretcher, as well as the two people carrying babies, was able to make it into the room without incident.

"Family to the far side of the room if you want to stay, but _keep out of the healers' way_!" The master healer snapped at them as they entered, pointing to the far side of the large room where a family three times the size of the Weasley clan could've watched the proceedings without incident.

"Jeez! She's got _magnificent_ bedside manners!" Sirius grumbled under his breath, positioning himself next to Ginny, who was standing as close as she dared to Harry's stretcher. The rest of the gang gathered behind them soon enough.

"Who's the curse specialist on duty?!"  
"Healer Ampharius, Master Healer."  
"Get him here, STAT!"  
"Yes, Master Healer!"  
"And if you can't find that incompetent bastard, find someone else!"  
"Yes, Master Healer!"  
"Where's the girlfriend?!"

"I'm right here!" Ginny replied, raising her hand and taking a tentative step forward.

"You said he has a curse inside him." The master healer impatiently waved at her to elaborate.

"Yes, um…He said you all call it the Curse of the Damned."

All of a sudden, as if someone had just flipped a switch, all activity in the room ground to a halt, and all the healers stopped what they were doing to gape at her in shock.

Even the unflappable Master Healer looked flabbergasted. "The Curse of the Damned?!" She echoed in disbelief.

"What?!"

"How is that possible?!" One of the male healers exclaimed.

"It makes sense, though. That explains the collapse and the seizure." One of the female healers argued.

"But it _doesn't_ make sense in that he should be _**dead**_ right now!" The Master Healer retorted, glaring at her. "Did you even _listen_ to my lecture on the Curse of the Damned?! _First_, it attacks the nervous system, paralyzing the victim—_that_ explains the collapse and the seizure. You got that right. _But_ what you _fail_ to note that this takes place within an _hour_ after being hit with the curse. And we all know that whoever hit these people with this curse did it during the Battle of Hogwarts, which was _**five**_ months ago!" Upon finishing her dressing down, she turned a skeptical glare onto Ginny. "How is he still alive?!" She snapped.

"Well, maybe he invented a counter-curse." Remus piped up. "And applied it to himself."

"Sir, a counter-curse _exists_. However, if he had applied it to himself, he'd be a vegetable right now." The Master Healer retorted with a scowl.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Remus, the Curse of the Damned is a double-layered curse." Ginny elaborated, peering at the werewolf behind her. "It's the first of its kind."

"If Mr. Potter had applied the counter-curse to himself, it would've triggered a fail-safe within the curse."

"A fail-safe?" Hermione frowned. "In a _curse_?!"

"Whoever invented this thing was diabolical!"

Sirius and Tonks exchanged a look. "Bellatrix." They intoned simultaneously.

"We call it the Curse of the Damned for a reason! Damned if you keep it in because it'll kill you—slowly. Damned if you remove it because it will completely disable you for life! You will be a vegetable, a ghost of your former self, a body without a person, a vessel without a soul—_as good as dead_! Damned if you do, damned if you don't. Curse of the Damned—there!" Having dropped that bombshell, the Master Healer spun around and started shouting orders to her team.

"Wait a minute!" Hermione cried, taking a step closer to the bed, "So this curse has no cure?!"

"One hundred and eighty-three people were shot with the Curse of the Damned last May at the Battle of Hogwarts." The Master Healer replied, running her wand over Harry's still frame. "Of those one hundred and eighty-three, seventy-nine died slow and painful deaths as the curse first paralyzed them completely and then ate their organs from the inside out—they drowned in their own body fluids. Of the one hundred and four remaining, fifty-two had the counter-curse applied to them before we realized what the counter-curse was actually doing—ordering the curse to attack their brains. So, no…" the Master Healer paused in her work to peer at Hermione over the rim of her glasses, "…this curse has no cure. If it did, there wouldn't be fifty-two…excuse me, now fifty-_**three**_…other curse victims in stasis, _taking up room in my hospital_!"

"Then how is Harry still alive then?!" Ron spoke up, making everyone pause in their work once again.

The sudden reminder of the miracle of the situation shocked the Master Healer into glaring skeptically at Ginny once again. "That's a good question!" She barked.

"After he was shot with it, Harry put a lot of his magical energy into trapping the curse in his right leg."

"_THAT'S_ why he kept on limping on and off randomly!" Tonks exclaimed, her eyes widening in surprise.

"Yes," the teenager nodded, "At first, it was easy to control the curse. He just numbed the nerves in his leg and used the same methods you healers use when you keep the rest of those fifty-two people in stasis."

"But it still doesn't help it!" The Master Healer argued. "It delays the inevitable—that's all! One of our stasis patients died this morning because the curse had eaten through his liver. And this is a _stasis_ patient, mind you!"

"That's the thing!" Ginny retorted. "Harry knew it was only a matter of time before the curse started doing a number on his leg, and only a matter of time after that the curse was going to break out of his leg altogether and kill him."

"Potter knew he was on a clock."

"So he poured every waking moment that he could spare into finding out how to beat the curse, and then a few weeks in, he had a breakthrough—you need an _antidote_ in addition to a counter-curse."

"An antidote?" The Master Healer frowned.

"A _potion_ antidote?!" Another healer exclaimed.

"Yes!" Ginny hissed, "That's how you beat the second layer of the curse! Harry figured out that you have to administer an antidote _before_ you apply the counter-curse. That, in turn, _blocks_ the curse from crippling the organs of the body, or the body part, that it's in."

"How did he figure all this out?" One of the male healers asked.

"He has a bunch of prosthetic legs in his lab that he works with." Ginny explained. "They were supposed to be for himself, in case he had to have the leg amputated, but he turned about half of them into his lab rats anyway."

"That makes sense." The Master Healer murmured to herself, "But that's a really _old_ method for countering a curse."

"What is?" Sirius spoke up.

"The Antidote Method." The Master Healer replied, "The Antidote Method for countering a curse hasn't been used for over eight hundred years!" She elaborated, "Since the Twelfth Century! It was last used…by…_Merlin_, actually!"

"That is probably why _our_ counter-curse division didn't think about using the method." One of the male healers added.

The Master Healer then turned her scowl towards him. "Well they _should _have!" She snapped, before glaring at Ginny once again, "Did the genius manage to construct the antidote before he succumbed to the curse? Because he's no use to us now in stasis!"

"He did." Ginny nodded confidently. "But…I'm not sure if it's ready to—"

"_**UH-HUH**_!!!" Severus screamed at the top of his lungs, calling the room's attention to him. "Uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh! Amp-doe! Immy, AMP-DOE!" He then pointed towards the door, "_**DEM**_!!!"

"It's at the Den?" Ginny grabbed Sirius' shoulders, turning anxious eyes onto the infant in his arms. Severus nodded. "The antidote is at the Den?" Another forceful nod. "And it's ready?!"

"Dum! Dum! Dum!" Sev nodded frantically.

"Do you know how much he needs?"

Severus held up five fingers to her face, "Fye bye-ew!"

"Are you sure?" Ginny asked, her eyes wide with excitement.

"Haweh towb!" Severus pointed to his head, then back at Harry, then back at his head, "Haweh towb me wow go!" He explained, pointing to his temple frantically.

"Alright, sweetheart, you're _absolutely_ sure?!" Ginny asked once more, wanting to make sure Severus knew what he was doing. The infant nodded.

Ginny turned back towards the healers, "How much time does he have?" She asked nervously.

"Well, he's in stasis right now." The Master Healer replied, "but the curse has built up in his system over the past five months. It's like a very hungry animal, and our methods are only going to—"

"_HOW_…_LONG_?!" Ginny snapped, her eyes flashing. Her patience for this snarky healer had just about run out.

The Master Healer snapped her mouth shut, "A few hours." She replied dully.

"We'll have it here within the hour." Turning back to Sirius, she fixed him with a determined look. "Sirius, I need you to take Severus back to the Den. Harry's potions lab is in the basement. Severus knows what to do from there."

The animagus nodded immediately. "Right! Come on, cub!" Turning on his heel, Sirius began power-walking out the door.

"The Curse of the Damned, the Curse of the Damned," Severus could hear Sirius muttering under his breath, "_Goddamn it_! Why didn't Harry tell me?!"

_That makes two of us._ Sev drawled internally. The infant hooked his arm around the back of the animagus' neck and clenched the front of his shirt tightly. Severus was pretty sure he wouldn't fall off, not with the way Sirius was holding him right now. Yet at these high speeds, one could never be too careful.

"Haweh mo tew mo wa." The infant replied. "Mo wa! Mo tew Moomy, Mo tew Ma-Ma Mowy. Mo tew Dum-dow. _MO_ _WA_! Owie tew Immy."

"What I don't understand is _why_." Sirius answered, confusing marring his features.

_Oh, please! You're not special._ Severus felt like rolling his eyes.

"Did they tell you?"

Sev huffed. "_**MO**_…WA!" Really! How difficult was it to understand the phrase '_no_ one'?

"See? They didn't tell you either."

Hey! What was _that_ supposed to mean?! Severus was special! Wasn't he?

_If you're so special, why didn't they tell you then? Why did they keep the secret from you too?_ The cynical voice at the back taunted.

_They must've had a __**really**__ good reason why!_ His little voice replied.

"Alright, here we go. Ready?" Sirius warned just before he stepped into the floo.

Grabbing onto the front of Sirius' robes with both hands, Severus buried his face within the folds. "THE DEN!"

_BOOM!_

Merlin, he hated that feeling! The floo sucked—plain and simple!

"Alright, cub, let's move! We're on a clock. Where do I go?" Severus groaned and pointed behind him to where he knew the entrance to the basement was located. "Right! Okay…" Sirius hightailed it over and threw the door open violently. The torches lighting the stairwell flared to life automatically. "Whoa! I've always hated spiral staircases…" As quickly as he safely could, Sirius made his way down the stairs and into the basement hallway. This part of the house he remembered from his boyhood days (although they always took the outside stairs into the basement). Sirius knew the double doors led to the library, which meant the door on the left led to… "Alright, we're in the lab! What now?"

As Severus caught his breath against his chest, Sirius took a second to really inspect Harry's lab. The place looked like a storm had just swept through it! He whistled lowly, "Whoa, pup…I knew you got an E in your Potions OWLS but…Geez!" Once Sirius caught sight of the blackboards and whiteboards full of equations, chemical compounds, and chicken scratch, his eyes widened in surprise, "This is hardcore." He murmured under his breath.

Then it occurred to him. This wasn't just hardcore. This wasn't just an obsession. For Harry, this was—quite literally—life and death. This room was another battlefield, this curse yet another adversary. Yet there was something about this particular situation that separated it from the rest. Perhaps it was the fact that the battle was no longer without, but within; the enemy no longer living flesh, but rather pure energy. Perhaps it was because the weapons of choice weren't purely magical in nature, but relied on a bit of science…

Sirius peered at some of the pieces of parchment on one of the work tables.

Or perhaps…it was because his reason for fighting had changed.

Pushing aside the papers full of equations and chicken scratch he couldn't understand, Sirius picked up the one paper he understood quite well. It was a child's painting. It was one of Severus' finger paintings, to be specific. Sirius remembered Severus handing it to Harry the day after they had all returned from Auror's training that first week. The smile on his godson's face had been priceless. When the animagus held the painting at arm's length, he could just make out a few dark, wrinkled splotches he knew weren't there before.

Dried teardrop stains.

His godson had cried over this painting.

Biting his lip, Sirius peered around the room and spied a cauldron simmering atop the work desk by the corner. Seeing as it was the only cauldron in use in the whole lab, the animagus figured it was safe to assume that it was the potion they came here to retrieve. Careful not to trip over any of the papers on the floor, Sirius made his way over and inspected the area for any indication as to how much of the potion they needed.

"Whenever you're ready, Severus." He murmured under his breath. The child in his arms moaned. Sirius grimaced. He hoped the infant wouldn't sick up all over his clothes. He didn't fancy smelling like vomit when they returned to the hospital later on.

Sirius took a second to scan Harry's work table and his eyes caught onto a picture frame sitting a safe distance away from the cauldron. Placing Severus' painting on the empty stool, Sirius made a mental note to remember to bring it with them before reaching over and picking up the frame. As expected, it was a picture of Ginny and Severus. It must've been summer, and they were sitting in what looked to be a garden. Ginny had her back against an old stone wall and was holding the infant Severus in her arms. On her head she wore a big, straw hat while Severus sported a baby boonie cap. The teen's eyes were shining with laughter as she grinned at the camera and tried to keep the baby still for the picture. Severus' eyes glowed as well, but in them Sirius saw a hint of mischief, which was confirmed a second later as the infant made a grab for the camera lens. Sirius couldn't help but smile.

So _that's_ what made the difference between Harry's fight for survival now and Harry's fight for survival five months ago. His motivations had changed.

"He did it for you." Sirius murmured loud enough for the infant to hear him. The animagus felt the little body in his arms gulp before a set of eyes peered up at him curiously. "He did it for you and Ginny." Peering downward, Sirius met the infant's gaze. "You two were his reason for fighting…this time around. And I think he saw that as a…worthier reason than all the other reasons he's ever fought before." Sirius showed him the picture he found atop Harry's desk, "You two gave him a reason to live."

Severus peered at the magical picture for a short while and sniffed. "Haweh…" He murmured, sounding on the verge of tears.

Alright. That was enough dawdling around. The last thing Padfoot needed to deal with was a crying baby when they should be collecting Harry's potion. There was plenty of time to cry later, while they waited to see if Harry lived, died, or became a vegetable for life. "Come on, cub! We're going to bring this with us." Sirius set the picture down with Severus' drawing before turning the infant to face the simmering cauldron. "Is this the potion we need?"

Severus blinked at the abrupt change of atmosphere but was able to pull himself together quickly. After a sniff and a swipe at his eyes, the infant found his focus. Simmering cauldron? Check! Florescent blue potion? Check! "Uh-huh!" He exclaimed.

"Great! How much of it do we need?"

Oooh! Severus _knew_ that answer!

_Five empty medium-sized vials sitting next to simmering cauldron._  
_Harry screaming, "All five!"_

Wriggling frantically in Sirius' arms, Severus scanned the area around the cauldron for any medium-sized vials. "Dap!" He exclaimed, pointing to the five partially-obscured glass bottles behind the cauldron.

"Excellent!" Taking out his wand, Sirius lined up all the bottles with a single flick and with another filled each of them to the brink with the bright blue potion, finally capping them with some corks he saw nearby. "We only need five?"

Severus nodded.

"Alright. Here we go!" Spying a leather bag under a pile of books and parchment on the table next to him, Sirius grabbed its strap and, with a single pull, threw almost all the contents of the table onto the floor. The animagus cringed as he heard glass shatter. "Sorry, pup. I'll buy you replacements later." Flicking his wand at the five glass bottles, Sirius floated them into the bag before promptly stuffing Sev's painting and the picture frame in there as well. "Okay. Is that all we need?" He double-checked with the infant.

"Uh-huh!" Sev replied impatiently, pointing towards the door. "Go! Go! Go!"

And go they did. After casting a quick spell to protect all the bottles in the bag, Sirius slung the pack over his shoulder and hightailed it out of the room, up the stairs, and into to floo in record time. They were back at St. Mungo's before Severus could even blink, which was fortunate for him because it didn't even give his head time to _start_ spinning!

"Padfoot!" Sirius turned at the sound of his name to find Remus waving him over from the far side of the emergency ward, closest to the hallway that lead to Harry's room.

"Go to Moony, Sev. I have to run this in there." Sirius murmured to the infant in his arms. Severus nodded.

"Room twenty-one." Remus relieved Sirius of Severus and nodded in the general direction of Harry's room. "Do you have it all?"

"Got it!" Sirius raised the bag in Remus' face before taking off down the hall like the hounds of hell were at his heels.

Moony, on the other hand, followed at a slightly slower pace, power-walking instead. "Don't worry, Sev." He murmured to the baby in his arms. Severus leaned his head against the werewolf's chest, listening to his calming heartbeat and sucking on his thumb nervously. "Everything's going to be alright. I have this gut feeling, cub. He'll be okay."

_I hope you're right._ The little voice in his head replied.

They walked into the room just in time to see Sirius hand the last potions vial to the Master Healer. "You're _sure_ this stuff's going to work?" The snarky healer raised a dubious eyebrow at Ginny, "I mean, _absolutely_ sure?!"

"I am _absolutely_ sure." Ginny nodded.

"Because this is no small decision here." The healer continued, regardless, "There's no second chance at this. This is a one-shot thing. If this thing doesn't work, your lover is going to be rendered brain-dead, which, in my book, is practically de—"

"_**DO IT**_!!!" Ginny snapped, her nose flaring and her eyes flashing. She was sick of this healer's cynical attitude and degrading comments.

The Master Healer's jaw tightened. Turning away from Ginny, she uncorked the vial and handed the cork to an assistant healer. "Uncork the rest of those." She instructed her team members, who were holding the other four vials. Having said that, the Master Healer turned back to her patient, "Down the hatch, Mr. Potter!" Squeezing his cheeks so that his mouth popped open, the healer poured the potion in and squeezed his nose to get his esophagus to open up.

Ginny glared at the healer's audacious insensitivity. "Isn't there a gentler way to do it?"

"No." The Master Healer handed the empty vial back to her assistant and waved for the next one. "Take him out of stasis."

"Yes, Master Healer."

As soon as the healer released his nose after the second vial of potion, Harry started coughing uncontrollably.

"Can't you spell the potion into his blood stream or something?!" Sirius objected.

The Master Healer gaped at him, "Spell the po—Where, in Merlin's name, did you hear _that_ load of rubbish?! The body has its own filtering system. Not _everything_ ends up in the blood stream!" Hearing a break in her patient's coughing fit, the Master Healer squeezed Harry's mouth open and dumped the third vial of potion in, pressing his nose shut. She smiled triumphantly as she watched both Ginny and Hermione scoff and turn away, upset. "The way an antidote works is that different parts of it help different parts of the body. Only the parts of the antidote that need to be circulated throughout end up in the bloodstream. Some organs need specific parts of the antidote to help them protect themselves from the curse." Hearing yet another break in her patient's coughing fit, the Master Healer dumped the fourth vial in. "In a person of magic, there are receptors in their body that sense a magical antidote and delegate the different parts of it to different organs. These receptors line the person's mouth, throat, etc all the way down to their stomach." After another break in Harry's coughing fit, the Master Healer shoved the last vial of potion down his throat. "So _no_, you can't just 'spell' the potion into the blood stream!" With that note of finality, she turned back to her staff.

"Stand by for counter-curse." Turning back to the group before her, she fixed them with her most serious look, "Last chance to back out."

Ginny bit her lip and peered at each seven people around her. Remus met her eyes and nodded. Sirius did the same. Tonks looked anxious and nodded. Teddy merely looked curious. Ron and Hermione both bit their lips and nodded. Severus whined, peering at Harry with tears in his eyes. "Haweh…" he moaned sadly around his thumb. Taking her baby into her arms, Ginny hugged him for all he was worth as she turned back to the healer and nodded.

"Do it."

The Master Healer nodded and within seconds, all seven healers were gathered around him in a circle. They each had their wands out and were waving it over Harry's still body in a circular pattern. All of a sudden, a soft blue light engulfed Harry's body, following the curves of his figure, from the nooks and the crannies to the wide open spaces. A particularly bright spot of light then started moving around him, circling his still form and making the bright blue light appear even brighter.

"Master Healer?" One of the male healers questioned, his voice conveying partial alarm. This, in turn, alarmed the eight observers in the room.

"Just keep on it."

"But this has never happened before!"

"There are _many_ aspects of this situation that have never happened before!" The Master Healer snapped, "Keep on it!"

And they did. The healers continued their wand waving for the better part of an hour, occasionally switching the direction of their waving wands, but always moving their wands in sync with one another. Finally, after a long while, the blue light around Harry's form dissipated and the healers all dropped their wands to their sides, looking exhausted.

"That's it?" Ron squeaked, frowning at the team of healers. "That's all?"

"What happens now?" Ginny added, her voice calmer than her brother's.

"Now we wait." The Master Healer replied, making a note in the folder she had been studying earlier. "It'll please you to note, however, that this whole blue aura business has never happened before with any of the other Curse victims."

"Which means what, exactly?" Remus asked.

"Which _means_…" The Master Healer opted to finish scribbling whatever she had been writing in the folder before continuing her reply, "…that the genius here…_might've_…just saved fifty-two other people from a fate worse than death."

"Really?!" Hermione exclaimed excitedly.

"At the expense of his own life!" The Master Healer snapped, her eyes flashing. She then turned to check on her patient once more, "Or…almost at the expense of his own life."

"He wasn't doing it for them." Ginny murmured in return, shaking her head. Her eyes never left her boyfriend's now-peaceful face. "I know that now."

"Well, _whomever_ he was doing it for, I hope they appreciate his stupidity!" The healer scoffed, "He is physically, mentally, and magically exhausted from holding the curse in for so long. It's a _miracle_ he's even lasted this long! It's been five whole months. Whomever he was doing this for; they must've been one hell of a motivation!"

"They were." Ginny answered assuredly, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips as she watched her boyfriend's chest rise and fall with each breath. Against her chest, Severus sucked his thumb nervously, but not as strongly as before. He peered up at Ginny with curiosity. When the teenager looked down to meet his gaze, the light shining in her eyes eased his rapidly-beating heart. The infant closed his eyes as Ginny ran her fingers through his smooth hair and laid a kiss upon his forehead. "Very much so."

"Yes, well…" The Master Healer glanced once more at the folder in her hands, the frown she had been sporting earlier marring her face once again. "He's not in the clear yet." Turning to her team of healers, she congratulated them on doing a good job before snapping for them to leave the room immediately. She then closed the door behind them. "There's something I wish to discuss with you."

All six adults in the room looked up at her with a frown. "Yes?" Sirius replied, a note of disquiet in his voice.

The Master Healer motioned for them to step closer to Harry's bed while she herself approached his other side. She then pointed at Ginny. "When I asked you earlier, you told me you knew everything about his medical history."

"I do." The teen nodded. "He _has_ told me everything."

"Every _single_ thing?" The healer raised an eyebrow.

Ginny swallowed. She _did_ know every _single_ thing in Harry's medical history. Harry himself told her everything about his life outside of Hogwarts—every _single_ thing. "Master Healer, I beg you—if you're going to sprout out questions, please don't ask about…" Ginny inhaled sharply, not wanting to say anything out loud, "…not while he's still—"

"I was merely going to ask how he got _these_ wounds!" The healer interrupted, flicking her wand and unbuttoning Harry's shirt. The scratch marks scattered all over his torso drew gasps and squeaks of surprise from everyone in the room, save for Ginny, Sev, and the Master Healer. "These scratch marks were inflicted by a werewolf."

"What?!" Sirius exclaimed. Both Tonks and Hermione gasped and instinctively turned their gazes to Remus. The werewolf met their eyes and shook his head frantically, shrugging his shoulders in confusion.

"Yes, they were." Ginny nodded. "Fenrir Greyback."

"Greyback?!" Ron exclaimed.

"He was a snatcher during the war." Ginny explained. "At one point, he chased Harry into a cave. It was just the two of them at the time. Greyback wanted to snatch him. Harry wanted to live." The teenager shrugged. "Harry makes miracles when he wants to live."

"That still doesn't explain—"

"He choked Greyback…to death." Ginny elaborated, feeling a bit uncomfortable revealing this bit of information.

"He choked him to _death_?!" The Master Healer's eyes widened. "A _werewolf_?!"

"It was a fight _to_ the death. It was either him or Greyback—"

"Yes, yes, I know all that! But…a _werewolf_?!" The healer looked very confused.

"He wasn't transformed at the time."

"Even though, they're still very powerful—"

"Not as powerful as during the full moon." Remus interjected. The healer frowned at him. "I mean…Greyback's pretty powerful in his own right, but…he wouldn't be _as_ powerful as…during the full moon."

"I told you." Ginny added, "Harry makes miracles when he wants to live."

The Master Healer sighed. "Right. Whatever." Snapping the folder shut, she picked up her wand and pocketed it. "There's more in here that I want to discuss, but I'll leave you all to it for now." She began making her way to the door. "As I said, he's not in the clear yet. It _appears_ that the curse has left him, but we we're not entirely sure, so we're going to observe him for a bit. I've no idea when he will wake. However, he's not in a coma, so when he _does_ awake, I implore you to come get me." She opened the door but turned back to them, "Oh, and Miss…?"

"Weasley."

"Miss Weasley…" The Master Healer gave her a tight smile, "…I'll leave it to you to inform him that his magical medical history will be forwarded to Poppy Pomfrey, as she is the attending healer at Hogwarts, am I correct?"

Ginny gaped at her, "You can't—"

"Standard procedure, I'm afraid." The healer replied, unrepentant. "I'll leave it to you to inform him of that." And with that, she shut the door behind her.

Ginny growled in irritation. "Oh, I _hate_ that woman!"

"Did you _see_ how she was treating Harry!" Ron exclaimed, equally as annoyed as his sister, "Shoving potions down his throat, and he was choking on them!"

"I intend to lodge a complaint against her." Hermione added.

"I'll second you on that." Sirius said.

"I'll third." Remus threw in as well.

"Humph! I'll _fourth_!" Tonks replied.

"Ah!" _**Bffffffft**__!_

Everyone in the room cracked a much-needed smile before grabbing chairs and settling in for the long haul by Harry's side.

* * *

**WOW! What a chapter! **

**Next up, the fallout. We find out about what's been going on behind closed doors, and all of the family's secrets see the light of day via the Daily Prophet.**

**Well? Who guessed curse? Good job if you did! :-) A big THANK YOU is in effect for everyone who read and REVIEWed the last chapter(s). You all are amazing! I truly hope you enjoyed the last chapter and please don't hesitate to drop a line, say 'Hi!' and let me know you're out there! :-D**


	36. The Reason

It was several hours later and everyone who had been here earlier was still in the room. Ron and Hermione were able to procure a bed and were asleep next to Harry; Remus managed to find a bed for his wife and Teddy as well (seeing as Dora flatly refused to leave the room) and now they were both asleep on Harry's other side; and Severus was curled up in Ginny's lap, sound asleep as well. Ginny, Sirius, and Remus, on the other hand, were wide awake and sitting on three chairs next to Harry's bed.

"How long have you known, Gin." Sirius asked, wanting more than anything to break the tense silence in the room.

"Oh, uh…" Ginny sighed, "…Since July, I suppose. Or, uh…late June, somewhere about that time."

"How'd you find out?" Remus added.

"He told me." Ginny murmured, grimacing as he recalled that particular conversation, "We'd just had a row…"

"_Ginny?"_

"_Yes?"_

"_There's one more thing…" Harry checked the crib once more to see if Severus had gone back to sleep before continuing. _

"_Which is…?" Ginny pushed, wanting to get everything out into the open._

_Harry tilted his head towards the open door and the two teens made their way into the living room. "You might want to sit down, love." _

_Ginny frowned and silently did as he bid, her eyebrows scrunching up at the implications of that request. "What's wrong, Harry?" _

_For a moment, Harry paced around the living room, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration and his hand running through his hair nervously. He bit his lip and mumbled something incoherent at the carpet. "Um…Er…This isn't…Uh…"_

"_Harry…" Ginny started in concern, "Sit down, love. Please?" She patted the cushion next to her, "You're making me nervous."_

"_Gin…" Harry took a deep breath and forced himself to sit on the coffee table across from her, "Look, there's no easy way to say this…" He paused to take yet another deep breath. _

_Ginny frowned, "To say what?!"_

"_I'm dying, Ginny." Harry bit his lip and looked into her eyes, fearful of what he might find there. _

_Shock and disbelief were the first to meet his gaze. "You're…" For the first time since they'd gotten together, Ginny was speechless. "You're __**what**__?!" She breathed, confusion and hurt marring her features. _

"_I'm…I'm dying, love." Harry stuttered. Having to force the words out of his mouth took as much effort as forcing a boulder through a pinhole. _

_Ginny gaped at him for a long while, not even knowing where to begin! "What do you mean you're __**dying**__?!"_

"He told me that he'd been hit by a curse sometime during the battle." Ginny continued, "That it was by someone at a distance and that it came from behind. And it was a curse that he didn't immediately know how to counter." She shrugged, "So he did the next best thing—he put it aside 'til later."

"In his leg." Sirius added.

"Yes." The teen nodded. "He put it in his right leg. He blocked it in there."

"He even had it in there during his battle with Voldemort?" Remus asked, confused.

"Well the curse…" Ginny bit her lip. She didn't know if she was going to explain this right or not. "It takes a while to go in effect. So, it was kind of swept to the back of his mind during that particular duel. What Harry did was he applied the stasis methods they have here to the curse trapped in his leg."

"But he was still able to use his leg." Remus interjected.

"Well, the people in stasis here—they're still alive. They're still breathing and everything. The curse in them, however, is what's delayed."

"You mean frozen in time." Sirius asked, confused.

"No." Ginny shook her head. "You can't stop a curse simply by stopping time for that curse. It's not possible. If it were, that'd be nice, and it would be the solution for everything. However…it's not."

"Hence, we're here." Remus nodded to the sleeping Harry.

The teenager grimaced. "When you put a curse in stasis, at best, you delay its effects. Harry was doubly lucky because the curse hit him in his right leg and he quickly isolated it in his leg before it could spread to the rest of his body. So it was trapped _and_ in stasis, buying Harry plenty of time to make the antidote. Or…rather, research it enough to get to this level."

"That must've been harsh." Sirius added, sympathy in his eyes as he gestured to Ginny. "How did you react when he told you?"

Ginny scoffed self-deprecatingly and shook her head. "Not well." She unconsciously wrapped her arms tighter around the child on her lap.

"I'd imagine." Remus whispered in reply. "If Dora told me that…" He too shook his head and shuddered.

"Yeah." Ginny grimaced, "I remember crying…a lot…uncontrollably, at times." She shrugged, "But I guess that's normal for someone who—"

"It's _absolutely_ normal, Gin." Sirius assured her, putting his arm around her shoulder in comfort.

"It would've been _ab_normal if you hadn't reacted that way." Remus agreed.

"I just couldn't…" Ginny took a deep breath and swallowed several times in an effort to get herself under control. "I couldn't see…" She took yet another deep breath, but both men were able to pick up the shudders inside it.

"Hey, Gin…" Sirius began rubbing her back soothingly, "It's alright."

"I couldn't see myself doing this alone." The teen continued, gesturing towards the infant in her arms, her voice thick with emotion. Sirius and Remus could tell she was on the verge of tears. "Without him." She sniffed. "I mean…I'm not usually the type…who cries over a man. I don't…I mean, I can live without…one. But…I _love_ him!" Ginny's voice trembled and as she blinked, the tears began trickling from her eyes. "I love him. I do. I…It was just…hard. And then we had Severus!" The teen took a deep, shuddering breath and the tears began falling all the harder, "And I couldn't…see myself raising a child…alone. I couldn't…I _didn't want to do this alone_."

"It's alright, Ginny." Remus offered her a handkerchief.

"How would you have felt if you had to raise Teddy without Dora?" Ginny continued, using Remus' handkerchief to wipe her cheeks, "And every time you looked at him, he would've reminded you of…" She sniffed, "I would've been a _terrible_ single mother!"

"Hush, Gin!" Sirius chided, continuing to rub her back soothingly.

"That's why I _begged_ him to just get the leg amputated." She continued, "Lose the leg rather than lose his life! But he _begged_ me instead to give him time." The teen swallowed to clear her voice. "At this point, he knew he needed an antidote, and it was only a matter of time before he found the recipe. He wanted me to give him time; to keep it a secret and give him time."

"But you didn't want to keep it a secret." Remus interjected, suddenly recalling Harry and Ginny's violent argument a few months back. "You wanted to tell somebody. You wanted to tell _us_."

Ginny cleared her throat, "_At the time_, I agreed to keep it a secret. And you saw how that affected me at the Den that one weekend."

"When you were crying on the floor." Sirius filled in.

The teen nodded. "The product of…a lot of stress, I supposed. 'I can't do this alone' and 'Harry's dying' were the two main things running through my mind that entire weekend."

"But you pulled yourself through." Remus added encouragingly.

"After two crying fits, yes." Ginny wiped the remaining tears from her eyes before continuing. "Anyway, a few weeks later, when the curse was getting harder for him to control, and he started limping more and more…well, that's when I got on his case about actually telling everyone what was going on."

_**SLAM**__!_

"_Ginny, I don't want to have this discussion right now."_

"_Well, like it or not, we're having it!" Ginny snapped, scowling at her boyfriend. _

"_Remus and Dora are in the next ROOM!" _

"_I don't give a rat's arse about that!" _

"_Well I __**DO**__!" Harry boomed, his eyes flashing._

"_That's because you refuse to tell them, or anyone else, about the curse that's trapped in your leg!"_

"_We talked about this before." The teen growled. _

"_And it still doesn't make sense to me!" _

_Harry growled in frustration and approached his girlfriend with angry strides, getting in her face, "Ginny, I asked you, I BEGGED you to give me time, let me find an antidote." _

"_It's a curse, Harry!" Ginny argued, "How does it have an antidote?!" _

"_It's a DOUBLE-LAYERED curse—the first of its kind!" Harry exclaimed, his voice reaching its peak in his anger. "It's a miracle I even figured out you need an antidote in addition to a counter-curse. Merlin had to hint it to me!" _

"_Harry—"_

"_I begged you to give me time to find that—"_

"_Yes, and—"_

"_AND YOU SAID 'YES'!!!" Her boyfriend exclaimed, pointing at her with a mad gleam in his eye. Ginny's mouth snapped shut. "You said 'yes.' Don't even TRY to deny it! You—said—'yes'!" _

_His girlfriend's jaw tightened. "Yes, but now you need help." _

"_I do NOT need help!" Harry forced through gritted teeth, turning away from her and striding to the opposite end of the room._

_Ginny exploded. "Then it's your goddamn pride that's the issue now, isn't it?!" She screamed, her voice reaching new heights. "It's not enough to save yourself, it's not enough to save everyone else who's trapped in stasis due to the Curse of the Damned. No, __**YOU**__ have to do it __**BY YOURSELF**__, don't you?!"_

"_I'm not doing this by myself. You KNOW that! I have Severus helping me."_

"_And why not get Slughorn's help as well?" She challenged. _

"_I AM getting Slughorn's help!" Harry countered, "He may not know it, but he's helping me fill in the holes Sev and I can't fill in ourselves. My pride is not an issue here, Ginny!"_

"_Tell them then." Ginny challenged, her voice low and dangerous. "If it's not an issue, __**TELL THEM**__, Harry!" _

_Harry fixed her with a firm, unyielding gaze, "No." He replied, his voice as equally as low and as dangerous. _

_Ginny threw her arms up in frustration and scoffed, "Why not?!"_

"_Do you think I want their looks?!" Harry cried, "Do you think I want to see the pity in their eyes whenever they look at me?! 'Oh! Look at poor Harry—'"_

"_SEE?!" Ginny exploded, suppressing the extreme urge to jump up and down in frustration, "See? See? See? It __**IS **__your pride!" _

"_No, it's NOT—"_

"_Say what you will." Ginny interrupted him, getting in his face and dropping her voice to a growl, "That's what I'm seeing here, Harry, and I'm calling you on it. You—need—help." _

"_No." Her boyfriend replied, the sound coming from low in his throat. He had a dangerous gleam in his eye that probably would've scared Ginny had she not been so angry at the time. _

_Upon Harry's reply, Ginny's face contorted to an agonized mess and she pushed Harry away in frustration, "Argh! Need I remind you this is __**MORE**__ than you now?!" Her frustration had finally given way to grief and she was on the verge of tears, "This is Severus, this is me, this is __**US**__, Harry!" She watched as her boyfriend scowled and turned away, uncomfortable. "You're not alone anymore. Have you forgotten that?! Have you forgotten you have a child depending on you now?!" _

_Harry growled and swept his arm out, purposefully knocking the candelabra off the side table to vent his frustration. "How can I __**FORGET**__ that, Ginny?!" He cried, "Why do you think I stay up so goddamn late and get up so goddamn early? Why do you think I spend every waking moment, that's not already devoted to him, with my nose buried in a potions book?" Harry pointed to the dark bags of sleeplessness underneath his eyes. "These are NOT for nothing, Ginny! They're for him! They're for you! They're for the both of you! They're for __**US**__!" _

"_I—"_

"_I am working as fast as I possibly can!" _

"_This—is—KILLING you, Harry." Ginny ground through gritted teeth. Tears poured down her face and she gazed him through gleaming eyes. She paused to get a hold of herself but held her boyfriend's stare, engaging him in a battle of wills. The pause turned into a lengthy one, with neither of the lovers giving an inch to the other. Finally, Ginny swallowed the lump in her throat and continued, her voice turning desperate. "Don't you think Severus, at least, deserves to know that?!"_

"_He—deserves—__**HAPPINESS**__!" Harry replied, his face contorting into a fierce scowl, "And knowing that the first person who ever truly wanted him in his life is dying of a virtually unknown curse with no known cure that was shot in his leg by the most sadistic bitch in the world during battle…" The teenager shook his head, "…He's not going to be happy, Ginny." _

"_Yes, but—"_

"_Ignorance is bliss, Gin!" Harry interrupted her before she could get any further, "Pure, unadulterated bliss." _

"_YOU hated not knowing things, Harry." She countered, not missing a beat, "Why subject HIM to that?"_

"_Then, by all means, tell him!" Harry replied, glaring fiercely at his stubborn girlfriend, his eyes full of challenge, "Tell our son that his father is dying!" _

_That did it. Ginny's jaw tightened and she swallowed, turning her back to Harry and wrapping her arms around herself. Harry made no move to comfort her. He was still too angry to be the comfort just yet. A tinge of guilt began prickling in his gut when Ginny's shoulders started shaking and the tears reappeared, but it was not yet powerful enough to break through his wall of frustration._

_All of a sudden, a loud, earsplitting cry blasted in through the door. It was as if the door itself had transformed into a speaker and from within its depths came the cry of a child. Their child. Both teenagers could recognize his cry from anywhere. The door was booming it loud enough to make a regular concertgoer cringe. Yet Harry and Ginny didn't cringe. Neither even blinked. Both simply turned to the door and stared at it for a short while. _

_Harry's shoulders were slumped as he gazed at the wailing door. His face held a frown. His voice sounded defeated, in a way; in others, exhaustion tainted his words, "I'm not going to do it. I can't." He murmured under his breath. Turning to meet Ginny's gaze, Harry's face softened, but not to the point of caring just yet. "But if you get the urge to do it, go ahead." He said with finality. Turning on his heel, the teenager marched to the bookcase and imputed the password to enter his lab. "I'm going down to take a painkiller and work on that antidote for a few hours." The door to the basement slid open and Harry peered over his shoulder at his girlfriend. He gestured towards the wailing door, "You can tell him if you want." And with that, he disappeared down the staircase, the bookshelf sliding shut behind him. _

"I couldn't do it." Ginny continued, tightening her arms around the infant in her lap and shaking her head sadly, "I couldn't tell him." She then turned her gaze onto Remus, "I couldn't tell you either, Moony."

"You wanted to, though." Remus countered, remembering the look on Ginny's face that afternoon.

"I wanted to, yes." The teenager nodded, "But…it just felt like…if I told you, or anyone else for that matter, then…it might come true." She turned despairing eyes onto the two men next to her. "Do you know what I mean?"

"Yeah, Gin." Sirius nodded, a look of sympathy still fixed onto his face. His hand continued to rub smooth circles into her back, "It's alright."

"I mean…I knew it would come true, but…If I said it out loud, then…it might become _real_!"

"Ginny," Remus said kindly, "It's okay."

At that moment, there was a soft knock and the door to Harry's room cracked open to admit the head of one of the male healers from earlier. "Hello! It's time for a little check-up." He whispered, a friendly smile on his face, "Do you mind?"

"No, no…" Ginny waved him in.

The healer nodded at her before stepping into the room completely and closing the door behind him. "Hi! I'm Healer Weston. I'm the Curse Specialist Apprentice assigned to Mr. Potter's case."

"Apprentice?" Sirius raised an eyebrow.

"It's a little known fact, but St. Mungo's is actually a teaching hospital." He shrugged as he took out his wand and began waving it over Harry's body. "Everyone just assumes that a team of fully-trained healers is assigned to every patient."

"But that's not the case." Remus added.

"Unfortunately, not." Weston picked up Harry's file from the side table and started scribbling all over it. "It's a team of six students to one fully-trained healer."

"The one with the ruddy bedside manners?" Sirius raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, that would be the one." Weston nodded with a smirk. "Her name is Healer House. She has a muggle cousin, I believe, in America, who's a doctor in New Jersey. He works in a teaching hospital too and, from what I hear, he has ruddy bedside manners as well." The healer chuckled, "Runs in the family, I suppose. You know…" Weston snapped the file folder shut and pointed at Harry with the back of his quill, "…that potion he invented? It's _brilliant_! I just had to say that."

"So does that mean he's doing well?" Sirius gazed at the healer in concern.

"Yes." The healer grinned at them. "He's doing _very_ well, actually. He's _alive_, which is more than what we expected him to be after you told us what curse he had in him."

"So he's going to live?" Ginny added hopefully, begging the healer with her eyes to give her the answer she wanted to hear.

But the healer's eyes turned sad, "I'm sorry, Miss Weasley, but I can't answer that with absolute certainty."

"Give us your best guess then." Remus pushed, voicing the desperation Ginny wore in her eyes.

Healer Weston sighed, "My best guess…" He paused to study Harry thoroughly; taking out his wand and running it up and down his patient's body several times. "…is that he's going to be out for a while. Three days, at the least. Like Master Healer House said, he is physically, mentally, and magically exhausted. His body needs sleep to replenish his reserves completely. However…after three days, I _do_ believe…" Weston glanced at them nervously, "…he _will_ recover."

Ginny, Sirius, and Remus all breathed sighs of relief at that.

"But please note that what I'm saying…I—It's not—"

"Don't worry." Sirius waved him off, "We just needed someone to tell us that."

"Once again, he's not going to be _completely_ in the clear for at least three days." Weston emphasized.

"But he's not dying?" Ginny asked.

"No, he's…he's going up the opposite road." At that, a small smile returned to the healer's face, "From what we can tell…he's recovering."

Closing her eyes, Ginny breathed a sigh of relief and tightened her arms around the small sleeping bundle against her chest. _He's going to live…_The thought brought a smile back to her face and light back to her eyes. _He's going to live..._ "Thank you." She whispered to the healer, infinite gratitude lacing her voice.

"Oh, don't thank _me_, Miss Weasley." Healer Weston replied, "Thank Mr. Potter. He's the one who figured out the antidote. And if I may…?" He stepped back to be able to face all three of them properly, "We have more patients in desperate need of the antidote. Is there more that we can use? Or rather, do you happen to know the recipe of the potion? Given Mr. Potter's positive results, we'd like to administer it to them as well, before the curse is able to break through all the stasis barriers we used against it."

"Yes, um…" Ginny nearly rose from her seat but Sirius stood up instead, waving her back down.

"No, no, I'll get it." He murmured, "You just stay there. Just tell me where to look."

"The potion in the basement is still perfectly good for two people." The teen turned towards the healer, "Do you need it right _now_ now, though? Because Harry said you have to keep the potion simmering until right before it's administered. Otherwise, it'll lose its effects. Once it's bottled, you have an hour to get it into the patient's body and apply the counter-curse."

Healer Weston bit his lip, "Well…it's the early morning. I'll say we'll need it in a few hours. Shall I come and ask you then?"

Ginny nodded, "Yes, please. Oh! And, um…the potion? We have the potion's recipe. We can get it for you. However, the catch is it'll take three weeks to brew."

Weston frowned, "Three weeks?" He echoed in surprise.

"Yes, um…" The teenager scratched her head, "There's something that needs to be steeped or…grown or…whatever for three weeks. Harry wrote down detailed instructions on everything. I'll tell you exactly where it is. Do you think your patients will be able to wait three weeks for an antidote, though?"

"Well…" Weston glanced at the door behind them, "I can talk to Master Healer House about strengthening the defenses against the curse and tightening them as best we can. Um…I'm pretty sure we can buy them three weeks." He nodded. "However, if it's going to take three weeks, may we have the recipe now so that I can give it to our resident brewer—"

"Oh, yes! Absolutely."

"I'll go get it." Sirius replied. "Who shall I give it to once I return?"

"Master Brewer Jacobson." He handed the animagus a scrap of parchment. "He works in this ward. This is his room number. I assure you, he's a very capable brewer and he knows how to follow instructions down to the letter."

"Good, because this is a difficult potion to brew." Ginny told Sirius how to find it and soon enough, the room was empty of conscious visitors save for Remus and Ginny.

"You should get some sleep, Gin." Remus remarked, climbing to his feet, "I'll go and find you a bed."

"Can you just…" Ginny grabbed his arm before he could get far enough away from her, "Can you just extend Harry's?"

When Remus looked down at her and saw the pleading look in her eyes, the desperation in her beseeching gaze, he could deny her nothing. "Alright." He replied, giving her a smile meant for comfort. Taking out his wand, he extended the bed so that she and Severus could fit in next to Harry and helped her climb on. After putting up the guard rail and making sure that none of them could fall off, he pulled the sheets up to cover all three of them and bade them a goodnight.

"Thank you, Remus." Ginny murmured, already halfway into a slumber.

Yet as Remus really thought about it, it was _he_ who owed plenty to Ginny. Here was the boy he called friend and thought family, lying in a hospital bed, asleep but definitely not dead. Harry lived five months with a lethal curse in his leg, a parasite eating away his energy and growing strong as he grew weak. Something had to keep Harry going; something had fuel his motivation; something had to be the reason for his continued existence. That something…Or, rather, those _two_ somethings were lying next to him in his hospital bed right now.

Ginny and Severus—they were Harry's bedrock, his reason to wake up every day, his reason to _live_. They were the reason he was still alive, and Remus owed them more than they could have possibly imagined.

"No, Ginny…" He whispered into the stillness of the night. "Thank _you_."

_**

* * *

**_

"I'm going to start the patenting process for the Antidote to the Curse of the Damned today." Sirius remarked as Ginny fed Severus his breakfast.

"Make sure the credit goes to both Harry and Severus equally, with the assistance of Horace Slughorn." The teenager replied.

"I've also taken the liberty to let Dumbledore and McGonagall know about Harry being in the hospital. I sent them letters, so they should be receiving it about—"

_**CRASH!!!**_

"YOU NOSY, GOOD-FOR-NOTHING BLABBERMOUTH!" A familiar, angry voice echoed into the room from farther down the hallway. "I SHOULD SPELL YOUR GODDAMN MOUTH SHUT!"

Severus unlatched in alarm and burrowed into his sling, wrapping the fabric around himself, but retaining a hold on it so he could peek out when it suited him. Around them, Remus, Tonks, and Teddy and Ron and Hermione all jolted awake in their beds as well.

"Sirius, would you go find out what all that racket is about, please?" Ginny said, frowning at the open doorway.

The animagus was already on his feet and heading towards the threshold, "That sounds like Healer House, doesn't it?"

Before he could stick his head out the doorframe, however, Professor Dumbledore stepped into the room, waving him away. "That won't be necessary, Sirius."

"Professor!" Ginny quickly fixed herself and made to stand up.

"Please don't get up, Ginny." Professor McGonagall continued as she stepped into the room behind Dumbledore, closing the door behind her. "Master Healer House is just a bit…" She exchanged a look with the headmaster.

"Irritated, shall we say?" The old man supplied.

"She's _always_ irritated." Sirius rolled his eyes, "What else is new?"

"What was she talking about?" Ginny asked worriedly, eyeing the newspaper under Dumbledore's arm with suspicion.

"Uh…" This time, it was the headmaster's turn to exchange a look with McGonagall.

"Miss Weasley, given Mr. Potter's condition, and your whole…situation…I thought a few days off from school would be necessary." The old woman declared, making her way to Ginny's side, "Now, I have brought your things, some schoolwork—"

"Nana?" Ginny tried, aiming for what she knew was McGonagall's soft spot. She needed to find out what was going on. "Please?"

The old professor sighed. Adjusting her glasses, she exchanged one last look with Dumbledore before setting Ginny's schoolwork down on the nearest table and taking the seat Sirius offered her. "Miss Weasley…Ginny…" At hearing McGonagall's apprehensive tone, Severus peeked out of his sling and the old witch addressed him as well, "…Severus…I'm afraid there's been a leak."

"A leak?" Hermione croaked.

"What sort of leak?" Sirius added.

_CRASH! BANG! CLANK! "You worthless snitch! Get out of my sight!" _The Master Healer's raspy voice filtered in through their door, her angry words all of a sudden taking on new meaning.

"Don't tell me!" Ginny shook her head, her eyes flashing.

"Today's front page stories." Dumbledore nodded sadly, his eyes filled with mixed emotions. "They include Severus Snape being found, Harry Potter's mysterious ward being identified, and Harry Potter being the victim of the Curse of the Damned—all in the same article."

Sirius scoffed, "I'd image it's an entire special edition dedicated to him."

"It's probably the biggest story since Victory Day."

_**Bfffffffffft**__!_

"I agree with Severus!"

"Would you care to read the articles, Miss Weasley?" Dumbledore asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I'd appreciate it if you'd burn that paper, sir." Ginny replied with a tight smile.

"Will do." The old man nodded. "Anyone else?" And without even waiting for an answer, he handed the newspaper to Hermione.

"I don't know why you care at all for that gossip rag, 'Mione!" Ron groaned, collapsing back against his pillow.

"Hush, Ronald!"

"Bloody ridiculous." The redhead slurred.

The other redhead in the room wrapped her arms around the bundle in her arms and collapsed against the back of her seat, shaking her head. "I don't know what to do." She murmured, looking lost.

Severus, however, sat up in his sling. This was the moment he had been waiting for! This was the moment when he would convince Harry and Ginny that they needed to take him with them all day long from now on for his own safety! "Me steh woo!" He exclaimed.

Ginny frowned at the infant. "Stay with me?"

"Ooo eh Haweh! Aw deh!" He exclaimed, "Aw deh, aw deh, _AW DEH_!"

The teenager sighed and shook her head, "Sev, you can't stay with me and Harry all day—"

The infant's eyes widened and he frowned at his caretaker. This wasn't the way it was supposed to work! "MO!" He squeaked, "Me steh _WOO_!"

"Honey, if anything, it's more dangerous _now_ than it used to be!" The teen argued.

"_MO_!" Sev squealed, shaking his head frantically and bouncing in his sling, "Mo, mo, mo, mo, mo! Me steh _**WOOOOO**_!"

Ginny closed her eyes and sighed, "Oh, Sev…"

"Me steh woo! Me steh woo! Me steh woo!" The infant continued to chant, patting her chest lightly as if trying to get her attention.

"If I may, what have your sitting arrangements been as of late?" Dumbledore asked, as if he didn't already know.

"He's been going with me to the Burrow almost every day." Sirius replied.

"Harry and I don't even want to keep him on school grounds anymore, not while we're not there." Ginny elaborated.

"Is the Burrow safe?" McGonagall questioned.

"Harry made it a virtual fortress." Ron replied, a smirk on his face. "All the wards that he put around Haven Place, he put around the Burrow. It's absolutely _wicked_! Dad and I were testing them one day, and the moment we stepped through the first set of wards, we felt like we were going insane! This mist had come out of nowhere—"

"The Burrow is perfectly safe." Ginny interjected with a roll of her eyes.

"Harry's got a wicked set of wards, he does!" Ron chuckled evilly, "I'd _pay_ to see the press or any Death Eater try to cross the first set! Ha, ha, ha!"

"No one's going to get in." Ginny translated.

"What'd I'd be more concerned about right now, though," Sirius interjected, "is _not_ someone who would try to take him illegally, but rather…someone who would try to take him _legally_."

Severus frowned, "Uh-uh!" He shook his head.

"That's what they have the guardianship papers for, Padfoot." Hermione replied. Severus pointed to her and nodded in emphasis.

"Guardianship papers are _not_ rock-solid." Sirius argued, "_Believe me_! I've looked into guardianship papers before."

"When the Potters tried to get custody of you." Remus remarked, as if recalling an event from long ago.

"Yes." The animagus nodded solemnly, "And you saw how _that_ worked out. My parents were able to override the guardianship papers when it most suited them."

"Mo mah, mo dah!" Severus argued.

"_Yes_, but if I recall correctly, you are a half-blood, which means that you are somehow connected to a hitherto pureblood name."

"Prince!" Hermione gasped. Everyone turned in her direction. "Severus is connected to the Prince line through his mother."

"Prince." Sirius chanted the name under his breath, his eyes glazed over in thought. Then, all of a sudden, his face tightened. "They're connected to the Malfoys."

"MO!" Severus squealed in panic, jumping in his sling and almost falling out, had it not been for Ginny catching him. "Mo, mo, mo!" The infant shook his head frantically and peered up at Ginny with worried eyes.

"How do you know that, Sirius?"

"At the risk of sounding like my bastard father," The animagus rolled his eyes and made a face before taking a deep breath, "I am the eldest son of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black. As such, it is my duty to memorize who's who in society and who's related to whom. In doing so, I know who it is I'm expected to associate with…" Sirius droned on like a robot, rolling his eyes towards the ceiling and looking for all the world as if he was trying to remember the next line of a Code of Honor he didn't believe in, "…Er…something, something, something…now memorize those goddamn family trees before I have you beaten again."

"Okay, thank you, Sirius, we get it." Ginny interjected, tightening her arms around Severus, who had paled at Sirius' words.

"Your parents beat you, Padfoot?" Hermione murmured under her breath, gazing at him sympathetically.

"Why do you think I liked staying at the Potters'?" The animagus raised a weary eyebrow at her. "But that's beside the point. _He_," Sirius pointed directly at Severus, "is no longer safe anymore. No matter _where_ you hide him, if they find even the _smallest_ thing in your guardianship papers that they can use as a means to prove that either you or Harry (it doesn't matter which one) are or will be an unfit guardian, they will snatch him up faster than you can say 'no'. And the Malfoys will contest for him—I can guarantee you that! Lucius Malfoy knows his own family tree as well as he knows mine!"

"But there's nothing they can bring against Harry!" Tonks pointed out.

"Or Ginny either." Ron added.

"Actually—"  
"Ah! Ah!"  
"I think you're overthinking this, Padfoot."  
"Mo wamp Mawmoy!"  
"I'm inclined to agree with Hermione."  
_CRASH!!!_  
"Well—"  
"There's nothing in either of their records."  
"Mo Mawmoy!!!"  
_"Get those goddamn camera's out of my hospital!" _  
"You guys have no idea what you're talking about!"  
"I'm inclined to agree with Remus."  
"This whole incident should even endear him to Wizarding Child Protective Services."  
"Um—"  
"Mo Mawmoy, Immy!"  
_BANG! CLANG!  
_"They'll bypass Child Protective Services!"  
"Ha, ha! Mo, mo!"  
_"That's right—RUN! Security, keep chasing them away! Nosy, good-for-nothing, worthless…"_  
"So it'll go to the Wizengamot!"  
"Ah! Ah! Ah! Mo! Mo!"  
"What can _they_ do?!"  
"Er—"  
_BOOM!  
_"Aren't you the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, sir?"  
_"The only picture you'll be taking is me flipping you the bird! OUT!!!"_  
"Immy! Immy! Mo Mawmoy!"  
"I am indeed, Miss Granger."  
"He's supposed to remain impartial, though, Miss Granger."  
_CRASH!!!_  
"I believe we have a good enough case, though, Professor McGonagall."  
"See—"  
"You better be sure about that."  
"Me steh WOO!"  
_"Show them the door!"_  
"Uh—"  
"Ah! Ah! Ah!"  
"You better believe she's got a good case!"  
"I have full faith that you do, Miss Granger."  
"ME STEH WOO!!!"

"_**EVERYBODY SHUT UP!!!**_" A familiar voice rang through the room, silencing all its noisy occupants instantly. "Your ruckus could wake the dead!"

Sirius snorted, "And it did."

"_HAWEH_!" Severus dove out of his sling and onto Harry's chest so hard it took the teen's breath away—literally.

"Ooof!"

Ginny inhaled sharply, "Severus! Easy…"

"Oh, god…" Harry groaned as he stretched the kinks out of his arms before wrapping them tightly around the infant on his chest. "What does it take for a man to get any sleep around here?" He asked, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

"Obviously, it takes us not being in the room." Ginny replied, a grin lighting up her features.

"Yes, it does, doesn't it…?" At that moment, Harry's eyes fluttered open and when his green emeralds met her hazel browns, he couldn't hold back the smile that pulled at his lips, "Well…aren't you a sight for sore eyes?"

"You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear your voice." Ginny breathed, leaning down over her boyfriend's bed.

"Oh, I've got _some_ idea…" A playful smirk played on his lips moments before his eyes fluttered closed once more and he and his girlfriend shared a short but passionate kiss.

They were, of course, interrupted moments later by a quick, insistent tapping on Harry's chest. Both Harry and Ginny broke their kiss then to peer down at their infant, who had pushed up against his guardian's chest and was now scowling at the both of them. "Mo tew me, Haweh!" He cried, his little face scrunched up in a frown. "Mo tew me. MAB ah ooo!"

Harry raised an eyebrow at him and tried his hardest to keep himself from laughing out loud. "You're mad at me?" He questioned, striving in vain to keep the amusement out of his voice as well.

The scowl on Severus' face instantly disappeared. "Mo." He replied matter-of-factly, "Mo _mow_! Bu…Me _WA_ mab ah ooo!"

"Ah…you _were_ mad at me." Harry nodded in understanding, bringing his hand up to rub the infant's back soothingly.

"Mo _mow_, Haweh…" Sev emphasized his words by spreading his arms out as far as they could go across Harry's chest and laying his ear down to listen to his calming heartbeat. Oh, how he _loved_ hearing that heartbeat!

"But you're not anymore. Alright." Harry continued to nod as he exchanged a look with his girlfriend on top of him.

"Mo mow, Haweh…Mo mow…"

Harry switched the hand that rubbed Severus' back so that his right hand was free to shake the hands of the well-wishers who quickly gathered around his bed.

"How long was I out?"

Sirius shrugged, "About a day, pup."

"Less than a day, actually." Hermione added. "The healers were expecting you to be out for at least three days."

"Yeah, mate, they said you were physically, mentally, and magically exhausted." Ron nodded.

"I was." Harry agreed, wrapping his arms around the child on his chest, "And, no offense, but I'd still be asleep if it wasn't for all of your ruckus."

All of a sudden, the door flew open.

"Mr. Potter!"  
_FLASH!_  
"Mr. Potter! Mr. Potter!"  
_FLASH! FLASH! FLASH!_  
"Get out of my way, you imbeciles!"  
"Harry, how are you feeling?"  
"That's for _me_ to answer. Now OUT!!!"  
_**SLAM**__!_

The harried, middle-aged healer who had just walked into the room scowled at the door and huffed in annoyance before turning on her heel and glaring at the occupants of the room. "Did you have to drag the goddamn circus in here with you?!"

_Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock!_  
_"Mr. Potter, I just have one question!"_

With a growl, the healer opened the door a crack and stuck her head into the hallway, "This is an emergency ward, not a zoo!" She snapped, slamming the door in their faces once again.

"Harry, this is Master Healer House." Dumbledore remarked, gesturing towards the sour-looking woman, "She was your primary healer when they first brought you in."

"Ah!" Harry gave the healer a gracious smile, "It seems I owe you my life, madam." He offered the healer his hand.

The Master Healer merely glared at him as she snatched his chart from the bin at the foot of his bed. "Shake your own hand, Mr. Potter!" She replied, scribbling furiously on something inside the folder, "You owe yourself your life."

"Oh! Your potion worked, love!" Ginny told him excitedly.

Healer House scoffed, "Of _course_ it worked!" She muttered under her breath, "He's _alive_, isn't he?"

"You know, you've _really_ got a problem!" Sirius snapped, glaring at the snippy healer.

"Of course I've got a problem!" The healer croaked, her eyes flashing at the animagus. "The goddamn press has been swarming my ward all day! No matter what I throw at them, they won't go away—and that's all your fault! Add that to the fact that my patient's family is being non-compliant!" She glared at Ginny accusingly.

"How _dare_ you!" The teen replied, taking a threatening step towards the infuriating matron.

"I told you to come get me the moment he wakes up!"

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" Remus quickly stepped in to restrain Ginny while Dumbledore worked his own magic on the snippy healer. "Let's all calm down, shall we?" In her ear, he whispered, "Severus is watching your every move right now. Impressionable young minds…"

Ginny made a low growling noise as she turned away from the Master Healer, muttering unflattering remarks under her breath.

"Immy?"

"Everything's alright, sweet."

"You are such a liar." Harry rolled his eyes. "What what she talking about with the press?"

"You're fine for now, Mr. Potter. I'll check on you again later." The Master Healer boomed from the door, calling everyone's attention onto her. "And you better be asleep when I get back!" With that, she threw open the door and brandished her wand at all the photographers in her immediate vicinity, making them all cringe and dodge out of the way. "That's right, you bastards! _Be_ scared!" The door slammed shut behind her.

Tonks snorted, "You all have to admit, though, she _is_ a character."

"An irritating, infuriating character." McGonagall added.

"But a character nonetheless." Dumbledore agreed, his eyes twinkling.

"What was she talking about with the press?" Harry interjected, pulling them all back to topic. Nearly everyone above him exchanged worrying looks, which in turn worried Harry. "What?" He questioned, his gaze moving from an irritated Ginny to an uncomfortable Sirius to a neutral-looking Dumbledore. The latter of the three worried him greatly. Nothing good could ever come out of a neutral-looking Dumbledore. "What's happened?!"

"Nothing's happened, Harry." Hermione answered after clearing her throat.

"You're lying." Her best friend replied, not missing a beat. "It took you too long to answer. What's happened?!" He pushed, putting a bit of edge to his voice.

"Harry, don't worry about it, mate—"

"Oh, for god's sake, Ron!" Sirius glared at everyone around him before flicking his wand and calling the newspaper over to him. It flew out from behind Hermione's back and straight into his outstretched palm. Without a word, he unrolled the paper completely and held it up for his godson to see.

_**Harry Potter's Mysterious Infant Identified as the Missing Severus Snape**_

The teenager's eyes darkened considerably. "Bastards." He growled under his breath. The pure hate that colored his voice caused the baby in his arms to shiver out of fear, and the reality check brought Harry back to his senses immediately. "I'm sorry, cub." He apologized, making sure to keep all the anger and hate out of his voice as much as possible. Tightening his arms around the infant, he planted a kiss atop his head before turning back to the rest of his visitors. "So is that why the press is invading the emergency ward?"

"Well, they're here for that." Remus replied, "And I suppose they're here for other reasons as well."

"Everything sort of came out last night, Harry." Tonks added, giving Harry a sympathetic shrug. "The curse…Severus…everything..."

"It was probably one of the healers from House's team." Remus threw in. "That's probably who she was yelling at a while ago."

The teenager sighed and deflated at Tonks' words, "Everything comes out eventually." He muttered under his breath, running a hand over his weary face, "Everything…comes to light."

"Now where have I heard that before?" Dumbledore raised an eyebrow at the teen, his eyes twinkling ever so slightly.

"Ha, ha, ha…" Harry rolled his eyes.

"Pup, maybe you should take the bitchy healer's advice and get some sleep." Sirius suggested, nodding towards his godson. "You still don't look too good."

"I'm just tired, Padfoot."

When Ginny tried lifting Severus off of Harry, the infant would have none of it. He squealed and whined at the top of his voice, clinging onto the front of Harry's shirt like a monkey, gripping a vine and holding on for dear life. "MO! MO! MO!"

"Gin, it's fine." Harry shook his head and waved his girlfriend away, pulling the sheets over both him and the infant on his chest.

"But you're going to be okay, right?" His godfather asked worriedly, peering at him in concern.

Closing his eyes, Harry ran a thorough medical diagnostic over himself, searching for anything out of the ordinary. Much to his relief, the parasitic creature-like entity that had been feeding on his energy for months was now completely gone. A feeling of euphoria quickly swept through him. "Yes," he replied, a joyful smile creeping onto his face as he opened his eyes to face his godfather, "I'm going to be just fine."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"Well then…" Sirius grinned cockily at his godson, "…now that I know that you're going to be fine, I'm just going to go run over to the Ministry very quickly to collect some paperwork to get the patent started on that potion of yours."

"It's Severus' as well." Harry added, gesturing towards the child on his chest, who was busy sucking his thumb, "Half the credit goes to him too."

The animagus nodded as he picked up his jacket, "I know, pup." After making sure to list down everything Ginny wanted him to pick up from home, Sirius ordered his godson one last time to get some sleep before turning towards the door. The sound of Harry's voice, however, held him back.

"Can you do me a favor, Padfoot?"

The animagus turned back to face a droopy Harry with a half-asleep Severus atop his chest. "Anything, kiddo."

"When you drop by the Wizarding Intellectual Property Office…pick up a form from the W…" Harry cleared his throat and shifted to find a more comfortable position to sleep in without jarring Severus too much. His eyes were almost completely closed now. "…the WPRA…um…"

"The Wizarding Potions Regulatory Agency." Hermione filled in, "They have to test and approve every potion that gets patented by WIPO."

"That was the whole Aiden Elson business." McGonagall added.

"Yes, I know all about that, pup."

"That wasn't the…favor, though."

Sirius looked curious, "Then what was, Harry?"

His godson cracked an eye open and raised the eyebrow to go with it. Shifting once more to find yet another comfortable position, Harry tightened his arms around the sleeping babe on his chest and fixed his godfather with look that clearly spelled out, '_Don't be dense._'

"Read my mind, Padfoot." Was all he said before closing his eyes once more, leaving the usually smart animagus to figure it all out for himself.

Everyone's curious gaze turned towards Padfoot then, hoping he might enlighten them as to what just occurred between him and his godson. Yet Sirius' gaze was equally unhelpful for the animagus merely smiled and nodded, turning back towards the door and resuming his walk, an extra spring to his step this time around. "'Bout time, Harry."

"I don't get it." Ron complained, "What's the favor?" But he wouldn't get his answer—not yet, at least—for by then Sirius was out the door and around the corner and Harry had joined Severus in the land of nod.

"I guess you'll just have to wait to find out, won't you, Ronald?" Hermione replied smugly, earning her a scowl from her boyfriend.

* * *

**Hmmm...what was the favor? I wonder, I wonder, I wonder... ;-) **

**Next up, Severus' understanding and control of magic grows; Harry pulls Arthur aside to ask him something important while everyone else tries to listen in; and Harry and Ginny return to school after a week of absence to mixed reactions from the student body.**

**Once again, thank you to everyone who read this chapter as well as the last and most especially to those who left a REVIEW. I appreciate all of you. As I understand it, the Chapter Alerts sent by the FanFiction(dot)net server got mixed up or something like that. I'm sorry that happened to some of you. In general, I try to update pretty regularly. At the moment, I'm updating roughly every weekend (my time). I missed to update yesterday and I apologize for that. I plan to make it up by updating four days from now, so watch out for it. A bit of warning, though: you're about one weekend away from catching up to me and my writing. I'll try my best to write faster, but I can't guarentee anything. Anyway, THANK YOU everyone once again! :-)**


	37. Approaching Storm

"Aberforth, where would you like me to put this box?" Albus inquired, holding out a box of odds and ends for his brother's inspection.

Abe raised an eyebrow at the contents of the box. For the life of him, he couldn't remember where he had gotten those things! "Put it in the kitchen."

"At this rate, Abe, your kitchen will become a storeroom." Harry commented with a smile as he approached the pair of brothers.

"Well…look who's up and about!" Aberforth grumbled, narrowing his eyes at his guests.

After about a week under close observation at St. Mungo's, Harry was allowed to return home with strict orders to take it easy for at least two weeks. Moody had banned him from training for that amount of time plus an extra week just in case, and he and Remus had agreed that, at least for the coming school week, he would be the one to teach magical defense theory while Remus took care of the practical work. Both Harry and Ginny had yet to return to school, so neither knew what to expect when routines returned to normal. However, both hoped that by the time Monday rolled around, most of the school will have moved on from the Harry Potter-Severus Snape fiasco from last Sunday. If not, there would be pandemonium come Monday morning.

However, today was not Monday and thus neither Harry nor Ginny wanted to think about the impending mess that awaited them at Hogwarts the day after tomorrow. Today was Saturday, and the family was once again gathered at the family home at Godric's Hollow. The Weasley parents were over, as was Dumbledore and McGonagall, and they were all helping Aberforth move some of his stuff from his bar to his new/old house across the street from Harry's.

"Are you supposed to be walking around?" Aberforth snapped, frowning at the teenager before him.

"Relax, Abe. I'm using my cane. I'm fine." After three days or so of resting in bed, Healer House had finally relented and allowed Harry to move around his hospital room, but only under the watchful eye of someone with the capability to catch him should he fall. Thankfully, Sirius, Ginny, and Molly were always there, thus walking was always permitted in the room. The moment his feet touched the floor, however, his body decided to rebel against his brain and his right leg decided it hated him. Long story, short, it had been a long week full of physical recovery and arguments about how long he should have to use a ridiculous cane.

Abe raised an eyebrow at him, "How long did it take Ginny to convince you to use that thing this morning?"

"Not long." Harry answered with a smirk, tilting his head down towards his good leg.

Aberforth glanced down and there, hiding behind Harry's left leg, and gripping his trousers like a lifeline, was Severus, on his feet, walking right next to Harry. "Oh! So _you're_ up and about now too. Is that right?"

Severus peered all the way up at Aberforth with wide-eyes, gaping at him from behind Harry's leg as if he was a human skyscraper, whose head stretched up so high it touched the sky and whose shoulders stretched wide to touch either side of the universe. Ha, ha, ha! Things were _so_ incredibly wicked at this height! Severus grinned at Aberforth's scowl.

The old bartender huffed and snatched the box out of his brother's hands. "I must be losing my touch." He grumbled, turning on his heel and marching into his house, "The kid's _smiling_ at me!"

"Must be the age, Abe!" Harry teased at his back, a smirk tugging at his lips.

"Shut up, Potter!" Aberforth snapped from inside the house.

"Well…he's certainly in a marvelous mood this morning." Albus remarked, rubbing his hands together awkwardly, giving them something to do now that his brother had snatched up the box they had been holding.

"Oh, you know your brother, sir. This is a good mood for him." Harry replied with a shrug.

"Is it?"

"Googoogoogoogoogoogoo!" Sev grumbled from behind Harry's leg, imitating the grumbly old man who now lived across the street.

Harry chuckled along with his ward, turning back to the headmaster to explain the joke. "That's Severus' impression of your brother, sir."

"Hey! _No one_ is allowed to make impressions of me!" A voice boomed from inside the house.

"Aw, suck it up, Abe!" Harry shouted in return, a smile on his face, "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery!"

"Whatever!"

Chuckling, Harry gazed down at his smiling child, "Shall we meet our new neighbors then?" He asked, inclining his head towards the field behind Aberforth's house.

"Goak!" Severus exclaimed, hopping up and down, while still clinging onto Harry's leg, and pointing at the green field excitedly. "Goak! Goak! Goak!"

"Let's go meet our new neighbors." Harry nodded at the headmaster. "Sir."

Dumbledore smiled and moved aside, waving for Harry and Severus to move past him. It was a slow process. Harry couldn't walk very fast due to his cane and the residual pain in his right leg, and Severus couldn't do so either due to the fact that his own legs were tiny. Yet the beauty of it all, as Ginny explained to Harry this morning, was that they could both now keep up perfectly well with each other.

"Goak! Goak! Goak!"

"Who would've thought you'd like goats so much." Harry muttered under his breath, amused by his infant's enthusiasm.

"Black!" They heard Aberforth bellow from his front porch. "Black, for god's sake! Keep my goats on the front field until I can get a fence set up for them, will you?"

"Abe, dogs herd sheep, not goats!" Sirius shouted from the front porch of the Den.

"Shows how much _you_ know!" The old bartender retorted, "Go herd my goats!"

"If you wanted a favor, you could've asked _nicely_!"

"A bottle of firewhiskey and a fine cigar is in it for you if you do it now!"

_WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!_

As soon as Harry and Severus reached the field directly behind Aberforth's house, a big black dog came running up from behind them. Severus stopped for a second to turn around and watch Padfoot run and, as soon as the dog swept past him, the big whoosh of air that usually trailed in a running dog's wake hit his face and blew through his soft baby hair, making the infant squeal in delight and jump around excitedly. Severus turned back around just in time to watch Padfoot run his first lap around a herd of goats, barking at them and making them group together a move closer towards Aberforth's house.

"He makes a good shepherd dog, doesn't he, cub?" Harry snorted as he gazed down at Severus, who promptly looked up and began laughing at him. "Don't tell Sirius I said that."

_WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!_

"Well…he might already know. But anyway…" After using his free arm to don the baby sling and wrap it in place, Harry dropped to one knee to let Severus climb in himself. "Come on, cub. We don't want to get trampled by the herd of goats, do we?"

"Uh, uh, uh!" Sev replied, shaking his head playfully.

About an hour later, Harry was seated cross-legged on the grass underneath a big tree in one of Aberforth's fields. Surrounding him was a small group of sleeping baby goats as well as a dozing Padfoot, who had settled underneath his right arm. On his lap sat Severus, with Harry's hand on his chest for support. "Alright, Sev, let's try that levitation thing again, shall we?"

Severus bit his lip and shook his head. He didn't want to! No matter how much Harry kept insisting that it was easy, Sev was convinced it wasn't! There were a lot of elements involved. It was different from stretching out your will because this time you had to stretch it out enough to actually _move_ something. Sev knew how to change something's energy but actually _moving_ something? Without a wand, it just seemed impossible. Leaning back on Harry's chest, Sev peered up at his guardian and shook his head. "Mo wamp, Haweh."

The teenager raised an eyebrow. That was new. Severus generally liked trying new things. "You don't want to?" The infant continued to shake his head. "Why not?"

Severus turned away at the question and settled for fiddling with his cub toy's little ear. He shrugged and answered simply, "Mo wamp."

"Well why _don't_ you want to?"

Severus shrugged again and Harry sighed. "Sev, explain it to me, please?"

"Uh-uh." The infant hugged the lion close to his chest and buried his face in the soft material. He continued to shake his head.

Harry bit his lip in thought. "Cub, I taught you mental communication for a reason."

Sev growled in frustration and turned a glare on Harry, "Mo wamp twy!"

"You don't want to try sending a message into my mind or you don't want to try levitating something without a wand?"

_Both._ Severus grumbled internally. So what if he didn't want to try?! It wasn't a crime! Why should he expend so much effort in trying to do something he knew he couldn't do? It seemed like such a waste!

"How do you know you can't do it if you don't try?" Harry retorted aloud.

Sev grumbled. He has _got_ to learn how to control this mental communication stuff! The things he did _not_ want to send to Harry always ended up going through, and the things that he _did_ want to send to Harry never made it there. Everything was so confusing! "Mo! Mo!" He exclaimed, shaking his head back and forth.

Harry sighed and readjusted the infant on his lap, "Relax, cub…Just breathe…" Harry made sure to use his calming voice in order to get the infant to unwind. He'd noticed that the more relaxed Severus was, the more susceptible he was to learning everything Harry had to teach him. "In…" he felt the infant inhale along with him, "…and out…" before exhaling with him as well. "In…" and again the inhaled, "…and out…" and again they exhaled.

Harry continued the breathing exercise for the better part of five minutes, all the while coaxing Severus' little hand to relax and sit open in front of him, palm up. "Breathe in again, cub…" And as Harry felt his child inhale, he placed a stalk of wheat in his open palm. "…and breathe out again…" As both boys exhaled, the sweet fall breeze blew through their hair, massaging their heads and making some strands of hair stand on end. "Now close your eyes…"

The sound of the wind as it blew through the tall grass permeated their senses. Sev and Harry listened with rapt attention as it danced through the field of wheat and waltzed around the tree branches, chiming the leaves in its wake. They listened as it twirled around the front field and through the flowers in Ginny's garden, carrying the scent of the season within its folds. And finally they sensed as it wrapped the two of them in an embrace, warm and welcoming, encouraging them to relax and open their minds to any and all of life's possibilities.

Sev sensed as all the muscles in his body relaxed and as all the negative energy that had been building up over the past week drained out of him. All the stress and tension from Harry's collapse and subsequent hospitalization and recovery all of a sudden fled him, leaving him with a sense of calm and peace, and a feeling that all was right in the world. Sev hadn't sensed that for months now, not since he'd learned that Harry had been suffering from something. Yet now that everything seemed to be alright, he found that it wasn't hard to allow those feelings to permeate him once again. Oh, how he loved those feelings…Sev never once felt like that in his first lifetime; but now he was surrounded by people who made it their priority to make him feel happy and loved. Never again did he want to go back to how it used to be. Never again did he want to be alone.

"You feel it, Sev?"

Magic. White magic. The beauty and power of the natural world at his fingertips. _This_ was life. This was the _essence_ of life! Sev felt as it flowed through his fingers and around his hand and up his arm. Why would someone take something so pure and beautiful and twist it into something so dark and evil? Why would someone take the essence of life itself and turn it into a weapon of death and destruction? Sev used to know the answer to that question. Yet now he understood that he never really understood at all! He had spent all of his last life searching for power and glory with those who had twisted magic to suit their dark needs. He thought he had found ultimate power with the Death Eaters, but now he knew that he had never found anything at all. Because here it was—true power and true glory, literally, at his fingertips! And what did he have to do to find it? Merely close his eyes and immerse himself in the magic that constantly surrounded him, every second of every minute of every hour of every day of his life.

"Stretch out your will, Sev…"

Severus took a deep breath and called more white magic towards him, feeling as it danced around his fingertips. He played with its strands and twisted his fingers in and out as if playing a game with this faceless entity of pure energy. Sev felt as the white magic lightly tugged back on his fingers as well, engaging him, encouraging him to keep playing his game. This made the infant laugh, feeling as though he found a new friend with whom he could play.

"Now open your eyes…"

He did, and lo and behold, a stalk of wheat floated mere inches off the palm of his open hand.

"That's all you, cub." Harry whispered above him, a smile in his voice. "_All_ you." Sev smiled and levitated the stalk even higher as his guardian planted a kiss atop his head. "Now what was all that about not being able to do something?"

Sev bit his lip and grinned, twirling his finger around and around, making the piece of wheat twirl along with it. Leaning back against Harry's chest, the infant tilted his head back to smile and shrug innocently at his guardian.

He completely forgot.

_**

* * *

**_

"Alright, let's go. Playtime with Teddy."

"Teddy, Teddy, Teddy, Teddy, Teddy, Teddy, Teddy…"

"Hermione, would you take him?"

"MIMI!"

"Now, Severus, I would think you could pronounce my name a little better by now." Hermione commented as she took the infant in her arms.

Sev grinned impishly at her and began bouncing excitedly in her embrace, "Mimi! Mimi! Mimi!"

Ron snorted, earning him a death glare from his girlfriend. The redhead shrugged, "What, Mimi?" He sniggered, causing Sev to dissolve into giggles.

Hermione huffed in frustration and went off in search of Ginny, Severus chanting her name loudly and persistently. "Mimi! Mimi! Mimi!"

Ron and Harry both shared a laugh at their best friend's expense. "You think she knows he's joking around?"

Ron chuckled and shook his head, "The only thing in the world it takes Hermione a while to figure out, it's when a person is joking around."

Harry laughed and nodded in agreement. "That's true." When they were both able to get a hold of themselves, Harry nudged Ron on the arm slightly, "Hey, mate, do you know where your dad is right now?"

The redhead cleared his throat and nodded, rolling his eyes towards the ceiling and gesturing in the direction of the second floor. "Yeah, he was helping Remus make some pull-down staircase that Ginny wanted to make in the middle of the ceiling upstairs. It's supposed to lead up to the attic. Remember that secret room she's making you?"

In all honesty, Harry had completely forgotten about it. "I thought we already made a staircase for the attic."

"Nope!" Ron shook his head. "But now you have one! It pulls down so it doesn't block the hallway or anything. It's great." He smirked. "Did you want me to get dad for you?"

"Yeah, would you please?"

"I'm right here, Harry." Arthur declared with a smile, sneaking up from behind Ron and startling both boys.

"Dad!" "Mr. Weasley!"

Arthur smiled at the two of them, "I'm sorry. Did I startle you?"

"No, um…"

"He's lying. Yeah, you did." Ron argued, scowling at his father.

Arthur chuckled at his youngest son, "That's because it's easy to startle you, Ron."

"No, it isn't!"

"YEAH, IT IS!" Fred and George exclaimed from behind Ron, making their younger brother jump out his shoes.

"You GITS!" And before anyone could blink, Fred and George were running down the hallway and out the back porch, an angry Ron hot on their heels.

Arthur merely watched with a smile as his sons disappeared out the back door, only turning back towards Harry when he could see them no more. "Did you want to talk to me about something, Harry?"

"Yes, could we, um…" Harry gestured out the front door and towards the small patch of road between the four houses. "Perhaps outside?"

"Oh, yeah, sure…" The teen waited patiently as Arthur put his shoes back on and donned his coat before leading him out the front garden and to a spot he hoped was out of hearing range of Extendable Ears and whatever eavesdropping contraption Dumbledore saw fit to bring with him today.

Meanwhile, inside the dining room, where almost everyone else was gathered, Tonks' eyebrow climbed to her hairline as she watched Harry and Arthur from her vantage point at the dining room window. "Ginny?"

"Hmm?"

"Where are those two going?" She asked, a note of suspicion in her voice.

"Who?" Ginny frowned.

"Your dad and Harry." The witch replied, pointing her thumb out the window behind her.

In an instant, everyone was out of their chairs and crowding around her at the window sill. "Where?!" Sirius exclaimed, climbing on his tiptoes and trying to peer over his cousin's head.

"Oh, honestly! Look at all of you!" Andromeda rebuked them as she passed through the dining on her way to the kitchen. "Don't you have anything else to do other than eavesdrop on someone else's conversations?"

"What's going on?" Dumbledore questioned, intrigued by the group huddled by the window.

"Oh, you better not tell him." McGonagall interjected, eyeing Albus with disapproval.

"Harry's trying to talk to Arthur in private." Sirius replied, a smirk tugging at the corners of his lips.

"Well crack open the window, then!" Dumbledore encouraged them with a smile.

"Albus!" McGonagall's eyes widened but she followed the headmaster to the window nonetheless.

"Hey! What's all this?" Ron exclaimed, walking in from the kitchen.

"Harry pulled your father aside." Remus replied with an amused smirk on his face, "Now everyone's trying to find out what's being said."

"Would you all like an Extendable Ear?" George offered, pulling one out of his pocket.

"No, no, Mr. Weasley," Dumbledore interjected, pulling something out of his pocket, "I have something here that might do the trick." He then lowered his voice to a murmur, "You better use that to listen for your mother."

"Good idea!" Fred exclaimed, peeking into the living room and looking for any sign of Molly. "You better tell me what's going on later, though."

"It'll never work." Remus warned Albus with a smile.

"We shall see, Mr. Lupin." Dumbledore replied, twisting various knobs and pushing a variety of buttons on his little contraption. "We shall see."

Meanwhile, outside, as they made their way out of listening range, Arthur engaged Harry in conversation. "So how is everyone handling everything, Harry?"

"Oh, you know…" Harry shrugged, "Sirius is being extremely overprotective; more overprotective than usual, actually."

"Molly told me that after that first day, he single-handedly kept the press well out of that hospital the entire week." Arthur chuckled as Harry snorted and nodded.

"Yeah, he kind of…They were all scared of him. It was really funny." Harry shook his head as he recalled all his godfather's scare tactics over the past week. "They didn't even want to come through the floo. I think Healer House was quite awed at whatever he did to keep the press out of 'her hospital.'"

"Yes…she _was_ quite a character, wasn't she?"

Harry snorted and shrugged, "She was that, yes…"

"I'm curious…What do you intend to do about Severus now that everything's out, my boy."

With that, Harry sighed, "I honestly don't know, dad." He replied, scratching the back of his neck nervously. "When Ginny and I were planning everything out before this, we said that we would just take him everywhere we went so that we could protect him, but…I mean…" Harry made a face, "I teach in a school where any one of the students I teach could want him dead. I can't teach and keep my eye on him every single second of the day."

"Well, you know he could always come to the Burrow."

"Yeah, that's been our current plan, so far." The teen shrugged. "As long as you don't mind entertaining Sirius and Teddy along with him almost every day."

"Oh, nonsense!" Arthur waved him off, "Sirius is always welcome, and Molly thinks of Teddy as another grandson along with Severus. She loves having the boys over—and that includes Sirius." He finished with a laugh.

"Great!" Harry exclaimed, slightly relieved, "Brilliant! I'm glad to hear that."

"Oh, but I must warn you, Harry…" Arthur interjected, his voice suddenly taking on a slightly more serious tone. "This has nothing to do with Severus coming to the Burrow, but…" He peered around him before gesturing for Harry to come closer.

The teenager frowned and did as he bid, peering at Arthur worriedly. "What is it, Mr. Weasley?"

Arthur lowered his voice to a whisper, "It has something to do with what I've been seeing at work lately." The Weasley patriarch paused for a second to study the dining room window of the Den. He thought he saw it move a second ago. He decided to lower his voice even more just in case.

Harry's frown deepened at that. "Yes?"

Arthur focused back on Harry and fixed him with his most serious look, "Draco Malfoy has been asking questions."

Harry's jaw tightened and the look in his eyes quickly transformed from one of worry to one of barely-controlled rage. "What sort of questions?!" He ground through gritted teeth.

"Questions about you, about the guardianship process. His father's been whispering around as well."

Harry's grip on the handle of his cane tightened. "Has he?"

"I do believe your past is involved, Harry."

Across the way, all the windows of the house that Harry had offered to Remus and Dora shattered outward in one violent explosion, making all the occupants peering out the window of the Den duck in surprise.

"What the bloody hell was that?!" Ron exclaimed, trying to peer over Sirius' ducked head to see what had happened.

"That was all the windows of my prospective house blowing up." Remus replied, checking out the window one more time before letting both Dora and Teddy up once again.

"What could've made them do that?!" Andromeda exclaimed, sticking her head out the kitchen door to see what had just happened.

"Harry…" Ginny replied worriedly.

"Quickly, Albus!" McGonagall hissed, batting Dumbledore on the shoulder, "Calibrate that ridiculous thing already!"

"Now I want to know what's going on." Andromeda cried, coming up behind them.

"As do we all." Dumbledore muttered, trying to recalibrate his little machine.

"Shhh! Mum's coming!" Fred hissed from the doorway.

Moments later, the occupants of the dining room heard, through the small crack in the window, the front door fly open and Molly Weasley's voice bellow from the porch, "ARTHUR! What, in Merlin's name, was _THAT_?!"

"That was me, Mrs. Weasley!" Harry replied, waving his hand at her with a placating smile. "I'm sorry. I just…lost control for a second."

"Well you better _find_ control, kid!" Aberforth bellowed from the porch of his own home. "I won't have _my_ windows exploding outward!"

"It's alright, Abe! I got it!" All of a sudden, all the shattered glass from the house across the way began flying up and reassembling themselves, even as Harry turned away and began whispering furiously to Arthur.

"Albus!"

"It's almost done!"

"I think I can pick some stuff up from here." Sirius remarked. "Can you, Remus?"

"A bit." The werewolf nodded.

"That's great! But we're all not blessed with amazing hearing." Ginny replied.

"Uh-huh!" Severus added, scowling at the two sharp-eared men.

"Ah! There we are!" Albus pointed the contraption at the two whispering men and then twisted a knob. Garbled words soon began pouring out of the small, funny-looking device.

"…speak to…Hest…exped…op…ers…"

"You can't bloody understand that!" Ron exclaimed. Everyone shushed him back up.

"…Not…oss…dan…Elson…ary…ped…thing…"

"Ron's right. It's kind of useless. I can't understand anything." Hermione pointed out.

"Perhaps I could improve it a bit more." Dumbledore replied, fiddling with one of the knobs.

"Oh, sure! Listen to her!" Ron rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"I'm telling you! Use an Extendable Ear!" Fred hissed from the door.

"Those are useless unless someone goes out there and throws it so that it lands nearby them!" Sirius hissed in return. "And I'm not doing it!"

"Quiet!" Remus waved them both down. "I can sort of hear what they're saying."

"Just promise me you won't do anything drastic, Harry." Arthur said, gripping both of Harry's shoulders and looking him straight in the eye. "Don't give them anything they could use against you."

"It'll be a cold day in hell before I let them take him away from me." Harry replied, a look of firm resolve on his face. "I swear to you that!"

"Harry…" Arthur tried making use of his calming voice this time, trying to convince Harry to listen to reason, "…_please_…promise me—nothing drastic!"

Harry's jaw tightened and he turned away to scowl at the ground. "Fine!" He muttered, his agreement sounding more like a growl than anything. "Nothing drastic!"

Arthur would take whatever he could get. "Excellent!" He gave Harry's shoulders a supportive squeeze before patting them with a smile and letting them go. "Now then! What was it you wanted to talk to me about?"

The teenager closed his eyes for a second to get control over his anger. Now wasn't the time for any of this. He would think about this later tonight, after he had the time to digest it all and was calm enough to think up a plan of action. No…this time was meant for better things…happier things…things that were supposed to make him a different sort of nervous.

"I'm…sorry, I…"

Arthur waved him off, "No, no, don't worry. My news about Draco Malfoy was unexpected, I know."

"It threw me for a loop."

"Yes, I would expect." Arthur gave Harry's shoulder a supportive squeeze. "I just wanted to warn you—"

"And thank you for that, by the way." Harry replied, nodding at Arthur. "Thank you very much! Um…"

"It was the least I could do…"

"Yeah." Harry smiled nervously, a myriad of emotions reflecting off his eyes. "Uh…" The teenager cleared his throat and began wringing his wrists anxiously. "Before…all of that, there was, uh…something I wanted to, uh…er…ask you." He stuttered uncharacteristically.

Arthur smiled at the teenager's unusual behavior, mildly amused by it all. "Am I making you nervous, Harry?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Just a little bit, uh…"

"Spit it out, son." The Weasley patriarch ordered gently.

Harry cleared his throat yet again, "You see, I—I'm…I'm a…a traditional kind of…uh—"

"Say it, Harry!" Arthur exclaimed, gripping Harry's shoulders and fixing the teen with a smile meant to calm him.

Harry took a deep breath and did as he was told, "May I have your daughter's hand in marriage?" He asked, biting his lip in anticipation.

Inside the house, identical grins blossomed on both Remus' and Sirius' faces.

"What are you two smiling at?" Ginny asked suspiciously. Behind her, everyone else stopped pestering Albus to peer at the two Marauders curiously.

The two best friends exchanged a look, the exact same gleam sparkling in both their eyes. "Oh, nothing…" Remus replied, halfway into a snicker.

"Absolutely nothing at all." Sirius added, snorting halfway through his own affirmation. The two best friends exchanged another look and before long, both began laughing out loud in earnest.

"Okay, _they_ heard everything!" Hermione exclaimed, pointing at the two laughing mates.

"What'd you hear?!" Ginny questioned, frowning at the fact that she was being left out on whatever her boyfriend and her father were discussing.

"Ah!"

"Oh, I'm pretty sure you're going to find out soon enough." Sirius replied, peeking out the window just in time to see Arthur shake Harry's hand and wrap him in a quick embrace. "Soon enough."

"Don't you worry about that!" Remus added, still snickering at the secret he was now privy to.

"Remus, would you look at me for a second, please?" Dumbledore said.

"Oh no!" The werewolf shook his head and began looking away. "I am not falling for that!" He waved his finger at the old headmaster, "Padfoot, don't look at him! He's going to ligilimize you!"

"What?!"

"Oh, that's _sneaky_!" Andromeda chuckled.

"Albus!"

"It was worth a try."

"What's going on in here?!" Molly exclaimed as she walked into the dining room.

"Nothing!" Ten voices exclaimed at the same time.

The Weasley matriarch narrowed her eyes at everyone suspiciously.

_**

* * *

**_

Ginny took a deep breath and tried to steel herself for what she knew was coming next. The moment she opened this door, there was no going back. There were no more excuses for them to hide behind. There was no more cover story. There were no more lies. The naked truth was out now and they had the Daily Prophet to thank for it. Everyone knew their secrets. Now this was the fallout.

"_I'll be right behind you, love."_ Harry whispered into her mind, sending her waves of support along with the message. Ginny couldn't help the small smile that crept onto her face. Oh, how she loved that man!

Taking a deep breath, she pushed the door open and walked in.

As per usual, the room was full of noisy students, all chatting with each other about something or another. Yet the moment she was spotted, all conversations in the area ceased and the room was plunged into a tense silence. All eyes locked on her and followed her as she made her way through the room. Ginny tried to focus solely on Hermione, who was sending her a sympathetic smile as she motioned to the seat next to her at the front of the class. Yet try as she might, Ginny couldn't shake off the feeling of uneasiness that traveled up her spine, especially when the whispers started after she sat down.

"…_Snape…Did you hear?"  
"Seriously?"  
"With Potter!"  
"Where has she been all week?"  
"Where has __**he**__ been all week?!"  
"Why didn't she tell us?"  
"How could she?!"  
"Where's that traitor now?!"_

All of a sudden, a shriek rang through the room, causing everyone to turn towards the back. Yet the moment Ginny turned around in her seat, she came face-to-face with a bright green light, which hovered mere inches away from her forehead.

"Oh my god!" Hermione breathed in alarm. "It almost hit you!"

Another gasp had both girls peering around the blocked spell to the back of the room, where it had come from. There, with a look of pure fury on his face, stood Harry. He had a terrified Salisburg pinned against the wall, one hand gripping the wrist of his wand arm, and the other hand gripping his throat. "Did you just fire a Killing Curse at my girlfriend?!" He roared, getting in the Slytherin's face. Salisburg's eyes widened in alarm.

"Oh my god, he did!" One of the Slytherin girls gasped, covering her mouth in shock.

"Yeah, I heard him!" Dean added, pointing to the boy. "He said the incantation!"

"Harry!" Remus exclaimed, his eyes widening at what he saw the moment he stepped into the room. He was by Harry's side at a moment's notice, trying to pry his fingers away from Salisburg's throat. "Harry…! Come on, mate! Harry, _please_…!"

"He shot a Killing Curse at Ginny!" Harry growled, increasing his grip on the Slytherin's neck and making the young man's eyes pop out of their sockets in fear.

"Then press charges against him! It's well within your rights!" Remus tried reasoning with him, putting all his power in trying to pry Harry's fingers away from the student's neck. He could see now how Harry had managed to choke Fenrir Greyback to death. No matter how much stronger the other man was, Harry's magic gave him superhuman strength when it felt it needed to. "Harry, think about Severus!" Remus exclaimed, using the infant as his last resort. "What would Severus think if he saw you doing this right now?!"

Harry barred his teeth at the Slytherin and growled, making the young man squeal in fear, screw his eyes shut, and cringe away. "You _disgust_ me!" He spat in the Slytherin's face. He then turned his death glare towards Remus. "Damn you!" And before anyone could blink, Harry had released Salisburg, confiscated his wand, gagged him and bound him to a chair in the back of the room. The young professor then stuck a finger in Salisburg's face, "You're lucky he stopped me!"

Turning on his heel, Harry then marched to the front of the classroom, barking over his shoulder, "Someone go get the Headmaster!" There was scuffling noise and one of the boys quickly hightailed it out of the room.

Meanwhile, Harry made sure to stop at Ginny's desk so that he could inspect her himself. "Are you alright?" He asked, his voice altogether different than mere moments before and his eyes reflecting altogether different emotions.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Ginny replied, "A little…shaken, but fine."

"I never knew he could actually go through with it." One of the other Slytherin boys murmured in shock.

Harry turned and fixed him with a death glare. "Go through with what, Mr. Crane?!" He snapped.

The Slytherin gulped, "Well…there was…that is…_he_," Crane gestured towards the bound Salisburg, "would talk about trying to…kill…all of you—all three of you." Behind him, Salisburg shook his head frantically, trying to deny everything the other boy said. "But Salisburg's all talk. He's _always_ been all talk! That's the way he's been…forever!" Crane reasoned. Behind him, Salisburg was all nods this time, trying to convey his agreement.

"Well…" Harry fixed a death glare on Salisburg as he addressed the other Slytherin, "…apparently he's not all talk _this_ time, Mr. Crane. In fact, he's just earned himself a one-way ticket to Azkaban." The young professor waved Salisburg's wand for everyone else to see. "And I've got the evidence to prove it."

One of the Ravenclaws raised her hand. "How is that, Professor Potter?" She asked curiously, quill at the ready.

"It's called _Prior Incantato_, Miss Hollis." Harry replied, tossing Salisburg's wand over to Remus before waving at the board. The werewolf bagged the piece of evidence as the chalk recorded all of Harry's words on the spell and its use.

"If I may, Professor Potter?" The Slytherin girl from earlier raised her hand after Harry finished his mini-lecture on _Prior Incantato_.

"Yes, Miss Weston?" Harry replied, glaring at Remus, even as he accepted the cane the werewolf was holding out to him. "Just so that we can all get the subject off our minds…" Both professors then peered at her quizzically. "…Perhaps you could say…_something_ about Professor Snape?" She asked. Everyone all of a sudden turned towards him, giving him their undivided attention.

Harry's jaw tightened and he sighed. Turning back, the teenager shared a look with Remus, but the werewolf merely shrugged at him, nodding at him as if to say that the decision was his to make. Harry then turned his gaze towards the front of the class and locked eyes with Ginny.

"_Don't do it, Harry. They'll just ask more questions."_ She said.

"_What if I just say one thing and say that's it's going to be the only thing and I'll say nothing more after that."_ Harry reasoned.

"_You'll be opening a can of worms!"_ She argued.

"_More like closing it!"_

"_Our lives are none of their business!"_

The entire class peered from one to the other, Harry to Ginny, wondering why, in Merlin's name, they were just staring at each other like that.

"It's like they're talking to each other in their minds!" One of the Ravenclaws murmured loudly. "I've heard of such a thing happening before!"

"_I'll just assure them that he's alright and tell them that we took him in willingly, and that's all they need to know!"_ Harry argued, his accompanying gestures confusing the rest of the class.

"_Why should they even get to know that?!"_ Ginny's eyes flashed.

"No harm done, Gin." Harry shrugged, peering at his girlfriend pleadingly. "That's it!"

After a long while of glaring at him, Ginny sighed, tightened her jaw, and turned away. "Fine!" She muttered under her breath. "But that's _it_!" She emphasized, her eyes flashing once again.

"Right." Harry nodded and turned back to face a very curious class. "I will say two things and two things alone. I will not take questions, I will not make comments, and this is the last thing I'm _ever_ going to say about it on or off record." He gave each of the students, regardless of the house, the firmest look he could possibly muster. "One, he's fine, and two, we took him in willingly."

Not half a second later, five hands instantly shot up, "By 'we', did you mean yourself and Ginny?"

Harry waved his arms and shook his head until all muttering in the room had stopped and all the raised hands had come back down. "That is _all_ I'm saying on the matter." He repeated firmly, exchanging a look with Ginny. "Now…_moving on_!"

The young professor pressed on, regardless of the murmurs, to explain how the class was going to be run for the next week or so—with himself doing the lectures and Remus handling the practical work. They had just finished the first topic of discussion when Dumbledore decided to show up and inquire as to what all the commotion was about. The class then dissolved into a circus, as everyone began telling their side of the story of how Salisburg dared shoot a Killing Curse at the Professor's girlfriend, how Harry blocked it, and so on and so forth.

It took a while, but eventually Dumbledore, Harry and Remus, working together, were able to calm the entire class down and restore order in the classroom. "Now…I need to speak with Mr. Salisburg and the both of your professors outside for a second." Dumbledore announced to the class from the back of the room. "I trust you all can find something to do." And with that, he, Salisburg, Harry and Remus stepped out into the hallway, closing the door behind them.

Chaos descended once again.

"Ginny!" Dean exclaimed, running up to her table from the back, an excited look on his face. "Is it true?! That kid was Snape? The one we saw at both your birthdays?!"

"Look! She's wearing the charms with his picture on it!" One of Ginny's housemates exclaimed, prompting awes and ahs from some of the girls while almost all of the boys grimaced.

Ginny frowned at the crowd that had suddenly gathered at her desk.

"May I see them? He's so _cute_!"

"I can't believe you didn't tell us, Gin!" Dean argued.

"What was I supposed to say, Dean?!" Ginny snapped, her nose flaring in anger. "'Oh, Severus Snape's been turned into a baby and we're taking care of him now'?" The teen scoffed, "You guys would've immediately started teasing him and making fun of him and all that ridiculous rubbish!"

"No, we wouldn't have!"

"You're lying, Thomas."

"Speak for yourself."

"Ginny, is he _really_ okay, though?" The Weston girl asked, peering at Ginny worriedly.

"He's fine, he's happy, he's great!" She assured the Slytherin.

"Can I see your charms?" Ginny grimaced and held out her right wrist, where she wore the charms that Harry and Sev made for her birthday. A group of girls from all four houses immediately swarmed over.

"How can you do that, though? How can you take _Snape_ in?!" Dennis Creevy asked, a sour look on his face.

"It's none of your business!" Ginny snapped, making most of the boys flinch away from her.

"When was this picture taken, Ginny?"

"When he learned to sit up." The teen answered neutrally.

"Awwww! He learned to sit up!" One of the Hufflepuffs crooned.

"Are these his actual hand and foot prints?"

"Yeah, Harry made a mold and had them engraved in the silver."

"Oh, they're so _tiny_!"

"Why are you all _like_ that?!"

"Oh, shut up, Dean! Just because some of us like babies—"

"That's not a baby! That's _SNAPE_!"

"He's _still_ a baby!" Ginny barked, her eyes flashing, "And Harry and I are _proud_ to have him in our lives! Something you wouldn't understand because you never wanted kids. I remember having _that_ conversation with you!"

"Whoa! When did this conversation become about kids and parenting?"

"It's _always_ been about kids and parenting."

"No, it's been about Snape!"

"Didn't you read the entire article, Dean?" Hermione spoke up from behind Ginny. "Harry and Ginny have legal guardianship over him. He's their ward."

"He _their __**ward**_?!" Dean questioned, his face screwed up in confusion.

"Wow, Ginny, seriously?" One of the Ravenclaw girls asked, "Isn't that hard? Parenting and going to school at the same time?"

"So _that's_ why you've been spending an awful amount of time at Harry's!" One of her Gryffindor housemates exclaimed. "She would always go to his quarters when he wasn't there and we wondered why!"

"You and Harry aren't even married yet, though."

"What's all this?" A familiar voice exclaimed from the back of the room. Everyone turned to find Harry and Remus standing at the door, the former frowning at how a crowd had gathered around his girlfriend's desk.

"_Don't worry, love."_ Ginny assured him. _"They were only asking questions."_

"As long as you're all up," Remus spoke up next to him, "Form a drill circle, if you please."

A collective groan spread throughout the room, but everyone did as Remus bid anyway. All throughout practical, Harry kept his eye on Ginny as well as everyone else he perceived as a threat to her safety and to the safety of the two families who lived right down the hall.

_**

* * *

**_

_FWISSSHHHH! ... __**SPLAT**__!_

Sirius dodged out of the way just as a glob of green goo went flying through the spot where his head had just been. "Hey! Come on, cub, that's enough!" He said pleadingly.

Severus giggled and immediately began picking up another handful of food from his plate.

"So you're not going to press charges?" Ginny asked, confused.

"I will if you want me to." Harry replied, dumping some of the tomatoes he had just chopped into the salad she was tossing beside him. "Do you want me to?"

"Normally…I'd say 'yes', but now I'm curious as to what changed your mind." His girlfriend answered, tossing the salad with one hand while mixing the pudding with the other. Beside her, Harry began chopping up some carrots.

"More like _who_ changed my mind." Harry corrected.

_FWISSSHHH!!! … __**SPLAT**__!!!_

"Look, kid—"

"Oh, don't tell me, Harry…" Ginny stopped in the middle of the kitchen and waited as the next green glob flew by her before resuming her trek to the stove.

"Dumbledore can be a really convincing—"

_SPLAT!_

"Severus!"

Harry nearly tripped over the line of fire as another food missile missed his legs by mere millimeters. "—but it's not like I let him off easy, Gin." The teen finished, joining his girlfriend at the stove. Both were completely oblivious to the food fight and the current state of their kitchen.

"I would hope you didn't." Ginny frowned. "But you nearly killed him today, Harry. You were _that_ angry."

"And I was _that_ angry when I interrogated him as well!"

_FWISSSHHH!_

"Severus, stop it! _Now_!"

"So you interrogated him?" Ginny raised an eyebrow, turning away from her soup to grace Harry with a mixed look of curiosity and concern.

"Mercilessly." The smirk on Harry's face looked a bit too vindictive for Ginny's comfort.

"Harry—"

"Don't worry. He's alive." Her boyfriend scowled as he reassured her of that. "And he's unharmed…physically." The evil smirk returned.

Ginny rolled her eyes and shook her head. "So what did you ask him?"

"First I asked if he was a Death Eater. No. Then I forcefully proved it. That was fun." The evil smirk grew into a grin as Harry dumped his chopped carrots into Ginny's soup.

_SPLAT!!!_

"Harry, a _little_ help here, please?!" Sirius exclaimed, exasperated.

"I asked if he came from a family of Death Eaters. Yes. Then I asked if he knew anything about any plans regarding Severus." Harry's eyes and voice immediately turned grave. "Plenty."

Ginny frowned. "How do you know he's not lying?"

_FWISSSHHH!_

"Argh!"

"Because Dumbledore made him swallow some Veritaserum just before I started questioning him."

Ginny immediately turned away from her cooking and placed her hands on her hips, fixing Harry with a look full of concern and alarm. "What'd he say?!" She cried.

Harry leaned in to whisper in her ear. "They're getting together in groups—the Death Eaters—trying to find some way to get Severus. He said the Malfoys are the main players in that game."

"Then it's true, what Hermione said!" Ginny gasped, her eyes widening.

"From what he said and from what your dad told me…" Harry peered at her sadly, "…yes."

"Then we have to do something!" His girlfriend replied frantically, "We have to expedite the adoption papers—"

"I've been working on that since your dad told me about the Malfoys!" Harry replied, frustration lacing his voice.

"And?"

"The Ministry is _very_ reluctant to expedite _anything_ these days; not after that Aidan Elson incident!"

"Then talk to Kingsley!"

"I've _been_ talking to Kingsley, Gin!" Harry hissed in return. "His hands are tied. There's a bunch of red tape! He's been working these past few months to make sure that the Elson incident _doesn't_ happen again. He can't just go back on his word now, especially not after he worked so hard to push this agenda through the Wizengamot. It just got passed!"

"_You_ must have some influence at the Ministry!" Ginny replied, her eyes widening, as if she had just realized that herself. "You could use your own pull over there."

"I don't have _that_ much, Ginny—"

"You have _enough_!"

"I've been talking to Hestia." Harry murmured. "She's going to see what she can do, but…" The teenager grimaced, "…she said the earliest we can possibly get it approved is by January 9th."

"January 9th?!" Ginny's eyes widened. "That's two _months_ from now!"

"Adoptions generally take _six_ months, if you're lucky!"

"What are we going to do, Harry?"

"I don't know!" The teenager hissed in reply, frustrated with his state of helpless. "I don't know."

_FWISSSHHH!!! … __**SPLAT!!!**_

"Severus, that's it!" Sirius boomed, reverting to his rarely-used authoritative voice. "I am _not_ kidding anymore! If you throw your food at me one more time, you're going in time-out! I am _not_ joking." He raised a firm finger in the baby's face, "_Don't_ test me!"

"Haweh!"

The teenager groaned as he struggled to rub the wrinkles from his forehead. "Severus, do what he says!" He snapped, "I am _not_ in the mood right now!"

Both Severus' and Sirius' eyes widened at him; his unexpected reaction calling a halt to their weird sort of game.

The animagus blinked. "What's up with _you_?!" He exclaimed, raising an eyebrow at his godson.

"Rough day." Ginny answered for her boyfriend.

"Oh…" Sirius exchanged a concerned look with the now-docile infant beside him. "Remus told us about Salisburg. You're okay, aren't you, Gin?"

"Hm?" The teenager replied distractedly. "Oh! Yeah, I'm fine. Harry blocked it before it could hit me."

"Are you going to press charges against him?"

"AH!" Severus exclaimed in agreement.

"You could easily send that bastard to Azkaban."

"We don't have to worry so much about him anymore." Harry replied wearily, taking a seat at the table with a sigh.

"How's that?"

"Well…I gave him a choice." A small smile began tugging at the corners of his lips, "He can rot away in Azkaban for the rest of his life, _or_…he can live free with the condition that he protects my family for the rest of his life…"

"Or die." Sirius finished his godson's hanging sentence, his eyes narrowing in amusement. "You and Unbreakable Vows."

Harry shrugged, "Dumbledore convinced me it was better than Azkaban." He added, "Salisburg will now have to choose between his loyalty to his family…and his life."

"People like him always choose themselves in the end." Sirius remarked. Next to him, Sev grunted in agreement.

"This means I now have one less enemy to deal with…and my family has one more bodyguard."

"You know, if you really think about it, that really was the smarter option." Ginny remarked as she spooned the soup into bowls.

"I suppose…" Harry frowned, "Anyway, I can still land him in Azkaban if I wanted that to happen."

"Which means you have something over him, which means he's not going to cross you." Sirius interpreted, "Believe me—I know those kinds of people."

"Alright, enough of this depressing business." Ginny interjected, bringing the bowls of food to the table. "Let's just eat, shall we?"

_**

* * *

**_

"Mo wamp sweep." Sev shook his head, "Uh, uh, uh! Mo wamp sweep!"

"Sev…" Harry groaned. His own eyes were beginning to droop. It had been a _long_ day!

"Mo wamp sweep! Mo wamp sweep! Mo, mo, mo!" The infant continued to shake his head.

"You want to sleep in the big bed with me?"

Sev felt like rolling his eyes. Really? How hard was it to understand his English? "_**MO**_…wamp sweep. Mo wamp sweep!"

Harry sighed and leaned back on the rocking chair, continuing to rock in slow, smooth motions in the hopes that Severus would give in and go to sleep. "Yes, you do…"

"Mo wamp sweep! Mo wamp sweep!"

The teenager suppressed a groan. Did they have to do this _every_ single night? Severus had been going through a phase lately where he flat-out refused to go to sleep at all. Neither Harry nor Ginny knew what had caused it nor did they know how to make it stop. Molly, of course, assured them that it would go away on its own, but Harry thought it'd be grand if it just disappeared right now.

"What's wrong, cub?" He questioned softly. "Why don't you want to go to sleep?"

Severus shrugged. It wasn't like he had a particular reason. "Mo mow. Ah…mo wamp sweep."

Harry sighed and stood up, "Fine. Alright, if you don't want to sleep, then you can keep me company while _I_ go to sleep." Plopping Severus between two big pillows on his bed, Harry gave the infant his lion cub and told him to sit there quietly while he prepared for bed.

Naturally, as was Severus' style these days, the quiet lasted for all of about two seconds. "Haweh?"

"Yeah, cub?"

"Mo wamp Mawmoy." He remarked calmly, yet Harry could see the makings of a scowl on his features.

"And Malfoy's not going to get you." The teenager replied resolutely, throwing his shirt into the laundry basket before jumping into a pair of pajama bottoms. "If he does, it'll be over my dead body."

This time, Severus scowled for real. "Mo seh dat Haweh!" He cried, hugging his lion cub as close to his heart as possible. "Mo seh dat!"

"Relax, cub…" Harry sighed, lifting Severus into his arms before laying the both of them down in the middle of the bed and pulling the covers up nice and snug. Severus struggled for a second, wriggling to and fro before finally settling into the crook of Harry's arm, snuggling against his side. "…I'm not going anywhere and neither are you." The teenager finished, his voice beginning to slur from drowsiness.

"Pomeh?" Severus' tiny voice, filled with both hope and fear, pierced through the silence of the night and straight into Harry's heart. Feelings of protectiveness and determination surged through him then. Looking down to face the infant, Harry met his eyes and replied in a resolute voice, "I promise."

The smile that met his reply was worth all the money in the world. Harry would give anything to keep that smile exactly where it was. Or, rather, he would _do_ anything to keep that smile exactly where it was.

"Now come on, cub!" He continued, intent on changing the subject to a much cheerier topic. "Let's not think about the stupid Malfoys right now. Let's think about better things—happier things; things like…" The teenager paused for a second, trying to think of a better topic for conversation. "…ehm…the holidays coming up!"

All of a sudden, an idea popped into his mind and Harry paused once more to marvel at the brilliance of it all. "Yeah…" A smile began tugging at the corner of his lips. "Yeah…the holidays are coming up! And guess where I'm taking you and Ginny."

Severus peered up at Harry quizzically. "Weh?"

Harry grinned down at the infant in his arms, "New York."

The infant's eyebrows furrowed. _New York_?! Where, in Merlin's name, had _that_ come from?!

"Yeah, cub!" Harry nodded, his sleepiness momentarily forgotten and replaced by excitement. "New York. New York City. The Big Apple!" He exclaimed, his eyes positively glowing at the very thought of it. "We'll head there straight away—right after Christmas! And we'll stay there 'til…your birthday, cub! We'll stay there 'til your birthday. Think about it, Sev—a place where we can get away from all this madness and just be normal people for a change!" He grinned. "I'll take you and Ginny to Central Park, we can go ice skating, watch a Broadway show, oh! And on New Years' Eve, I'll bring the pair of you to the best place in the world to ring in the New Year. What do you say, Sev?!"

The infant couldn't help but grin. Harry's excitement was contagious. "Moo Yawk!"

The teenager chuckled and hugged Severus closer to his side. "Yeah, cub…New York…" Harry could feel the infant settle in and felt as his little eyelids fluttered shut. Severus was finally getting to sleep. The teenager began rubbing his back soothingly to encourage him. "…A place where…no one can find us…" Harry continued to whisper into the silence, "Not the press…not the Death Eaters…not the Malfoys…" The teenager's jaw tightened in determination. "We just need to make it 'til Christmas, and after that…we'll be gone."

Harry could hear his own voice crack at the end so he shut his eyes and took a deep, calming breath. A month and a half. It was only a bloody month and a half, and yet it seemed like such a long time! Anything could happen in a month and a half. A month and a half was more than enough time for the Malfoys or any other Death Eater to dig up his past, find some loophole in the guardianship papers, and take Severus away from him. And what would Harry be able to do? Nothing.

After suppressing the extreme urge to march straight into the Ministry and start demanding that his adoption requests to be processed straight away, Harry took several more deep breaths before pushing his frustrations aside and calling up pictures of New York City in his mind. Merlin, he couldn't wait to go there! To be away from this place and from the threats it posed to him and his family. He wished he could go right now and not come back until the adoption was finalized. Oh, wouldn't that have been a grand solution! Yet life wasn't always so simple. Ginny had school, he had work. Once again, everything seemed against them.

"One day, Sev." Harry whispered into the night, "One day, when this is all over, we'll be a proper family." The thought alone brought a smile unto his face. "The house, the mum, the dad, their bundle of joy…" The teenager glanced down at the sleeping babe and ran his fingers through his soft hair, "…the dog who spends half his time as a man…" Harry sighed. Oh, what a grand idea indeed. "…the grumbly neighbor across the street who owns a bunch of stinking goats…the godfather…" The sound of Severus' soft snores brought back Harry's drowsiness from earlier, "…the fun uncles and aunts…the grandparents just a floo ride away…Teddy…" The teenager's eyes shut completely. "…we'll have that someday, Sev…" Harry murmured wistfully, "…someday soon." And with that final, whispered promise, the teenager slipped silently into the waiting arms of sleep.

* * *

**But will it be soon enough? **

**Next up, Dumbledore and Pomfrey confront Harry on the shocking things they find on his medical records, prompting Harry to panic over the new paper trail he now has in the wizarding world. On a happier note, though, Sev teaches Teddy how to walk! :-)**

**Hello everyone! I thank you all for reading and especially those who left a REVIEW. Once again, you are all very wonderful people! :-) There's one thing I kept forgetting to mention on this site: my website is officially down. I changed the domain name and am allowing the previous one to expire. I'm still in the process of coding for my new site, but that should be up shortly. As soon as it is, I'll change the accessing info in Ch. 2 and you'll be able to see all the stuff I made for this story once again. I'm sorry I forgot to mention it to all of you before. Anyway, thanks again for reading, I'll keep you posted, and don't hesitate to tell me what you think! :-)**


	38. Mobility and Mobilization

**WARNING: Mentions of abuse.**

_**

* * *

Saving Grace: The Antidote to the Curse of the Damned Saves the Lives of Fifty-Two**_

_Curse victims at St. Mungo's will soon have Harry Potter and Severus Snape to thank for their lives. __Potions Today__ has learned that the pair were the ones who invented the most ingenious potion—the first of its kind since the turn of the Twelfth Century. Mr. Potter and Mr. Snape, with the assistance of Mr. Horace Slughorn, have single-handedly brought back a method of curse-breaking that has not been employed in this country for over eight hundred years…_

"You know, love," Ginny started, holding the picture frame at arm's length so that she could inspect it from afar, "this is probably the only news article featuring you that I rather like."

"That's because it's not from the _Daily Prophet_." A muffled voice replied.

The teenager shrugged and held the picture frame up to the wall. "That could be it."

"Haweh! Haweh, dowm!" A little voice cried from somewhere in the bedroom.

"I must've misheard you, Severus, what was that?"

"Haweh, dowm, peas?"

"That's better."

Having finished attaching the picture frame to the wall, Ginny turned just in time to see her favorite little boy run out of the bedroom at a speed that belied his size. Severus stopped for a second in the middle of the den to look around for something. Upon spotting it, his eyes lit up in glee and he slowly began to creep over to Harry's desk. Curious, Ginny stepped over to follow him with her eyes. There, on the underside of Harry's oak desk, where the chair should've been, lay Padfoot, curled up into a ball and snoring. Ginny grinned.

Severus crept forward slowly. Oh so slowly. So slowly that not even the sharpest-hearing person in the world would be able to hear him because he was creeping so slowly! The infant bit his lip to contain his grin. This was going to work. Oh, _yes_, it was going to work! The mutt was still asleep. He didn't even twitch. He was still snoring. He just needed to get closer…just a little bit closer…almost…there! Severus crouched low next to the sleeping canine and cupped his little hands over his mouth to amplify his scream. He took a deep breath…

"_**BOO**_!"

All of a sudden, the dog jerked up and in the blink of an eye transformed back into Sirius. "Wha—" The animagus immediately tried to sit up but ended up bumping his head against the underside of the hard, oak desk instead. "OW!" He flinched.

Severus burst into giggles and quickly hightailed it across the room to hide behind the legs of one laughing Ginny. "Serves you right for sleeping under there, Padfoot."

"How I sleep is none of your concern!" Sirius grumbled, struggling to climb to his feet and rub his head at the same time.

"What happened?" Harry asked, a slight bit of concern in his voice. He had heard all the commotion out here and came to investigate.

"Your kid startled me awake, is what happened!" Sirius barked, still rubbing the back of his head with a flinch. "Banged my head up on your desk because of it."

"What were you doing underneath my desk?"

"Apparently, that's none of our concern." Ginny replied with a smile. Dropping down to one knee, she held out Severus' jacked so that he could slip his tiny arms into the arm holes.

"Padfoo scawed!" He exclaimed, a giggle or two still bubbling up occasionally.

"Oh, ha, ha, ha!" Sirius rolled his eyes. "Yeah. Great. Laugh it up."

Severus took his advice and burst into yet another round of laughter at the sour look that overcame Sirius' face.

Harry sighed and shook his head. "Whatever." Checking his watch, he slipped his jacket on and headed towards the door. "Dumbledore called me up for a short meeting this morning. It shouldn't take long."

"Haweh! We go Buwwow?" Sev asked, looking straight up in order to meet Harry's gaze.

The teenager smiled and took a knee in front of the infant. "Yeah, cub, we're going to the Burrow." He replied, adjusting Sev's little jacket. "And Teddy's coming along as well. But I have this short meeting to go to with Dumbledore. It shouldn't take long. I'll be back by the time you finish breakfast. I promise."

"Me go woo!" Severus cried, bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet. "Me go woo!"

"When, exactly, are you going to eat breakfast then?" Harry retorted, a small smug smile tugging at his lips.

Severus frowned. He hadn't thought about that. He then turned his frown upon Harry. "Ooo mo eah too!"

"Yes, I did. I ate while you were sleeping."

Sev narrowed his eyes at him and scowled. "Why-ew!" He cried, sticking his tongue out at Harry.

The teenager chuckled and dropped a kiss atop the infant's head as he climbed to his feet. "Prove it, cub."

"Immy!" Sev cried, pointing up at Harry's towering form, "Haweh why-ew!"

"You _are_ a liar!" Ginny agreed, narrowing her eyes at Harry as well.

The teenager sighed and checked his watch. "I had a banana."

"A banana doesn't count."

"A banana _certainly_ counts!" Sirius retorted, pulling out some ingredients from the fridge. "It's not _enough_, but it certainly counts." Turning to his godson, he tossed something his way. "Here, pup! Have an orange too."

"Why-ew, Haweh!" Severus continued, craning his neck to peer up at Harry's face.

"Alright." Harry nodded. "You're right. I'm sorry. I should've said, 'I'll eat later.'" He turned back to the infant and raised an eyebrow. "How's that?"

Severus shrugged, immediately losing interest in the subject now that Harry had stopped lying. "Me go woo?" He asked hopefully.

Harry sighed. "Why would you want to go with me? There's nothing to do there. It's me and Dumbledore talking. How is that interesting?"

"Come on, love!" Ginny called Severus from the kitchen, holding her hand out to him. "Go let the boring adults talk. You can help me make chocolate chip pancakes."

Severus grinned and immediately ran over to her.

Harry rolled his eyes and shook his head, "Thanks, Gin."

"See you in a bit, Harry."

_**

* * *

**_

"Professor?" Harry knocked on Dumbledore's old, wooden door.

"Come in, Harry." Came the muffled reply just seconds before the door swung open of its own accord.

As soon as the teenager walked into the room, he could immediately sense something was amiss. Frowning, he took a look around and noticed Madame Pomfrey standing next to Dumbledore's desk. They both looked rather grave.

"What's happened?" He asked, immediately getting to the point. He didn't like the way the two of them were looking at him.

Pomfrey and Dumbledore exchanged a fleeting look. "Come over here, Harry, please." The Headmaster said, waving to the chair across from his desk.

Harry's frown deepened, even as he approached the old man's desk. "Headmaster, if this has something to do with Severus—"

"This has nothing to do with Severus, Harry," Poppy answered, "and everything to do…with _you_."

Harry's eyebrows sunk low in confusion and he narrowed his eyes at them. "Me?"

Dumbledore sighed, "Yes, Harry, you."

"This meeting is about me?" The teenager's eyes flew from one to the other suspiciously. What could they possibly want to talk to him about? Almost immediately, Harry's eyes fell onto the folder in Pomfrey's hands. It had his name on it.

The matron took a deep breath. "Harry, this is your medical file from St. Mungo's. They forwarded it to me just before you came home from the hospital."

Harry's jaw tightened. He could feel his blood start to boil. "And…?" He forced through gritted teeth.

"Harry, as per standard operating procedure, they had a magical medical history performed on you." Dumbledore replied warily.

The teenager's grip on the chair in front of him tightened exponentially. "Did they?"

"Harry—"

"And they found absolutely _nothing_ amiss!" The young wizard snapped, his eyes flaring. "And _you_ see absolutely _nothing_ amiss! So the _point_ of this meeting is null!" With that, the teenager turned on his heel and began marching out of the office.

"Harry!" Dumbledore called, his chair scraping the floor as he stood up from his desk. "Harry, please—"

"Professor Potter, we _have_ to talk about this!" Pomfrey added beside him.

Harry stopped suddenly and spun around to face them. "NO! We don't 'have' to talk about anything—_most_ _especially_ my past!"

"Why didn't you tell us, Harry?" Dumbledore asked sadly, his eyes filling with pity.

"You see?!" Harry cried, pointing directly at Dumbledore. "_That_ is why I didn't tell any of you! _That_ is why I never tell _anyone_ about it!" The teenager scoffed. "Pity. It's ridiculous. I always see it—in _everyone's _eyes! Everyone who knows, that's all I see when they look at me!" Harry ground his teeth together and pointed fiercely at the Headmaster. "I will not have it from you, or from _anyone_ in the wizarding world!" The teenager pulled back and growled in frustration. "No one in the wizarding world knows—not Remus, not Sirius, not Ron or Hermione. The only reason Ginny knows is because one of the conditions of our relationship was absolute honesty! If it wasn't for that, I _wouldn't_ have told her!" Harry shook his head and turned away from them.

"We would've helped you, Harry." Madame Pomfrey replied, coming over to them from where she had stood, frozen in place. "We would've helped you if had just told—"

"That's bollocks!" Harry replied, glaring at her.

"Who was it, Harry?" Dumbledore asked, his bright blue eyes never wavering from the boy in front of him. "We know your uncle did all the physical stuff. With the severity of those injuries, it's not that hard to figure out." The old man continued, gesturing towards the open file in Pomfrey's hands. Then his eyes turned cold and his voice took on a dangerous edge. "But who was it, Harry? Who was the one who caused the most damage?"

"Now you listen to me." Harry growled, crossing over and grabbing Dumbledore by the front of his robes. The teenager pulled himself up to his full height and got in the old wizard's face. "Stay _**OUT OF IT**_!" He cried, his voice low and dangerous. "Don't you understand? I have a paper trail now in this world because of _that_!"

"I don't see what that has anything to do with—"

"Of course you don't!" Harry screamed, pushing Dumbledore away and rubbing the back of his neck in frustration. "Of course you don't, because it doesn't directly affect you now, does it?!"

"Mr. Potter—"

"_That_ paper has made me a liability!" The teen continued, pointing to the file in Pomfrey's hands. "Now they're _never_ going to let me adopt him!"

"How does this make you a liability?" The matron asked, confused.

"Because it connects me to my records in the muggle world!" Harry exploded. "If any of the Death Eaters get a hold of those, they'll have legal justification to override the guardianship papers. They'll have what they need to take my boy away from me!"

"Then we'll destroy the paper, Harry!" Dumbledore interjected, straightening the front of his robes. "Just talk to us—_please_, my boy!"

"_LOOK_, old man!" The teen replied, pointing fiercely at the headmaster. "My past is my past. It's my business! I have lived through it, I've dealt with it, I am _OVER_ it! The last thing I want to do is turn it into a story I can tell over supper! _Everything_ that happened to me as a child is not something people need to hear about. All you need to know is that I have moved on."

"But, Harry—"

"**KEEP OUT OF IT**!!!" Harry's voice rose so high he squeaked at the end of his exclamation. "It's not important anymore. That's the end of it! So **LEAVE IT THE HELL ALONE**!!!" With that, he turned on his heel and marched towards the door. "Oh," Halfway out of the room, he turned back to them, "And if you care anything about me at all, you'd destroy that paper!"

And with the slamming of the headmaster's door, he was gone.

_**

* * *

**_

"Mahma! Mahma!" Holding the little flower he had just picked, Sev ran across the garden to where Molly was seated with Teddy on her lap and deposited it into her hand. "Fow ooo!"

"Oh, thank you, darling!" Molly replied with a big smile, holding her arms open for a hug.

"So what did the headmaster want?" Ginny asked, forcing a leg between Harry and the arm of the swinging chair, a silent request to sit down next to him.

Her boyfriend scooted over subconsciously, his eyes remaining fixed on a point a thousand miles away.

Ginny took that as a yes and squeezed herself in. Yet Harry was so lost in his thoughts, he didn't even seem to notice. Ginny frowned.

"Harry?"

"Hmm?" The teen grunted in response, sounding more than a bit distracted.

"Did you hear me, love?"

"Mm-hmm." He replied in the same tone. Harry's face scrunched up where he leaned against the palm of his hand, and his voice sounded rough, like it was packed with emotion.

The teenager sighed. Whatever Dumbledore has wanted to talk about, it affected Harry greatly. "Come on, love." Ginny said, wrapping her arms around Harry's chest and leaning her head against his shoulder. Her boyfriend put his arm around her almost robotically. "What's the matter, Harry?"

Her boyfriend heaved a great sigh. "They know, Ginny." He replied, his voice laden with sadness and pain. "They know about what happened to me when I was a kid."

Ginny's eyebrows scrunched up in confusion and she pulled up to look him in the eye. "Who knows? About your uncle?"

Harry shook his head. "Not just my uncle. They know _everything_!" He cried in distress, "They know about what happened to me in primary school!"

Ginny sat up completely and her eyes widened. "Who knows? Dumbledore?"

"They're not the important ones, Ginny." Harry whispered in reply, "St. Mungo's has a copy of my magical medical history. I have a paper trail now in this world because of that!"

"Calm down, love—"

"Malfoy and his men are going to find that paper, and they're going to use it! They're going to track down my muggle criminal records—" Harry tugged at his collar, like it was getting harder for him to breathe. "I don't know where those are! I can destroy my medical history, but…How am I going to destroy my criminal records when I don't even know—"

"Harry…Harry, calm down, love!" Ginny repeated, rubbing his back in an effort to relax him.

"I'm going to leave a trail of disaster wherever I go. They'll know who destroyed them. Who else would _want_ to destroy them?! And then they would ask _why_ Harry Potter wanted destroy his own records. What could he be hiding? What—"

"Whoa! Relax, pup!" Sirius exclaimed, coming out of nowhere.

"Are you alright, Harry?" Remus added from behind.

"And it's not _my_ goddamn fault!" Harry screamed at his godfather, causing everyone in the garden to turn towards him. "It _NOT_!!! How could it be?!" The teenager inhaled sharply, and shook his head roughly. "How could it?" His gaze turned inward and his face contorted into a scowl. "He was my teacher. He was my primary school teacher. I trusted him!" Harry cleared his throat and growled in frustration. "I trusted him and he ruined my life!"

"Oh my god…" Sirius breathed in utter shock. "Remus, please don't tell me he's talking about what I think he's talking about."

"Harry?" Remus' own voice was shaky, uncertain, and laden with distress.

"Shhh now, love…" Ginny whispered in his ear, lacing her voice with a bit of calming magic in a desperate attempt to get him to settle down.

Yet Harry was impervious, shaking his head with a look of resolve on his face. "And they're going to say it. I know they are! They're going to say it! They're going to say that I have a history of violence, and that the muggle courts ordered me to go to a shrink several times, and that I ran away each time, and that I got arrested several times in the past few years, and that I've been involved in muggle gang activity—they're going to make me out to be a criminal and a lunatic!" The teen lamented. "And they're going to make up some ridiculously large percentage and they're going to say that 100% of people who were abused in their lifetime usually end up repeating the cycle of abuse. And they'll say that I was physically, emotionally, and sexually abused and neglected and that Severus isn't safe around me. I can hear it!!!"

"Haweh?"

"Mum, take the boys inside, please?" Ginny called, hugging Harry close.

"Haweh?!"

"Come on, my darlings." Molly lifted both Teddy and Severus into her arms and began carrying them into the house.

"Haweh?!" Severus protested, bucking in her arms. "Haweh!"

"He's alright, love." Ginny replied in a voice meant to ease his turmoil. "He's okay. Just go inside, please."

Severus bit his lip and continued to peer worriedly over Molly's shoulder, even after the kitchen door closed behind her.

"Pup, you have to calm down." Sirius replied in what he hoped was a calming voice. He took a knee beside the swinging chair in order to be eye-level with his godson.

"What exactly is he talking about, Ginny?" Remus asked, taking a knee as well.

"They can't take my boy away from me!" Harry cried, meeting his godfather's eyes. Sirius could see the desperation in his godson's gaze. "_Please_ tell me they can't!"

"We're going to do everything in our power to make sure they won't, Harry." The animagus replied, gripping the back of his godson's neck in support.

"What's he worried about, Gin?" Remus asked in concern.

"That Malfoy's going to use his muggle records against him." The teen whispered in return.

"He has muggle records?"

"I have a muggle medical record and a muggle criminal record as well." Harry replied wearily, collapsing against the back of the swinging chair, exhausted.

"You have a muggle criminal record?" Remus echoed, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

Harry sighed. "It's a long story, Moony."

"What are you worried they're going to use against you?" Sirius asked, trying to form some sort of strategy in his head.

"_Everything_ in those records can be used against me." The teen answered, his voice full of self-loathing. "Every _single_ thing!"

"And what exactly is everything, cub?" Remus inquired gently, making sure to keep any judgments out of his voice.

Meanwhile, inside the house, Severus wriggled his way down to the floor and promptly took off towards the back door.

"Severus!" Molly called, watching the infant from the corner of her eye, yet not bothering to chase him. Severus was altogether too short to reach the doorknob just yet anyway. "Come along, darling! They'll be right along." She continued, holding her hand out to him.

_No, they won't! _Sev bit his lip and peered between her and the rather tall door several times. Finally, seeming to have come to a decision, he turned back to Molly and shook his head. "Uh, uh, uh!" Promptly walking over to the door, he began knocking on it as if expecting someone to open it from the other side.

"Go on, Molly, I'll look after him." Arthur said, coming out of nowhere.

Severus peered up at his towering figure. "Go back-back!" The infant cried, pointing at the door. Perhaps he could get Arthur to help him.

"Harry, Ginny, Sirius, and Remus seemed to be having a rather intense conversation back there." Molly explained, adjusting Teddy in her arms, "Ginny wanted me to take the boys inside."

"Odd." Arthur frowned, strolling towards the window.

Severus promptly took after him and attached himself to his leg. _No! No! I wanna see too! Curse these miniature legs of mine! Let me see too!_ "Up, up!" He exclaimed, jumping up and down, using Arthur's trousers for support. "Up, up!"

"Alright, alright, settle down." The Weasley patriarch bent over and lifted the child into his arms.

_There we are. That's better! _Severus grinned. He couldn't wait until he was this tall again. He liked being this tall. He could see _everything_!

Yet when he caught sight of the group huddled by the swinging chair across the yard, he wished he hadn't. Harry was hunched over with his face buried in his hands. Ginny sat next to him, and crouched before him were Sirius and Remus. The teen looked to be in the middle of a deeply personal story, the contents of which were upsetting the two Marauders considerably, judging from the auras Severus was sensing from them.

"_Haweh?"_ Sev sent through their mental bond.

The teen looked up to find his infant and his future father-in-law watching him through the kitchen window. Sev looked a bit worried so Harry sent back waves of reassurance to ease his troubled mind.

"Why didn't you tell us any of this before, Harry?" Sirius asked, visibly upset by Harry's confession. "When we could've actually _done_ something about it!"

"And what would you have done?" Harry argued. "Dumbledore would've made you send me back."

"Not if he knew what you were going through in your uncle's house, Harry!" Remus argued. "And why didn't you tell _me_?!" He cried, sounding slightly offended. "Back in your third year, when I was your defense professor, you could've told me at _any_ point that year."

"Did you not trust us, pup?"

"No, that's not it at all!" The teen exclaimed in frustration, frowning at the two men before him. "See? This is exactly why I didn't tell any of you—why I didn't tell _anyone_! They would go on and on about why I didn't tell them sooner. Do either of you know how hard it is for me to tell you this story right now?! If it wasn't for this whole situation, I wouldn't even be telling it! It would _still_ be my secret!"

"Do you feel ashamed?" Remus asked, trying to understand.

"Of course he feels ashamed, Moony!" Sirius replied, turning a mild glare onto his best friend. "Remember what _I_ was like confessing _my_ home life to the Potters?"

"You see, Harry?" Ginny interjected, prodding her boyfriend slightly, "Sirius knows what it's like."

"I could've helped you through it, pup." His godfather nodded.

"That's not the point!" The teen growled, scowling at everyone around him. "I don't need any help getting _through_ it! I've already _had_ help getting through it! My point in telling you all of this was so that you could help me build a defense against it, should this whole mess turn into a nasty custody battle in the near future."

"That's what it's feeling like to me." Remus remarked.

"What do you mean you've _had_ help getting through it?" The animagus asked, confused.

Harry sighed and ran a hand down his face. He should've known they would keep asking questions.

"I've been a runaway most of my life." He explained. "When my uncle was especially moody or whatever—whenever I _knew_ it was either leave or be seriously injured—I took to the streets. East End of London—that's where I liked wandering about the most. Don't know why." The teen shrugged. "Anyway…there was a Christian Minster there who ran a homeless shelter. He came to know me very well by the time I was seven. I always had a bed in the Minister's shelter, whether or not the place was full." Harry cracked a bit of a smile then and his eyes glazed over at the memory. "He even offered me his own bed more than once, while he opted to sleep on the floor." Suddenly, he cleared his throat. "Anyway, he's the one who's helped me through…almost everything."

"Harry, you only let him in on _one_ thing." Ginny argued lamely.

"Yeah, well, that one thing was almost everything." Harry retorted.

"What 'one thing'?" Remus asked curiously.

Harry growled in frustration and turned away, not wanting to see the pity on their faces. "This…sexual abuse thing I went through in primary school."

"Oh, pup—"

"No!" Harry snapped, his eyes flaring as he turned back to face his godfather. "No, no, no, no, no! No, don't give me that, 'Oh, pup,' and 'Oh, cub,' stuff. No! I'm not having it!" He declared firmly, his gaze moving between Sirius and Remus. "It was a thing that happened to me when I was five, it wasn't my fault, but it's screwing the rest of my life up! The only reason I'm telling you this is so that you can help me build a defense against it should this thing come up in court. I don't want to talk about it past that!" Crossing his arms, he turned away once again and began grumbling under his breath.

Sirius exchanged a look of shock and confusion with the werewolf next to him. "Harry…you can't just expect us to drop something like _that_—"

The teen shut his eyes and tightened his jaw. "Oh, for the love of…You see?! This is why I never told anyone any of this to begin with!" He exclaimed, gesturing towards them. "I knew it would turn into _this_!"

"But you obviously haven't gotten over—"

"What would _you_ know about that, Remus?!" Harry screamed, getting in his face. "You're not me! You don't know how I view the things that happened to me in my life! I am _over_ it! Accept that!" The teen huffed and shook his head as he pulled away. "I told Mrs. Figg about what he tried to do to me and she gone and told the authorities about it. They arrested him a week later! Turns out I wasn't the only one he tried to force himself on. Pervert even had pictures of everything he tried to do. Goddamn courts seemed to think I needed a shrink. My uncle went on and encouraged them. That just went on and solidified the neighbors' opinion of me. I was better off wandering the streets of East End! Not like my uncle really cared." He ranted in one long outburst. "'Course I was five or six at the time—something like that. How the hell was I supposed to find food without stealing it? _That_ started my relationship with the authorities. And if it wasn't for police dropping me off at the minster's shelter that night, I'd probably be part of a gang right now. Plenty to choose from on the street I called home." Harry scoffed. "Anyway…the minister's a persistent bloke. Kept asking why the court kept ordering me to a shrink. I finally relented and told him one day."

"That's the only thing you ever told him." Ginny interjected.

"And that's the only thing I'm _ever_ going to tell him!" Harry returned smoothly. "Anyway, he and I had a good cry about it, and I'm over it!" The teen declared with finality. "There—that's the whole story. Now are you going to help me or not?!" He demanded, eyeing the two men before him with a critical eye.

Both Remus' and Sirius' jaws tightened and the two friends exchanged a long look of concern.

"Fine, Harry, we'll help you—" The werewolf started after a lengthy pause.

"—but you're delusional if you think the discussion is going to end there." Sirius finished, pointing a firm finger at his godson and fixing a matching look upon his face. "I know you, Harry. You're sweeping this aside like it's an annoying speck of dust. You don't fool _me_, pup—"

"Nor me!" Remus added, climbing to his feet along with Sirius.

"When you sweep things aside like you do, you don't want to talk about them. And you don't want to talk about this particular thing because you're not completely over it yet." Harry opened his mouth to respond but Sirius silenced him with an, "Ah! You are _in denial_! Until we talk about this issue—"

"—_all_ these issues—"

"—in full, we're not going to be able to move on."

"But I—"

"This is not an option, Harry!" Remus interjected, his voice sounding just as firm as Sirius'. "You come clean with us, you talk it out with us, _and then_ we will strategize about how we're going to handle this should this turn into a custody battle."

"That's not fair!"

"Take it or leave it, pup. That's our final offer." The animagus replied, dusting off his trousers. "And before you start saying anything rash, I want you look into that window over there," Sirius pointed to the kitchen window, where Severus was peering out at him from his perch in Arthur's arms, "and ask yourself, 'Is it worth it to come clean with Sirius and Remus…if it means keeping that child in my life?'"

Sirius' words struck a chord with Harry, and his mouth slowly closed again as his godfather's message sunk in. Harry would do _anything_ to keep that child in his life. Coming clean with the two men he considered his 'fathers' was a small price to pay to keep the boy he considered his 'son'.

From his vantage point across the garden, Harry could just make out Sev's little hand knocking on the glass of the kitchen window. His tiny forehead was pinched in a frown as he gazed at Harry with a look of concern that seemed completely out of place on a boy his size. Severus was worried about him. That seemed to be happening a lot these days. All he seemed to do was cause the child worry. Well, no more! Harry would be damned if Severus grew up the second time around with that blasted frown glued onto his face. He promised himself in the beginning that he was going to do everything he could to make sure Sev grew up knowing none of the pain of life's harsh realities. He was going to be a happy child, a loving child, a carefree child; and Harry swore to himself that he would do everything in his power to make that happen.

"We'll leave you to contemplate that answer." Sirius continued, buttoning up his jacket. "In the meantime," the animagus turned back and waved for Arthur to come on out to the garden, "I am going to run to the library of the Den, and to the Hogwarts library, and to the Ministry Library, and to wherever else I need to find law books that would help us with our situation."

"Yes," Remus agreed, "Malfoy may have the resources to afford lawyers who went to all the top magical law schools in the country. _However_, a good law school does not a good lawyer make."

"Indeed." Sirius nodded.

"Haweh!" Sev called and immediately began wiggling in Arthur's arms in silent demand to be put down.

"We'll talk in a few hours, yes?" Sirius smirked before turning on his heel and quickly retreating towards the house.

Harry, for his part, shook his head. "Like he actually gave me a choice."

"Your godfather knows you better than you think, cub." Remus smiled at Harry over his shoulder as he strolled towards the house at a much slower pace. "You should give him more credit than you do."

"I'll give credit where credit's due!" Harry scowled, annoyed at how well the two Marauders actually knew him. Remus merely chuckled and shook his head.

"Haweh! Haweh! Haweh!" As soon as Sev's little feet hit the grass, he took off running in Harry's direction.

"We're going to have a problem on our hands soon enough. Watch!" Ginny whispered in her boyfriend's ear, a smile in her voice.

"He's getting faster by the day." Harry sighed.

By some miracle, Sev didn't trip and fall in his mad dash to Harry's side. "Haweh!" A smile tugging at the corners of his lips, Harry bent down and caught the infant, immediately wrapping the baby in his arms. The couple adjusted to accommodate their little bundle of joy on the small swinging chair.

"Wa ha, Haweh! Wa ha?!"

"Just telling Sirius and Remus a sob story, is all." Harry assured him, planting a kiss atop his forehead. "There's nothing wrong with me, I promise."

"Mo why!" Severus exclaimed, narrowing his eyes at Harry and scrutinizing the teenager's face.

Harry snorted, "I'm not lying, cub."

"Immy?" Sev double-checked with her.

The teenager laughed at her boyfriend's annoyed face. "You see, Harry? That's what you get for lying so often. He doesn't believe you anymore." As Harry rolled his eyes, Ginny bent down and gave the infant a big kiss on the cheek. "Harry's just fine, love."

"Okeh…" Sev nodded, settling into Harry's arms.

As long as Harry was fine, Sev was fine. He didn't like it when Harry wasn't fine, because then _he_ wasn't fine. It was the strangest feeling in the world! His stomach twisted up in knots, his heart rate shot up, and he felt like crying every time there was something wrong with Harry. He hated it! Absolutely _hated_ it! He hated even _thinking_ about it! Oh…perhaps he should stop then.

"Haweh!" Sev cried, trying to change the subject in his mind.

The teenager flinched. "Cub, I'm right here. You don't need to scream."

"Haweh?" The infant continued in a much softer voice.

"Yes?"

"Omo." Severus shrugged. Sticking two fingers in his mouth, he began to chew on them.

Harry gave him a strange look. "You yelled my name out for no apparent reason?"

_It was NOT for no reason!_ The grumpy voice at the back of his mind argued. _It was to change his ridiculously desolate state-of-mind._

Severus blushed slightly and increased the intensity of his chewing. He was about to shrug a second time when all of a sudden, something flashed by the corner of his eye and he quickly sat up with a gasp in order to properly see what it was.

"What?" Harry frowned, scanning the immediate vicinity for anything out of place. "What is it?"

Severus leaned to the side just in time to see a small, potato-like figure with legs scurry into Nana Molly's carrot patch. Echoes of impish laughter filled the air. The infant's eyes widened in delight, "MOWMB!"

"What?" Harry's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as the child on his lap immediately began to wiggle and push in an effort to get down.

"I think he saw a gnome, Harry." Ginny translated amidst a giggle.

"MOWMB!"

"Put him down, love."

"Just…be careful, cub." Harry replied, leaning down to place the infant on his own two feet. Severus immediately took off towards the carrot patch. "Sev—Severus!" Harry stood up and shook Ginny off when she tried to pull him back down. "There could be sharp things in there. He could trip and poke an eye out!" His girlfriend rolled her eyes but let him go chase after their infant anyway.

"Mowmb! Mowmb! Mowmb!" Sev squealed, running up one of the rows of carrots. He could see the little garden gnome up ahead of him, hiding behind a big piece of cabbage and giving him the evil eye. The infant stopped right where he was and peered back. Biting his lip, Severus crouched down and immediately lost his balance, falling back on his butt with an, "Oof!"

There was a rustling of leaves next to him and Sev peered all the way up to see Harry smiling down at him, amused. "What you doing there, cub?"

"Mowmb!" Severus replied, pointing at the scowling creature just ahead of him.

"I can see that." The teen nodded.

"Harry! Where's Severus?" Molly's voice cried out from the porch.

"He's here, mum." The teenager replied, pointing to the carrot patch next to him. Severus peeked out from behind some of the leaves. "Chasing gnomes again."

"You're going to have a natural de-gnomer sometime in the future, mum." Ginny interjected with a laugh.

"Well, don't let him touch any of them. The little buggers are getting into the nasty habit of biting everyone who comes near." The Weasley matriarch warned.

"Sounds like the perfect reason for us to find something else to do," Harry murmured, bending down to retrieve Severus from the garden bed, "wouldn't you say, cub?"

No! Severus wanted to chase the gnomes around! He delighted in the way they all ran away from him like he was the biggest giant they had ever seen and he was going to step on them if they didn't get away fast enough. "Momstew!" Sev complained, peering over Harry's shoulder and pointing at the little gnome behind the head of cabbage. "Momstew!"

"You can play 'Monster' with the gnomes later." Harry replied, brushing the dirt off Sev's trousers, "After we've had lunch."

As if on cue, Sev's stomach grumbled loudly and he reluctantly conceded for the time being. "Momstew wehtew." He repeated, a slight scowl on his face.

Those gnomes better watch out later, though. Severus was coming! Oh…and he was going to bring Teddy with him too. Yeah! Double the trouble! Ha, ha, ha!

Wait a minute…Teddy couldn't walk yet! The infant grimaced.

Well…Sev was going to fix _that_ up right quick!

_**

* * *

**_

"Teddy! Teddy! Teddy!"

"Ah?"

"Mowmb!" Sev exclaimed, pointing at the door that led into the back yard. "Peh momstew wi mowmbs!"

The eight-month-old metamorphamagus followed his best friend's finger and stared at the back door in confusion. "Peh?"

"Peh! Peh! Peh!" Sev cried, walking around in a circle and holding his hands out to the sides. "Momstew! Momstew! Momstew! Woooooaw!"

"What are they talking about, sweetheart?" Tonks whispered to her husband.

"Haven't a clue." The werewolf replied distractedly, flipping the page of the Defense journal he was reading.

"Peh! Peh! Peh!" Teddy imitated with a grin, sitting up and immediately losing interest with his toys in favor of listening to his friend's more appealing idea.

Severus nodded excitedly, enjoying the attention his friend as giving him. "Mowmbs go wan! Go wan! Woooooooaaaaaaw! MOMSTEW!" The eleven-month-old did his best imitation of a bog monster, walking circles around the other infant, making him laugh.

"Mo-mew!"

"Momstew!" Severus grinned and walked two steps in the direction of the door, waving for Teddy to come follow him. "Com bak-bak! MOMSTEW!!!"

Teddy giggled and began crawling after his friend…

…but then he stopped.

"Wah, Teddy!" Severus encouraged him, waving for him to stand before promptly losing his own balance and falling back on his butt. The infant was back on his feet in no time (with the help of the nearest couch, of course)! "Wah! Wah! Wah!" The waving caused Severus to fall back down yet again.

Teddy giggled at Severus and then began imitating his process for climbing to his feet.

Sev inwardly rejoiced. Yes! His dastardly plan was working! Those gnomes wouldn't know what hit them when he and Teddy went out there later. "Howd dat!" The infant instructed, pointing to the trimming of the couch opposite his. "Howd dat eh…mmm…" Severus thought for a second, inspecting the trimming of the couch he himself was holding. Hmmm…what did he usually do after that part?

Severus pulled on the edge of the couch and used the leverage to help him to his knees. Oh yeah!!! "Poow! Poow, Teddy! Poow!" The infant cried excitedly, turning to his best friend and waving at him in encouragement. "Poow! Poow! Poow!"

The little metamorphamagus bit his lip and turned his attention to his own couch trimming. After staring at it for about a minute, he turned back to his friend.

"Ah!" Sev pushed himself back onto his butt and demonstrated the procedure for getting back onto one's knees once again. "Ooo…get dap." He grasped the edge of the couch and turned back to see if Teddy was doing it too. "Eh…POOOOOOW!" With a great show of effort, Sev pulled against it and climbed onto his knees.

Teddy sighed and looked back to study the hand that was gripping the couch trimming. What was Sev trying to say? He glanced once more at his friend. The other infant had pushed himself back on his bum once again and looked to be talking to himself. "Ooo get dap," he muttered, "eh…deh pooooooooow!" Sev's face scrunched up from the effort for a fraction of a second before it smoothed over and the infant glanced down to find himself on his knees. He then turned back to Teddy with a hopeful smile. "Go Teddy!" He squeaked, bouncing on his knees with a grin. "Go Teddy! Go Teddy! Go Teddy!"

The little eight-month-old bit his lip and studied the couch trimming once again. From what Sev kept saying, he should pull on it in order to get himself to his knees. Teddy didn't know if that would work for him the way it worked for Sev, but he could try. Throwing one more glance back at his friend, and receiving an encouraging smile in return, Teddy gripped the couch trimmings with all his strength, closed his eyes, and pulled against them. When the infant opened his eyes once again, he was on his knees.

"Ha, ha, ha! GO TEDDY!" Sev exclaimed, squealing in delight.

Tonks gasped and slapped Remus on the shoulder, startling him. "Look! Your son's climbing to his feet!"

"What?!" The werewolf exclaimed in surprise, throwing the journal aside and searching the room for his boy. His wife pointed to the edge of the couch they were both seated on. "Teddy!" Remus cried, a grin sweeping across his face. The werewolf stood up and took a seat right next to his infant, positioning himself so that his legs were on either side of his kneeling son. "Look at you, my boy!"

"What are you doing, sweetheart?" Tonks added, taking a seat next to her husband and bending down so that she was eye-level with her baby. "Are you trying to stand up, my love? Are you strong enough to do that now?"

"You know he is, Dora." Remus chuckled, holding his hands out so that Teddy could use them to climb to his feet.

As Tonks ordered Remus to _Accio_ the camera, Severus stood, alone, by the other couch, biting his lip. The moment Remus and Dora caught sight of Teddy climbing to his feet, all the attention had been diverted from him and onto Teddy. Now no one was listening to what he had to say anymore. The infant could feel a lump forming in his throat.

Looking around, Sev could just make out Ginny, Harry, Sirius, Ron, and Hermione, sitting at the dining room table and talking about something in hushed voices. Whatever, they were talking about, it looked to be rather important. Perhaps he shouldn't bother them. Perhaps he should just find something else to do. The infant bit down on his lip even harder. Teddy was out of the question now. He was enjoying a family moment with Remus and Dora and Sev didn't want to bother them. Chasing gnomes in the back yard was always an option, but Sev didn't find the idea appealing anymore now that Teddy was obviously not going to be joining him. The lump in Severus' throat grew. That left Sev with nothing. Teddy was too busy. Harry, Ginny, and Sirius were too busy. Sev didn't know where anyone else was. They were all obviously too busy. There was no one left to pay any attention to him!!!

"Oh, hush now, cub. Enough of the theatrics." Before Sev could blink, he was lifted off his feet from behind and placed on a very familiar knee.

"Haweh?" The infant turned tear-filled eyes up onto his guardian in confusion. When did Harry come over here?

"Of course you wouldn't have noticed me come over, cub." The teen responded, a small smile tugging at his lips. "You were too busy feeling sorry for yourself to notice that."

The infant sniffed and stuck his tongue out at Harry, causing the teen to chuckle at the childish gesture. Harry pulled his feet up to sit cross-legged on the couch and resettled Severus in the niche right in between his legs, wrapping his arms around the infant before turning to address his best mate. Severus, for his part, got comfortable in his arms and stuck his thumb in his mouth for good measure.

"What's wrong, Harry?"

"Nothing." The teen smirked, tightening his arms around the infant. "This one was getting a bit jealous when all the attention was suddenly diverted away from him."

"Mo, Haweh!" Said infant argued around his thumb. Yet he smiled when Harry planted a kiss atop his head.

"And look at _you_, Teddy bear!" Harry exclaimed, grinning down at his godson, who was now standing on his own two feet (with his father's help, of course). "Look at you! Up by your lonesome now. You'll be joining Sev in no time, won't you?!" Teddy giggled and began bouncing on his feet.

"We've been letting him run around our quarters in his walker." Dora explained. "Letting him build up muscle so that walking would be easier once he started doing it."

"Well then he should have a strong pair of legs on him now, shouldn't he?"

"It looks that way, yes." Remus replied between chuckles as Teddy began jumping up and down, using his father's fingers for support.

Now newly reenergized, Sev took his thumb out of his mouth and sat up in Harry's arms. "Wah, Teddy!" He encouraged, "Wah! Wah! Wah!"

"Why don't you show him how it's done, sweet?" Ginny suggested as she took a seat next to Tonks. "Come walk to me, love." She added, holding her arms out for Severus.

"Dowm, Haweh." Sev muttered, even as he turned in his nest and climbed down the couch by himself. "Dowm, dowm, dowm." Harry wisely made no comment, settling for fixing a smirk upon and his face and supporting his infant on the way down. "Ooof!" As soon as Severus reached the floor, he fell back onto his butt, but with Harry's help he was up on his feet once again. The infant turned and kept going as if the fall never happened. "Ooo wah, Teddy! Wah, wah, wah…WAP!" After making sure that he was perfectly balanced, Sev let go of Harry's fingers and slowly walked over to Ginny, grinning as the teen wrapped him in her arms. "See? Wah, wah, wah!"

"You want to try that, cub?" Remus asked, turning back to his own wide-eyed son.

"Wah!" Teddy squealed, grinning at his best mate.

"Uh-huh!" Sev nodded. "Wah!"

"Dora, maybe you should go sit over there." Ginny suggested, pointing to the spot next to a grinning Harry.

"Yes, love, come walk to me!" Dora exclaimed, taking a seat next to Harry and holding her arms out for Teddy to run into.

The little metamorphamagus turned back to Sev with questioning eyes.

"Wah, Teddy, wah!" Sev turned in Ginny's arms and pushed through, crossing the space between the couches to settle into Harry's arms once more.

The younger infant began laughing. "WAH!"

"Wah!" Sev nodded, walking over to Ginny once again.

"WAH!"

"WAH!" Sev walked back to Harry.

"_WAH_!"

"_WAH_!" Sev scooted back to Ginny.

"_**WAH**_!!!" "_**WAH**_!!!" All four adults watched in awe as both Sev _and_ Teddy released the hands of their respective parents and walked across the space between the couches to settle into Harry and Dora's arms.

A great cheer suddenly swept throughout the room.

Sev looked up to find _everyone_ standing around them—Molly, Arthur, Fred, George, Ron, Hermione, Sirius and Andromeda. They were all standing around their couches and clapping their hands with giant smiles on their faces.

"You walked, my darling!" Sev heard Dora squeal into the ear of an excited Teddy. "You walked! Oh, we are so proud of you, my love!"

"And I'm proud of _you_ for showing him how, cub." Harry whispered into his own ear. The infant blushed and began chewing on two of his fingers in his nervousness.

"Wah! Wah! Wah!" Teddy exclaimed, waving at Sev before running back into his father's arms.

"He did it again!" Sirius cheered amidst joyous laughter.

Not one to be outdone, Sev broke out of Harry's arms and ran into Ginny's. Not a minute after that, though, Teddy reached over and walked back into his mother's arms once more. Sev followed happily into Harry's.

Thus went their little game for the better part of an hour. As Teddy walked (and then ran) between Remus and Dora, Sev walked (and then ran) between Ginny and Harry. Andromeda and Molly stood to the side and took pictures of the little tykes, rejoicing in the major milestone Teddy reached that day (with Sev's help, of course). Padfoot joined in the fun sometime later, helping Teddy make longer trips around the room the same way he helped Sev a few months before.

As Teddy enjoyed his personal time with Padfoot, Severus took a rest in Harry's arms; foregoing everyone's attention for a simple kiss atop his temple; content with listening as Harry whispered how he was proud of him for sharing his moment with Teddy instead of hogging the limelight, how he was proud of the patience he showed as he slowly taught Teddy how to walk, and how he was proud of his sharing Padfoot with his best friend.

"I'm proud of the person you're becoming, cub." The teen whispered, a smile in his voice.

Severus blushed and began chewing on his two fingers once again. Severus didn't need the limelight. He got everything he needed from Harry.

* * *

**Next up, a Christmas chapter that ended up being so long it had to be split in two! But is it ever so sweet. :-) The Christmas season has finally come and Harry, Ginny, Sev, and Sirius visit a tree farm to pick out a tree. Plus, a musical montage fills in the gaps between then and that magical night that is Christmas Eve. :-)**

**Hello again! I want to thank everyone who read last chapter and left a REVIEW. You're all very awesome! :-) And then I want to thank everyone who read this chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it. Please don't hesitate to tell me what you think; and a bit of a warning: I currently have two chapters left in my buffer, meaning you're one week away from catching up to me and my writing. I hope to write fast enough to increase that buffer by another two chapters, but I can't promise anything. Encouragement would be nice, though. ;-) Thanks again!**


	39. All I 'Really' Want for Christmas

"Kwi-mas! Kwi-mas! KWI-MAS!!!"

"Hark! The herald Severus sings." Sirius muttered, chuckling into the soup he was stirring.

Ginny rolled her eyes and shook her head as she pushed her Transfiguration book aside.

"Honey?!"

Harry's voice called amongst the bellows of, "Kwi-mas! Kwi-mas! Kwi-mas!"

"We're in here, love!" Ginny called back from the kitchen.

"Kwi-mas! Kwi-mas! KWI-MAS!!!"

"Are you all going to go out a pick a Christmas tree today?" Sirius asked, tossing some carrots into the soup.

"Yes, we are." Ginny nodded. "You should come! Harry's going to need a hand loading the thing onto the car, and with all the muggles around, it's going to look weird if he can lift that whole thing up by himself."

"So you keep the car for the muggles' benefit?" Sirius raised an eyebrow at Ginny.

"It's also easier on Severus." The teen explained, "The floo and apparition don't seem to agree with him at this size, so the car's the best way to get into town."

"Kwi-mas!" Sev cried as Harry walked into the kitchen, "Immy! Immy! Kwi-mas!"

The teenager chuckled, "I've never seen you so excited about Christmas before."

"That's because he didn't have a part in Sunday Services' Nativity Play before." Harry replied with a smirk.

Ginny gasped in excitement and instantly pushed all her books aside, giving her baby her full attention. "You got a part in the Nativity play?!" She asked, her eyes alight with joy.

"Uh-huh!" Sev nodded with a giggle.

"What part did you get, sweetheart?"

Harry choked back a snort just as Sev replied in a proud and tiny voice, "Wobstew!"

The smile on Ginny's face froze in place and she blinked. "Lobster?"

"Uh-huh!" Severus giggled excitedly as he bounced in Harry's arms.

"You're a lobster?" This time, the smile struggled to stay on her lips as she tried to understand what her baby just told her.

"Wobstew WAM!" Sev added, holding up one finger and waving it in her face.

"Lobster number one?" There was a loud clanking noise and everyone turned just in time to see Sirius hightail it out the back door and onto the open back porch. Echoes of laughter trailed in his wake. Ginny turned back to Severus, confused. "There was more than one lobster present at the birth of Jesus?"

"Duh!" The baby rolled his eyes and wiggled to get down.

Harry and Ginny exchanged a look as the former obliged him. _"Just be glad he's not the octopus, love."_ She heard him tell her in her mind. _"They want us to make their costumes. The octopus would've been infinitely harder to make!"_

The absurdity of the situation finally caught up with Ginny and she found herself chuckling just as Severus wrapped himself around her legs. "Oh, my darling…" She sighed as she lifted the child into her arms and gave him a big hug and kiss on the cheek. "So you're a little lobster, huh, love?"

"Uh-huh." Sev replied shyly, his two fingers once again stuck in his mouth.

"My precious little lobster number one." Ginny shook her head and nuzzled the infant's ear, making him giggle.

As Ginny and Sev had a moment, Harry made his way onto the porch to find Sirius sitting on the swinging bench, admiring the view of the forest. "Calmed down yet, have we?"

Sirius smirked as he scooted over and waved for Harry to sit down, "Believe it or not, I was actually laughing at Ginny more than Severus."

"Oh, I know." The teen grinned, "Her face was priceless just now." He agreed as he took a seat. "Couldn't understand that _of course_ there was more than one lobster present at the birth of Jesus. In fact, there were _two_!" Sirius snorted and Harry held up two fingers to tick them off. "There was lobster number one, otherwise known as baby lobster, and there was lobster number two, otherwise known as big daddy lobster."

At that, Sirius threw his head back in hysterical laughter before lightly shoving his godson on the shoulder, "You're in it with him?"

Harry shook his head. "How do you think we got him to agree?" The teen rolled his eyes as his godfather laughed so hard he started tearing up. "Let's not tell Ginny this just yet, shall we?"

All of a sudden, Ginny's vibrant laughter filtered out through the kitchen window. "Harry?! You got Lobster Number two, love?"

Harry scowled at the world in general and at Sirius in particular, as his godfather's face began to turn red from laughter. "I hope you die from asphyxiation." He grumbled and shoved Sirius none-too-gently on the shoulder.

"Severus and I are going to have _so_ much fun making _your_ costume, Harry."

"I'll help!" Sirius added with a snort.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, laugh it up!" Harry popped his collar, zipped up his coat, and put his gloves back on. "I'm going to go warm the car!" He announced as he made his way down the porch and around the side of the house. "Be ready in ten minutes if you want to go to the Christmas tree farm with me!"

"Did you hear that, love?" Sirius heard Ginny whisper through the kitchen window. "We're going to go pick a Christmas tree today!"

The animagus decided this was one thing he definitely couldn't miss out on.

_**

* * *

**_

"Hello, Mr. Miller! Mrs. Miller!" Ginny waved at the couple across the field. "Sev, you want to say, 'hi'?"

The infant shook his head and wiggled in silent demand to be let down. "Dowm, pea! Dowm, pea! Dowm, pea!"

Ginny sighed. "Alright, but no running!" After adjusting Sev's tiny boots and making sure his jacket and beanie and ear muffs were on nice and tight, she placed him down on his own two feet. "I'm not kidding, Sev. No running!"

"Howd owy…" The infant consented, holding his hand up for Ginny to take and sending her a charming smile to boot.

The teen's heart melted and she smiled down at him lovingly. "Yes, my love," she replied, taking his tiny hand into her own, "hold only."

Behind them, Harry shut the door of the car and clicked on the alarm.

"What is the point of bringing all this junk?" Sirius asked, eyeing the knapsack Harry had slung over his shoulder.

"It's for cutting the tree down." The teen shrugged, checking the car one last time before setting off to follow Ginny and Severus.

"Why can't you just do all that the old fashioned way?" The animagus asked with a raised eyebrow.

Harry rolled his eyes. "This _is_ the old fashioned way, Padfoot."

"_Our_ old fashioned way, I mean." Sirius pushed.

"I think this is more fun." The younger wizard replied. "And besides…there's something appealing about cutting a tree down with your bare hands. I can't explain it."

His godfather rolled his eyes and smirked. "You and inexplicable feelings."

"I happen to consider inexplicable feelings my strength." The teen retorted.

"Oh, you won't get any arguments from me." Sirius continued without missing a beat. "Remember? I get inexplicable feelings all the time."

The animagus' innocent remark seemed to have the opposite effect on Harry than Sirius intended and the animagus' smile quickly turned into a frown as Harry deflated before him. "Pup?" He asked worriedly.

"Hmm?" The teen replied distractedly. "Oh…sorry, yeah?"

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I was just…" Harry stuck both his hands in his pockets and shrugged. "I was just thinking that…if I had listened to you in the first place—several months ago, then we wouldn't be in this situation right now."

"You mean with Malfoy?" The animagus asked, a bit confused as to what his godson was referring to.

"What else do I obsess over these days?" Harry grumbled. "I mean you've got bad feelings before. You didn't listen to them then. Look what happened. Why didn't I listen to you now?"

Sirius shook his head. "Harry, stop." He ordered gently. "What are you going to do about it now? What's done is done. And…" the animagus paused, "…I see where you were coming from back then. I mean…you didn't want to get his hopes up only for them to be dashed away if you died." He grimaced. "To be honest, if the Potters adopted me right before _they_ died, I would've become quite the mess as well."

Harry kicked at a lone can on the ground, propelling it into the air and directly into a trash can. "I still should've listened to you."

"Pup, don't worry." His godfather replied. "I have full faith in our justice system."

Harry snorted. "That's rich, coming from you."

"Alright, I have full faith in Dumbledore." Sirius smirked, hooking his arm around his godson's neck. "It's all quiet on the Malfoy front now anyway."

"It's just the calm before the storm. I can feel it."

"And when that storm _does_ come, I can guarantee you Malfoy won't settle for anything less than the Wizengamot. He'll go for the highest court in the land to settle this dispute. He takes all or he takes nothing."

"I'll be damned if he takes all."

"But, as the muggles say, 'the ball's in our court' if he does that." Sirius pointed out with a smile, "Dumbledore happens to be the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot."

"We still need to put forth a good case."

"Which we are in the process of building right now." The animagus finished without missing a beat. He squeezed Harry's shoulder supportively. "Don't you worry the storm, Harry."

"I intend to not be here when it hits land anyway." The teen muttered under his breath.

Sirius froze in his tracks, making Harry pause along with him. "What?" He asked with a confused frown.

"I'm taking them away, Padfoot." The younger wizard replied, gesturing towards the two people walking ahead of them. "By eleven o'clock, Christmas evening, we're gone."

His godfather stared at him for a long time, a look of confusion glued onto his face. "You're taking them on holiday?" He asked, trying to sort it all out in his head.

Harry shrugged, pushing Sirius' arm off his shoulder and resuming their walk through the Christmas tree farm. "You can say that."

"Harry…you're going to run away with them?!" The animagus murmured, trailing after his godson.

"I'm not going to let them take him!" Harry hissed in reply, his eyes flashing. "And besides…we're not going away forever. We'll be back right when the adoption papers go through."

"Is that legal?" Sirius asked worriedly.

"He's my ward. _Of course_ it's legal!" The teen scowled.

"Well, I know, but…where are you going?" He asked worriedly. The younger wizard paused for a second and gave him a worry-filled sidelong glance. Harry looked like he was trying to make up his mind about something. His mouth opened then closed then opened again. Several times Sirius heard a note or two escape his lips. However, after a slight hesitation, the teen pursed his lips and shook his head, choosing to continue on his way silently. The look on his godson's face told him everything he needed to know. "You're not going to tell me, are you?" Sirius answered aloud.

"It's safer that way." Harry sighed. "We'll charm a telephone so we can call all of you and let you know when we get there and that we're safe." He shrugged as he readjusted the pack on his shoulder. "That should satisfy dad some."

Sirius caught onto that line of thought immediately. "Did you already tell Molly and Arthur about all this?"

"Yeah." Harry nodded. "Ginny too. She loved the idea. She's looking at it like a holiday instead of the other thing. I told her it was half of my Christmas gift to her…" He shrugged.

Harry could feel Sirius' eyes studying him from behind, trying to pinpoint just how he felt regarding his godson's decision to flee the country. The teen decided to turn his attention to other things while Padfoot thought it out. Up ahead of them, Ginny had let go of Severus' hand and allowed the child to explore the immediate vicinity. The infant had quickly found a large Douglas-Fir and instantly proceeded to play with its branches.

"Haweh!" He called, gripping one of the branches in his hand and jumping up and down excitedly, causing the whole tree to shake along with him. "Haweh! Haweh! Haweh!"

"Hey, hey!" Ginny chided softly, "Gentle, sweetheart. Be gentle, please." Taking a knee before the infant, she kindly pried his hand from the tree branch and began brushing away the dirt. "The tree didn't do anything to you, love."

"That's a good-looking tree, I think." Harry replied, winking at the infant. Severus grinned and giggled at him in return.

"Nothing I say is going to change your mind, is it?" Sirius' voice interrupted his thoughts, causing Harry to glance back at his godfather.

"Do you really consider it a bad idea?" He raised an eyebrow at the animagus.

The older wizard shrugged and then shook his head. "Not really." Hooking an arm around Harry's neck once more, Sirius resumed their trek after Ginny, who had taken off after a running, giggling Severus. "So…this 'holiday' of yours is only _half_ of Ginny's gift?" The animagus asked with a knowing smirk. "Does that mean it's safe to assume that the _other_ half of her gift is small, round, shiny, and comes in a velvet box?" When Harry's mildly shocked and highly suspicious gaze shot towards him, Sirius snorted. "Come on, pup, you _wanted_ Remus and I to know. If you didn't, you would've used a _Muffliato_ when you asked Arthur for Ginny's hand."

The teen blushed and ducked his head. "Caught…" he muttered under his breath.

"Most definitely." Sirius agreed, messing up his godson's hair with a laugh. "And Remus and I want you to know that we're proud of you for being a gentleman and taking the traditional route." The animagus lowered his voice to whisper in his godson's ear, "She's perfect for you, pup!"

Harry raised his eyes from the ground at the sound of childish squeals in the distance, only to find Ginny being chased by a giggling Severus around a large Scotch Pine tree. The redhead's eyes shined with laughter as she pretended to run as fast as she could away from the infant behind her. Severus caught up to her easily, though, grabbing onto her legs and hanging on for dear life, if only to keep himself from falling down. Ginny laughed out loud and bent down, easily lifting Severus into her arms and nuzzling his ticklish tummy. The sight of Sev's giant smile as he squealed with laughter caused a smile to erupt across Harry's own face.

"There's no one better out there." Sirius added.

Harry snorted and peered at his godfather from the corner of his eye. "Thanks, Padfoot." He replied earnestly. His godfather nodded in acknowledgement.

"Harry!" Ginny called from her place next to the Scotch Pine. "Come look at this tree! It's gorgeous!"

"Haweh! Haweh! Haweh! TWEE!!!" Severus happily added his input as well.

Harry adjusted the pack of tools on his shoulder and turned to smirk at his godfather. "Well…shall we, Padfoot?"

The animagus rolled his eyes. "I still don't see why we can't do it the old fashioned way." He grumbled as he followed his godson.

Severus had a whale of a time watching Harry and Sirius chop down their chosen Christmas tree. At first, neither Harry nor Sirius could locate the base of the tree under all the thick bottom branches. They lifted and sifted for a good five minutes, trying to find it. Once the base was located, though, the challenge became actually getting under there to cut the tree down. After about ten minutes of whining and arguing (most of the whines coming from the mutt, who complained about tiny twigs and needles getting stuck in his long, curly hair), both Harry and Sirius got down and dirty, smearing themselves against the mud and braving the sharp needles and twigs of the lower branches in order to get to the base and saw the tree down.

"Harry! This would be completely unnecessary if we just did this the old fashioned way!" Sev heard Sirius whine under the mass of foliage.

"Padfoot, I told you—"

"_My_ old fashioned way!"

"You know, this would go a hell of a lot faster if you would just shut up and help me saw!"

"Yes, underneath a Christmas tree, surrounded by mud and branches, is just the _perfect_ place to have an argument." Ginny murmured into Sev's ear as the child giggled against her chest.

And the funniness didn't end there, Severus recalled. After carrying the tree to the cash register and paying for it, Sirius and Harry debated on whether or not they wanted to trim the tree here or at home ("Let's do it the old fashioned way!"), whether or not the tree needed a net ("What are you going to do _that_ for? You're just going to remove it once we get home anyway!"), and whether the tree should ride inside the car or on top ("You are _NOT_ putting that thing inside my car! I am not dealing with branches and twigs and clean-ups. _NOT_ inside my car! We are putting it on top like _normal_ people!").

By some miracle, they had all managed to find a tree and get it safely home all within a mere hour and a half. As Harry and Padfoot trimmed the tree the "old fashioned way" and set it up in the living room, Ginny and Severus busied themselves in the kitchen, making the best batch of Christmas cookies ever!

"How about some Christmas songs, love?" Ginny asked, setting the record player on the counter. "They're great for baking cookies _and_ decorating a tree."

Severus looked up from licking his fingers to grin at Ginny. Christmas songs sounded like a great idea! He gave her a thumbs up.

"Excellent! Now…let's see what we've got here, shall we?"

As Sev picked up the plastic Christmas-tree-shaped cookie cutter to cut the cookie dough Ginny had laid out on the counter below him, notes from a xylophone began floating through the air.

_**I don't want a lot for Christmas…**__**  
**__**There is just one thing I need…**_

"Come on, love, let's make these cookies, shall we?" Ginny said, helping Severus press his cookie cutter into their ready dough. "Then we can decorate the tree with those wicked new ornaments we got on sale from IKEA!" The teen chuckled.

Severus grinned and began cutting out as many Christmas-tree-shaped cookies as he could.

_**I don't care about the presents…**__**  
**__**Underneath the Christmas tree…**_

"Ready? On three, Padfoot," Harry took a deep breath and prepared himself for lifting the heavy Christmas tree, "One…two—"

"Just _levitate_ the thing, Harry!" Sirius replied with a roll of his eyes.

The teenager straightened his shirt and cleared his throat, trying to act like that was his intention all along. "I knew that!" He answered, turning away from his smirking godfather.

_**I just want you for my own…**__**  
**__**More than you could ever know…**_

Harry pulled out box after box after box after box of IKEA Christmas ornaments with a growing grimace. "How many did she get?!" He exclaimed, sticking his head inside the big plastic bag.

Just then, Sirius came down the stairs and threw two more big plastic bags full of ornaments at his feet.

_**Make my wish come true…**__**  
**__**All I want for Christmas…is…**_

Ginny and Severus pulled the cookies out of the oven…

…_**You!**_

"Pew-feck!" Severus grinned.

_**I don't want a lot for Christmas**__**  
**__**There is just one thing I need**__**  
**__**I don't care about the presents**__**  
**__**Underneath the Christmas tree…**_

"Come here, Sev!" Ginny called, waving the infant over to the far side of the tree. "Help me hang some over here. It's bare on this side."

Sev held on as best he could to his two big, red Christmas ball ornaments as he toddled to Ginny's side. "Hewe…" He said, holding one up for Ginny to take.

"Don't you want to hang them up yourself, love?" The teen asked with a slight frown.

Sev peered up at her as if she had lost her mind. He couldn't hang these things up! His fingers weren't nimble enough for that kind of thing yet. "Uh-uh!" The infant shook his head in reply. "Too hawd…"

"Here, cub!" Sirius called, waving a box of candy canes at him from where he sat on one of the easy chairs. "These should be a little easier for your fingers. What say you?"

The infant grinned, dropping his Christmas balls and immediately running towards Sirius and his box of candy canes.

_**I don't need to hang my stocking**__**  
**__**There upon the fireplace**__**  
**__**Santa Claus won't make me happy**__**  
**__**With a toy on Christmas day**_

"Alright. Here we go. You have a good grip on that angel, cub?" Harry asked, checking for himself if Severus had the thing securely in his grasp.

"Me put up! Me put up!" The eleven-month-old reiterated, backing up against Harry's legs and bouncing on the balls of his feet, impatiently waiting to be picked up.

"Yes, yes, you're going to put the angel at the top. I just want to make sure you have a good enough grip on it." In response, the infant hugged the ornament to his chest as tightly as he usually held his favorite lion cub toy. "Alright. Are we sure there's absolutely nothing else we want to put on the tree?" Harry's gaze moved from Ginny, who shook her head, to Sirius, who shook his own. "Okay…" The teenager bent down to lift Severus from behind, "…here comes the angel!"

The teen lifted Severus as high as he could go, bringing the infant right next to the top of the tree. "Crown it, cub!"

Sev giggled before gently placing the pretty little angel on the top of the tree. "Hewe go!" He smiled, giving it a kiss on the cheek.

The angel blushed and returned his smile. "Thank you, Severus." She whispered as Harry lowered him back down.

Now it was Sev's turn to blush.

_**I just want you for my own**__**  
**__**More than you could ever know**__**  
**__**Make my wish come true**__**  
**__**All I want for Christmas is you**_

"Alright, my NEWT-level almost-colleagues, here be the final exam of the term." Harry announced, waving a stack of parchment in the air before promptly passing them out. "Take it as you would a NEWT exam. Do your best, I have full faith in you, and once you finish with the written part, hand your exam to me and then proceed to the next room where Professor Lupin will be handling your practical portion. Any questions?"

Almost everyone looked like they were about to throw up.

"Take a deep breath." Harry advised, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "This stuff should be easy. Good luck!" And with that, he allowed them to begin.

_**You baby!**_

Severus toddled up from behind McGonagall and stuck his head through her legs in order to see what she was looking at in the dining room.

There he found Harry, Ginny, Sirius, Remus, Ron, Hermione, and Dumbledore all gathered around a table full of parchment and big, thick law books. From what Sev could tell, Harry seemed the most agitated out of all them. His hair was a mess, he had a bunch of parchment in one hand and a giant law volume in the other, and he looked to be arguing with Sirius, Remus, and Dumbledore all at once.

"Come along, Severus." He heard McGonagall say before she stepped back from on top of him. "Let's go visit Aberforth, shall we?" Before he knew it, the old witch had picked him up and let go of the dining room door.

Sev's last image of that particular group gathering was of Harry screaming at the top of his lungs and throwing the giant law volume against the wall in frustration.

_**I won't ask for much this Christmas**__**  
**__**I won't even wish for snow**__**  
**__**I'm just gonna keep on waiting**__**  
**__**Underneath the mistletoe**_

"What do you think of that, Sev?" Sirius asked, pointing to the Snitch kit in the window display of Quality Quidditch Supplies. "I think it's good for both Ginny _and_ Harry, don't you?"

"Uh-uh!" Sev shook his head in disagreement. "Haweh de-femp!"

"I already bought Harry a set of defense books a couple Christmases ago." Sirius frowned.

Severus rolled his eyes. "Dummy!" He pointed out.

"Oh!" The animagus' eyes widened and a smile blossomed on his face. "Good idea!" He pushed open the door to Quality Quidditch Supplies. "This will be Ginny's gift then."

_**I won't make a list and send it**__**  
**__**To the North Pole for Saint Nick**__**  
**__**I won't even stay awake to**__**  
**__**Hear those magic reindeers click**_

"Ginny!" The teenager turned back from the window at the sound of her name to see Dean, Dennis, and a few other girls from Gryffindor that she knew coming into her compartment. "Why are you in here all alone?" Dean asked.

The teenager sighed. "Just worried…and thinking about stuff."

"About your marks?" Dennis asked.

"No, not about my marks." Ginny shrugged, turning back to viewing the landscape out the train window.

"Other people have other things to care about, Dean." Hermione added, coming into their compartment as well. "Like their children."

The young wizard grimaced. "This conversation is so…_adult_!"

"I haven't even seen little Snape. No one has! When do you think you'll bring him out?"

"Don't worry, Ginny. The adoption will go through before anyone can take him away." Hermione reassured her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Wait a minute…you're _adopting_ him!" Almost everyone's eyes widened.

"Don't even start, Dean." Ginny replied wearily, leaning her forehead against the cool glass window.

_**'Cause I just want you here tonight**__**  
**__**Holding on to me so tight**__**  
**__**What more can I do**__**  
**__**Baby all I want for Christmas is you**__**  
**__**Ooh baby**_

Sev looked around at what he could see from Harry's lap. The place was a bit dark, but the case displays, with their bright lights and gleaming merchandise, made up for that in spades. "Why bak-bak?" The infant asked, leaning back to look up at his guardian.

"Because I don't want the press to spoil Ginny's surprise." Harry replied, eyeing an interesting little item in the case display next to them. "If I was seen at the front of the store, even for a second, everyone would know what was going on. There goes Ginny's surprise."

"Alright, here we are, Mr. Potter!" The owner said, a huge smile on his face. In his hands, he held a small, blue velvet box. The object of Harry's interest lay nestled among the folds within. The owner popped the box open and laid it onto the bright case display before them. "Round brilliant cut, absolutely clear, absolutely flawless—you can check it for yourself, sir—one hundred carat diamond." The seller's eyes gleamed with pride and he lowered his voice to a whisper, as if he was imparting a great secret. "That right there is a paragon, sir—a perfect diamond! I set it within the body of a small, twenty-four carat gold snitch. The wings are sterling silver and run down the band of the ring. It's just…" He took the box gently between the tips of his fingers and scooted it closer to the two of them, "…to your liking, sir."

Harry smiled and exchanged a look with the infant in his arms. "What do you think, Sev?"

The infant grinned and began bouncing in Harry's lap, "Immy!"

The teenager took out his money bag with a laugh. "Name your price, sir, and we'll bargain from there!" The owner smiled and nodded.

_**All the lights are shining**__**  
**__**So brightly everywhere**__**  
**__**And the sound of children's**__**  
**__**Laughter fills the air**_

"Ginny!"

"IMMY!!!" Sev sat up in his sling and tried to wave her over. The moment he stuck his head out, however, there was a loud shout and cameras started flashing in his face. The infant dove back into his sling immediately. He could feel Harry wrap the sling tightly around him, making sure no part of him was left exposed.

Among shouts of 'Mr. Potter!', camera clicks, and girlish squeals of 'How cute!', Sev heard the one voice he had been waiting all day to hear. "Hello, my love."

After Ginny said goodbye to the many friends that came over to wish her a good holiday (and to beg if they could see the baby, which she denied), Harry took his girlfriend's hand and wrapped his arm around the bundle on his chest, "We're about to apparate home, cub." Sev heard him whisper.

The infant thought it couldn't be soon enough.

_**And everyone is singing**__**  
**__**I hear those sleigh bells ringing**__**  
**__**Santa won't you bring me the one I really need**__**  
**__**Won't you please bring my baby to me...**_

"Alright, everyone ready?"

Harry looked around. Ron was standing with his arms around an eager Hermione, Ginny stood next to him with an excited Sev in her arms, Sirius was smirking and had his wand at the ready, Andromeda and McGonagall were chatting next to a bubbly Albus and an Aberforth with a much put-upon expression, Teddy was bouncing excitedly in Tonks' arms, Remus' own arms were wrapped around his wife's waist, Molly was chatting with Arthur, her camera at the ready, and Fred and George were standing next to them, butting in their parents' conversation with comments every now and then. "I take that as a 'yes'." The teenager turned to his godfather. "Shall we, Padfoot?"

The animagus dipped his head in assent and soon the two men had their wands pointed at Harry's house. "Let there be light!" And all of a sudden, all the Christmas lights Harry and Sirius had spent forever assembling lit up in a colorful blaze of glory. Applause erupted soon after.

_**Oh I don't want a lot for Christmas**__**  
**__**This is all I'm asking for**__**  
**__**I just want to see my baby**__**  
**__**Standing right outside my door**_

Severus toddled up from behind McGonagall and stuck his head through her legs in order to see what she was looking at in the dining room.

There he found Harry, Ginny, Sirius, Remus, Ron, Hermione, and Dumbledore all gathered around a table full of parchment and big, thick law books. It was just like last time. This time, however, Harry looked a lot calmer. His hair wasn't a mess this time, he had a folder in one hand instead of a bunch of loose parchment, and he was listening attentively to what Dumbledore, Sirius, and Remus were trying to tell him. Sev decided he liked this gathering a lot more than the last one.

"Come along, Severus," McGonagall said, stepping back from over him, just like last time, and lifting him into her arms. "Let's see what we can cook for this lot in the kitchen, shall we?" This time, she walked _through_ the room instead of away from it. Sev took that as a good sign.

_**Oh I just want you for my own**__**  
**__**More than you could ever know**__**  
**__**Make my wish come true**__**  
**__**Baby all I want for Christmas is...**_

"Who's this gift for?" Sirius asked, shaking the box next to his ear.

Sev giggled. "Macgoogoo!"

"McGonagall?!" The animagus raised an eyebrow and picked up two more, shaking them both next to his ears. "What about these?"

"Dumb-dow! Dumb-dow!"

Sirius scowled playfully. "Hey! How come he gets two?!"

"Uh-uh!" Sev shook his head. "Wam go _bffffffft_…eh…wam go _googoogoogoogoo_!"

"Ah!" Sirius snorted, "One is for Albus and one is for Aberforth. I see…"

…_**You!**_

"So…you think he's going to like his new room, Harry?" Ginny asked, putting the finishing touches on the art station and the window curtains.

"Yeah, he's going to love it!" Her boyfriend replied confidently. Peering down, the teen wiggled his toes and marveled at the softness of the carpet they just installed. "He's going to really love the carpet—that's for sure."

Ginny looked confused. "The carpet we have in here is the same carpet as we have in the rest of the house."

"Yes, but now he has his own space to run around back and forth and back and forth and back and forth. He likes the whole wiggle-your-toes-in-the-soft-carpet thing." Harry laughed.

Ginny sighed. "I meant do you think he's going to sleep in here?"

At that, Harry shrugged. "Only time will tell, Gin." He gave her a small half-smile. "He will one day."

_**All I want for Christmas is you...baby…**_

As the final notes floated through the room and the song came to a close, Harry and Ginny found they couldn't stop swaying to the now non-existent music. The tree was decorated and beautiful, the angel up top smiled down at them with loving eyes, the stockings were hung on the mantle with care, and the fireplace roared with a real fire, warm and welcoming. Padfoot snored softly by the couch next to the hearth, and Severus lay asleep beside him, using the dog's stomach as his pillow. Both had drifted to slumber after a round of hot chocolate, half a record of soft Christmas music, and five minutes next to a roaring fire. Now only Harry and Ginny were awake, slow dancing around the living room to music only they could hear.

"So…" Harry smiled down at his girlfriend.

"So…" Ginny echoed impishly.

"Tomorrow's Christmas Eve and the Nativity play…"

"I got your lobster costumes all prepped and ready." The teen chuckled. Harry rolled his eyes and groaned.

"Padfoot's playing Father Christmas." The young wizard whispered. "Don't tell Sev."

Now it was Ginny's turn to roll her eyes. "That's going to take some talking."

"He'll like it in the end." Harry shrugged. "You know how he is. He'll argue, he'll say he doesn't like it, and then he'll see Padfoot all dressed up and he won't stop laughing."

Ginny giggled into his chest. The fact that Harry was spot-on just made everything all the more funny. "And then we'll open presents and head over to mum and dad's for the Christmas party."

"And then…" Harry lowered his voice to whisper in her ear, "…New York!"

"New York!" Ginny smiled, leaning her forehead against Harry's. "Two days and we're free!"

"And when we come back…" Harry tightened his arms around Ginny's waist; the feel of her body against his own giving him the comfort he so desperately craved. This had to work. This had to work! This just _HAD_ to work!!! Harry didn't know what he would do with himself if it didn't; if Malfoy found the loophole before the adoption went through, and found all of them, and took Severus away, Harry was sure he would end up killing someone that day and his life would be shot to hell.

The teen could feel a lump forming in his throat, and he tried his best to swallow it down. He was stronger than this! He _was_! "When we come back…he'll be our son."

The teen could feel his girlfriend's arms tighten around him and he drank in her comfort like a man dying of thirst. "It'll work, Harry." She whispered in his ear, her words easing his rapidly-beating heart. "It'll work!"

* * *

**"All I Want for Christmas is You" by Mariah Carey **

**Kudos to anyone who recognized what movie I referenced and will reference in the next chapter. HINT: "There was more than one lobster present at the birth of Jesus?"--"Duh!"--One of the best Christmas movies ever. ;-P **

**Next up, Christmas Eve and the Nativity play. Sev contemplates the meaning of family, makes a Christmas wish for the first time in both his lives, and re-learns how to believe in the impossible. :-)**

**THANK YOU everyone who read the last chapter and most especially the ones who left a REVIEW! You're awesome! :-) You are now, unfortunately, one chapter away from catching up to me and my writing. But that should catch you up to my other posting site quite nicely, though. :-) Writing has been slow due to the end of my school year coming up, BUT my goal is to finish writing this story by the time I graduate college/university in a month. I think that brings it to a nice close, don't you? So...wish me luck! Lol! Thanks again and don't hesitate to let me know what you think! :-)**

**PS: If anyone's being picky about the ring, there's a whole long-winded explanation as to my version of wizarding diamond manufacturing. If you're interested, I can email you the link. **


	40. Is a Family

**Put together, the last two chapters combined make the title: "All I (Really) Want for Christmas...is a Family"**

* * *

"_Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket, never let it fade away…_" Sev wanted to be mad, or irritated, or some form of highly annoyed, but he found he couldn't bring himself to be.

"_Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket, save it for a rainy day…_" However embarrassed he might have felt at wearing a bright orange, homemade lobster costume, the fact that Harry was wearing the exact same costume in adult size completely made up for his would-be embarrassment in spades.

"_Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket, never let it fade away!"_ The infant waved his finger at the crowd, grinned at them, and shook his head. "UH-UH!" He exclaimed loud enough to be heard above the din. The room erupted into laughter above the applause.

"Hang on, cub, we're going to take a bow." Sev gripped Harry's neon orange jump suit as tightly as he could as Harry dipped them in a bow. A familiar whistle rang out from the crowd and Sev used it to pinpoint Sirius' location, thus enabling him to find Ginny and anyone else who bothered to show up to this ridiculous children's play.

"Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. That's our Christmas play! Gracepoint wishes you a Merry Christmas and a good night!" The MC announced, waving to the cheering crowd before disappearing amongst the sea of rubber seafood, both big and small.

"Come along then, Sev." Harry said, trying to get a good bearing of where he was on stage through his lobster headpiece. Sev giggled at how utterly ridiculous he looked. Thank Merlin Ginny thought to only make _his_ headpiece a hood. She had gone all-out when making Harry's headpiece. The man truly looked like an oversized crustacean!

"Harry!" Ginny's voice called from stage right. The lobster head turned to face that general direction. "Harry! Over here, love!"

"Hey, Harry! Good job, mate! And you too, Henry." Dan—the big octopus—with his son Oliver—the little octopus—came over to shake a tentacle with Harry's claw. Severus laughed so hard his face started to turn red. "Hey! Are you coming to the barbeque tomorrow? The team misses you, mate! We miss your leg."

Harry readjusted his lobster headpiece, which was starting to sag. "No, sorry, mate. I'll be going to the in-laws' for Christmas." The teen replied distractedly.

"Well, what about New Years' then?"

"No, Ginny and I will be going on holiday after Christmas." The lobster pat the octopus on the back in apology. "Sorry, Dan. After New Years', though."

"Yeah. Alright!" The muggle nodded with a smile.

"Harry!" Ginny called once more. The lobster started walking in that general direction.

"And a good job to you and Oliver. Give Jane my compliments. Those are _fantastic_ costumes!"

The other man chuckled. "Ginny! Good job on the lobster suits!"

The teen laughed as she helped Harry down the stairs. "Why don't you take this ridiculous thing off, love?" She asked, pulling the lobster headpiece off Harry's head.

"Oh my…! I can breathe now!" Her boyfriend exclaimed comically. His hair was matted with sweat.

"Oh, darling! I got that whole thing on…" Molly began examining the small plastic object in her hand.

"It's called 'video', dear." Arthur filled in from behind her.

"Excellent job, Severus, Harry!" McGonagall praised.

"Thank you, Nana." "Ank ooo, Mah-ma…" Ginny pulled Sev's lobster hood off his head and gave him a big kiss on the cheek.

"That last song was rather catchy." Dumbledore pointed out. "What was its name?"

"You mean you couldn't tell?!" Aberforth grumbled, glaring at his brother.

"Headmaster!" Harry exclaimed. "Whatever happened to your beard?"

"Oh, I trimmed it…temporarily." The old wizard replied with a twinkle in his eye. "It's less suspicious this way."

"You should've just left it long, Professor." Hermione interjected. "I see a lot of people with long beards these days."

"Yeah, but not _normal_ people." Ron argued.

"Pup, I'm going to remember this image of you forever." Sirius cut in with a laugh.

"Shut up, Padfoot." Harry grumbled. Finding Remus, he threw the lobster head over to him. "Next year, _you're_ getting the lobster part, Moony!"

The werewolf caught the head and chuckled good-naturedly. "You're only bitter because I talked them into making _you_ the lobster rather than me." The rest of the group, save for Harry, erupted with laughter at the man's last comment.

"What did you tell them, hon?" Tonks asked.

"That Teddy was still too young to be in the play, but Sev was just the right age."

"Such a liar." Harry shook his head.

"Teddy!"

"EB! Eb! Eb! Eb! Eb! Eb!"

"Come on, everyone!" Harry called, "I'll give you a lift back home."

The group climbed into the car slowly, so that no one would notice the inordinate amount of people climbing into Harry's SUV. Sev was a bit taken aback during the ride at the amount of people who actually came to his Christmas play. Aside from the elder Weasley children, everyone who had been involved in his life thus far came to see him perform! This fact both excited and confused the infant greatly. What did this all mean? Did they come to see him perform because Harry told them to come, or did they come to see him perform because they wanted to see him perform? Did they come for Harry's sake or for Sev's?

Looking around, Severus considered each of them on a case-by-case basis. Ron most likely came only because of Hermione, but _she_ definitely came because she wanted to support Sev. Hermione's always been that kind of person. Ginny was definitely there for the both of them, as was Sirius. Well…Sirius probably come to support Sev and laugh at Harry at the same time. Remus, Dora, Andromeda and Teddy definitely came to support Sev. He knew this because they didn't really laugh at Harry when he came out in his orange spandex costume, even when Sev and Sirius threw the longest laughing fit known to man. Molly and Arthur were definitely there to support him. The woman had videotaped his entire performance, for Merlin's sake! McGonagall definitely came to support the both of them, no questions asked; and Dumbledore…loathed as Severus was to admit it, he knew the old man came to support him as well. And as for Aberforth…well, no one really knew what that man's motivation was these days.

As everyone moved out of the car, into the Den, and around the dinner table, Severus rolled all these thoughts around in his head. A majority of the people who came tonight came for him. Why was that? What did that mean? Why was it that it was always _these_ people who always made their presence known in his life nowadays? He could understand Harry, Ginny, and Sirius…well…maybe. He didn't _quite_ understand Sirius, but, really, who could? And he could maybe understand Remus, Tonks, Teddy, and Andromeda always being there because they lived next door. And maybe he could understand Molly and Arthur always being there too, because he kept them company during the day when Harry and Ginny were out. And Fred and George and Ron and Hermione were always at the Burrow, so he could understand their constant presence as well. And Dumbledore and McGonagall lived at Hogwarts and worked with Harry and Ginny all the time, so Severus could maybe understand why they were always there. And Aberforth lived next door so…yeah. That was just about everyone in question.

By the time McGonagall presented the pumpkin pie, Sev was still no closer to figuring out this mystery than when he began. If Harry and Ginny were like his parents, who were the rest of these people? Harry occasionally called them family…No, scratch that, Harry _always_ called them family. So what did that mean for Sev? Were they like…his _extended_ family?

This concept was new and quite strange to Severus. He had barely had parents in his first lifetime, but now he had parent-like figures, a "godfather", a "godbrother", "grandparents", a dog, and a ton of extended family.

_No, you don't_. A grumpy voice echoed from the back of his mind, bringing Sev's train of thought to a halt. _You don't quite have any of those things. Not really!_ The infant frowned in confusion. What?! _Parent-like figures are not the same as parents. A "godfather" is not a godfather, a "godbrother" is not a godbrother, and "grandparents" are not the same as grandparents. You don't have anything quite yet._

The reality hit him like a punch in the gut. The grumpy old voice at the back of his mind spoke the truth, for once. He really _didn't_ have anything quite yet. He was a ward. He wasn't a son. He was still a _ward_!

"Hey now, cub, enough of those depressing thoughts…" Harry whispered into his ear. The infant buried his face into his guardian's robes as Harry lifted him into his arms. His eyes were moistening rapidly. The fact that he _still_ didn't quite belong—even after all this time—was making his heart ache with need. He didn't want "parents", he wanted parents! He didn't want a "godfather", he wanted a godfather! It was like life was teasing him, giving him glimpses of what he could possibly have if he belonged, but not giving him what he truly desired in the depths of his heart.

"Easy now, cub…" As Harry and Ginny bade goodnight to the stragglers, the teen slowly started dancing him around the living room, the soft notes of choral _Silent Night_ drifting through the room. "Don't think about that right now…"

How could he _not_ think about that right now?! It was Christmas! If he wasn't mistaken, this was the time of year when _everyone_ always thought about what they wanted! Well, Sev more than wanted this gift. Sev _needed_ this gift! Sev needed this gift so incredibly badly. Forget about material gifts. He didn't need any of those! This gift was more than anything material they could ever give him! He wanted and _needed_ this dream to become real! He wanted in to this family and he never _ever_ wanted out ever again!

"That's the ultimate gift, isn't it, cub?" Harry murmured into his ear. "A family?" Sev sniffed and made himself comfortable in Harry's arms. The soft swaying and the gentle music were slowly putting him to sleep. "I'll make sure to tell Father Christmas for you…" The teen continued.

Father Christmas? Sev groaned and rolled over to find a more comfortable position against Harry's chest. "Mo weaw…"

"Says who?" Harry asked. Sev could feel him lay back against the couch cushions and prop his feet up on the foot rest. "You just have to have a little faith, cub." His guardian advised him. "Just have a little faith…" And Severus heard no more after that, for he had drifted off to the land of nod.

_**

* * *

**_

_Jingle, jingle, jingle, jingle, THUD!_

Sev's eyes flew open and he scanned the living room, bleary-eyed. What was that?

_Bump, bump, bump, bump, jingle, jingle, THUD!_

The infant's eyes widened slightly and he peered to his right. There was Harry. He peered to his left. There was Ginny. He peered down. He saw a black smudge next to the side of the couch by Harry's foot rest. There was Padfoot. So…what the heck was _that_?!

The infant glanced once more around the living room where they had all fallen asleep. The fire had since gone out, but the embers still radiated heat. The tree lights were on and glowing and the angel smiled down at him from her perch atop the tree. Surely _she_ couldn't have been the one to make all that—

All of a sudden, a flash of movement by the corner of his eye had the infant turning towards the fireplace in time to see a rather old, plump gentleman wearing a furry red jumpsuit float down the chimney. He was using a big, round, velvet bag as a parachute to cushion his blow.

The infant's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open in absolute shock. What in the _**world**_?! That…That wasn't…That couldn't be…He wasn't _**real**_!!!

Was he???

Severus sat up as best he could and tried to rub the sleep out of his eyes. As soon as Father Christmas had squeezed himself out of their huge fireplace, he hefted his big velvet bag over his shoulder and made straight for the Christmas tree. He only paused in his trek momentarily to grab a cookie from the tray of Christmas cookies Ginny left out and dip it in the glass of milk she had left out as well. The big man then proceeded to open his bag and pull gift after gift out and stuff it under the tree. Once that was done, he returned to the cookie table and grabbed a few more, making sure to soak each of them in the milk before gobbling them up.

Sev tried his best to rub the sleep from his eyes. He checked to his left once again. Yep, there was Ginny. He checked to his right once again. Yep, there was Harry. He looked down on the floor, and yep, there was Padfoot. So who the heck was this person? And why did he look ridiculously like Father Christmas?!

All of a sudden, Father Christmas was crouched before him—before _HIM!!!_ Father Christmas was crouched before him and smiling at him with those big rosy cheeks and shining eyes. He reached up a big gloved hand and lightly poked the tip of his nose with a single finger. "Believe, cub." He told Severus with a wink.

Pushing himself up, the jolly red man threw the now-empty velvet bag over his shoulder and walked back towards the fireplace. He stopped by the mantle temporarily, though, and took something out of his jacket pocket, promptly stuffing it in his—in _HIS_, Severus'—Christmas stocking! The big man then squeezed himself back into the fireplace and turned to wink at Severus one last time before using his red bag to float himself back up the chimney.

Severus still couldn't believe it. Perhaps he was still dreaming? There was no _way_ he just saw Father Christmas! There was _no_ way!

_Perhaps I should just get back to sleep._ Yeah. He'll wake up in the morning and this will all just be one weird dream. Yeah. Yeah, he should do that.

Laying back down, Sev made himself comfortable between Harry and Ginny and closed his eyes. This whole experience was just too weird! He was asleep again within five minutes.

_**

* * *

**_

"Sev!" Someone was shaking his shoulder ever so lightly. "Sev, darling!" He could tell it was Ginny. Harry would never call him 'darling'. "Sev, sweetheart!" Or 'sweetheart'. "Sev, wake up! It's Christmas morning!"

That did the trick. Severus had his eyes half-open and was sitting up before Ginny could even finish her sentence. "Kwi-mas?" He repeated groggily.

"Yes, Christmas, darling!" Ginny laughed.

Sev looked around. This wasn't the living room! He wasn't sleeping on the couch. He was sleeping on the big bed! The sunlight from the windows reflected against the white comforter, giving the infant the sense that he had been sleeping on soft, warm snow. Glancing to his left, he saw Ginny next to him, smiling at him lovingly, and peering to his right…odd…where was Harry?

"Harry's downstairs, love, making a light breakfast." Ginny replied, offering her arms out to Severus. "We're going to open one gift before taking the rest of it the Burrow and opening them there."

"Buwow…" The infant repeated, still only half awake.

_CLAP!_

"Up and at 'em, big guy!" Sirius' booming voice echoed from the doorway as he walked by.

Severus scowled in his general direction. _Bfffffffft!_

"Come on, love." Ginny lifted him off the bed and carried him through his morning routine, after which the infant felt only slightly more awake than before.

"Happy Christmas, Sev." Ginny whispered into his ear as she carried him downstairs.

Severus smiled, though his eyes remained closed. "Ha—peh…Kwi-mas…" Sticking his thumb in his mouth, Sev made himself comfortable in Ginny's arms. Perhaps he could catch just a few more minutes of—

"Looks like Father Christmas definitely stopped by our house last night." Harry pointed out once they had reached the living room.

The reminder of the family's late-night visitor made Severus gasp and sit up in surprise. "FAH KWI-MAH!" He cried out at the top of his lungs.

All three adults in the room turned to him, curious at his sudden outburst.

"Fah Kwi-mah!" The infant grinned and turned to Harry excitedly, eager to tell his story. "Fah Kwi-mah com! Com, com, com, com, com!" Sev started bouncing in Ginny's arms, pointing to the fireplace. "Go dowm, go cookie, go twee, go cookie, go sock…mo…GO ME!!!" The infant retold, his eyes alight with happiness. "GO _ME_, HAWEH!!! Fah Kwi-mah go _ME_ _**feh**_…" Severus repeated with a proud grin, "…deh go sock…deh go up." He pointed at the chimney once again and began to wave. "Buh-bye!"

"Well…" Harry grinned, his eyes reflecting all the laughter and joy his infant was currently exhibiting. "Looks like I was right then!"

"Imagine that." Ginny gave Severus a soft smile and nuzzled his ear. "See? Father Christmas really _is_ real! I told you, sweet."

"Let's see what the jolly old fat man brought, then." Sirius interjected, waving at the mantle and the tree right next to it.

"Sirius!" Ginny chided gently as she brought Sev closer to the mantle and his Christmas stocking.

"What?" The animagus shrugged innocently. "He _is_ jolly and he _is_ fat."

"Fah Kwi-mah bing!" Severus squeaked, reaching out towards his stuffed stocking, "Fah Kwi-mah bing ME!"

"Let's see then, love." Reaching into Sev's bulging stocking, Ginny pulled out what looked to be a fat bunch of papers, rolled up in a tight leather bundle. Wrapped around the bundle was a bright yellow ribbon flashing the words _TENTATIVE! Pending Ministry of Magic Approval!_

Sev fell silent immediately, his excitement quickly transforming into pure wonder. Those were…Those looked incredibly like…There was _no way_ those could be…_HOW_???

"Let's see what we have here, shall we?" Harry said, taking the leather-bound bundle off Ginny's hands and unrolling it for all to see. After adjusting his glasses, he began reading the top of the first page. "Application for Formal Adoption. Adoptive father's full name: Henry James Potter, adoptive mother's full name: Ginevra Molly Weasley, and the child in question," Harry looked over the rims of his glasses to meet the child's eye, "Severus Tobias Snape."

Sev felt his mouth drop open in awe. He was getting adopted.

He couldn't quite believe it so he said it to himself again. He was getting adopted.

He _still_ couldn't quite believe it so he said it to himself again. He was getting adopted.

And yet he _still_ couldn't quite believe it so he said it—

"We're adopting you, Severus." Harry said it out loud.

Hearing those four words come out of Harry's mouth triggered the reaction he had been waiting for.

_I'M GETTING ADOPTED!!!_ The little voice in his mind squeaked out in joy. For once, the big grumpy voice in the back was silent. He was getting adopted!!! Severus grinned as wide as his mouth would allow and dove towards Harry in glee. "A-BOP ME!" He exclaimed, every word dripping with happiness and joy, "A-bop me!"

Ginny laughed as she helped Harry with the bundle in his arms and relieved him of the tentative adoption papers, "Yes, we're adopting you, love."

This was the greatest gift Severus had ever received in his life! Well…in _both_ his lives actually. This was the greatest gift _EVER!_

"We have something else to show you, cub." He heard Harry say as they started heading back upstairs.

Sev couldn't believe it. Somehow, Father Christmas had heard his pleas last night and decided to answer them. It was the greatest gift Sev could _ever_ imagine receiving! A family. Sev was getting a _FAMILY_ for Christmas!!! Nothing material could ever top that! Nothing anyone could give him ever again could best the gift of parents who loved him, a dog who was like a cool uncle half the time, godparents, a godbrother, grandparents, aunts and uncles, and a bunch of people who weren't technically family but whom he called family nonetheless. _Nothing_ could ever, ever, ever, ever, _EVER_ top that! As clichéd as it sounded, for Severus and others like him, a _real_ family was a gift that just kept on giving.

"Fam-wy, fam-wy, fam-wy, _fam-wy, FAM-WY!!!_" Sev chanted happily as they made their way down the hall upstairs.

Harry chuckled at his enthusiasm. "I take it you like your Christmas gift?"

"Besp ewa, ewa, EWA!"

"Are you so sure it's _still_ going to be the best ever after you see this?" Ginny asked, a sly smile upon her face. Sev followed her finger to the pretty-looking wooden sign tacked onto the front of the door of the room that was supposed to be his.

_Sev's Room_

The infant gasped and his eyes widened. "Me woom?!" He squeaked, his voice jumping to new heights. His excited gaze kept moving from Harry to Ginny and back to Harry again, followed each time by a higher-pitched, "Me woom? Me woom?! _Me woom_?!"

"You got it, cub." Harry answered, reaching for the doorknob. "Your room."

The teen threw open the door and Sev's eyes widened to the widths of saucers. There was actually _stuff_ in here! There was _stuff_ in _his_ room! The grin on the infant's face couldn't get any wider. The walls of his room were painted a light blue, which reflected the light from the window in just the right way, filling the space with a soft, comforting glow. To his right, there was a long blue bookcase which had three tall shelves in it. Housed on the shelves were his favorite stuffed animals, his favorite books, his favorite football, and a few green boxes, which Sev was sure was full of his favorite action figures as well. Across from him was a small desk with a comfy-looking chair and all the art supplies he could possibly need. To his left, there was a big wardrobe with colorful buckets full of his clothes, each of which Ginny had conveniently labeled, and a rack full of chubby hangers where his jackets hung. Across the room, Sev spotted an actual _bed_! It wasn't a crib, but an actual _bed_! Of course, there was a set of low bars that framed the bed on all sides, but Sev figured they were more of safety bars to prevent him from falling off the actual _bed_ more than anything. And finally, next to the bed was a bean bag that was just his size!

"Beeem!" The infant exclaimed, pointing to the big blue blob and wiggling to get down.

Harry chuckled as he bent down to set the child on the floor. "Yes, Ron told us just how much you loved the bean bag in his room."

As soon as he was on his feet, Sev quickly toddled towards the big blue blob, but stopped halfway across the room. Looking down, he wiggled his bare toes against the carpet. Merlin, was this carpet _soft_! He grinned and wiggled his toes against the softness once again. Soon enough, he spotted his wardrobe and ran to it, quickly pulling out every single colorful bucket to see if all Ginny's labels were actually correct. Moving on to the hanger section, he pulled out one of his hanging jackets—just because he could—and promptly dropped it on the floor.

_I can reach it!_ Sev rejoiced in his head. _I can reach my stuff! I can reach my stuff again!!!_

With a laugh, Sev tore across the room to his bookcase. Grabbing his lion cub off his top shelf, he hugged it against his chest with his other arm before pulling out his football on his middle shelf and grabbing a book off his bottom shelf. Both objects promptly ended up on the floor as Sev giggled and went off to test out his art area.

Ginny sighed as she moved from Sev's wardrobe to his bookshelf to pick up the dropped toys. "Harry, I'm starting to question your idea of putting everything within his reach."

"Aw, it's not too bad, love." Harry shrugged, walking over to pick up the fat crayons Sev just discarded near his table. "At least now that he can reach everything, we can charge him with keeping his room clean."

"HAPEH…KWI-MAH!!!"

The couple turned to find their infant lying down on his big blue bean bag. He had his arms wrapped firmly around his lion cub and he was smiling up at them with the biggest grin either of them had ever seen on his face. "Ank ooo." He murmured softly, his words dripping with sincerity and genuine thanks.

Harry returned Sev's grin with just as much intensity. "There now. Don't you think that's worth it?" He told his girlfriend, referring to their decision to put everything within Sev's reach. "He absolutely loves this place!"

Yet Ginny's heart had already melted. Making her way across the room, the teen crouched next to the bean bag and bent down to plant a kiss on Sev's cheek. "You're very welcome, sweet."

"You got your own place back, cub." Harry added, coming in behind her and smiling down at his infant. "There are a few rules, but we'll go over that good stuff later."

Yet Sev got the feeling they didn't quite understand him when he said 'Thank you'. Sev wasn't just talking about the stuff in his room or the fact that he could reach everything once again like a normal person. Sev was talking about _everything_! Sev was talking about his _big_ Christmas present—the Christmas present that nobody in the world could ever top ever again! The words of the Lady of the Lake came back to him once more.

"_May you soon see this opportunity as a blessing…May you grow up again with all that you lacked before…"_

A family. A _proper_ family. That's what he lacked before. Yet Harry and Ginny were adopting him now. He was going to have _real_ parents! He wasn't just going to be a ward, he was going to be a _son_! He was going to be a _SON_!!! He was going to have the room in the house, he was going to have the dog and the godfather and the cousins and the aunts and uncles and the grandparents and the extended family. He was going to have _EVERYTHING!!!_ Harry and Ginny were giving him _EVERYTHING_ for Christmas! The infant couldn't thank them enough!

"_You're a priceless gift in and of yourself, cub."_ Harry told him in his mind. The words brought a smile onto the infant's face. _"And WE couldn't thank YOU enough either."_

"Happy Christmas, baby." Ginny whispered in his ear.

And a happy Christmas it was indeed.

_**

* * *

**_

"Teddy! Teddy! Teddy!"

"Eb! Eb! Eb!"

"Dora, it's _your_ turn to chase them across the room!" Sirius whined, gesturing for his cousin to trail after the two infants.

"Sirius, how hard can it possibly be?" Tonks replied with a roll of her eyes. "One of them is cruising and the other one can't move very fast."

The animagus narrowed his eyes at her. "Fine. If you think it's so easy, _you_ go and chase them!"

"Fine." Tonks replied, rising up to her cousin's challenge. Turning to her husband, she handed him her almost-empty plate and left to trail after the two almost-toddlers.

"That was really sneaky of you." Harry commented.

"I really _am_ tired!" The animagus replied with a tiny scowl.

"Mm-hmm." Remus rolled his eyes.

"Hey! How'd it go, by the way?" The teen asked, dropping his voice to a whisper.

At that, his godfather grinned. "Oh, you should've seen the look on his face. It was absolutely priceless!"

"What about Teddy?"

"Teddy wouldn't wake up!" Remus replied with a laugh. "I even tried…You should've seen me! I was carrying him, and when Sirius came over through the floo, I kept trying to shake him awake."

The animagus chuckled. "Yeah, the little guy just wouldn't wake up."

Harry smirked, "Don't worry, Moony. There'll be plenty more Christmases. You'll see his reactions then."

"As I heard is the case with Severus now."

Harry quickly cast a _Muffliato_ over the group. "You should've heard him this morning! He told us the entire story of how Father Christmas came down the chimney and delivered gifts and ate cookies and—"

"And left his tentative adoption papers in his stocking." Sirius added.

"I wish I'd have seen his face." Harry replied wistfully.

"Don't worry, pup." His godfather replied, hooking an arm around his shoulders. "I'll show you some of my memories later. You'll see it."

"Padfoot looked _really_ convincing." Remus commented. "I almost fell for it myself!"

"Yeah, who did you Polyjuice, by the way?" Harry asked.

Sirius shrugged. "I don't know. I got the hair from the apothecary. The bag said 'Father Christmas'. I was rather impressed by the results."

"Gentlemen!" Arthur said, sticking his head into their group circle. "We're about to open the gifts now, if you'd please?"

The three of them nodded and made their way to join the rather large group of Weasleys gathered by the Christmas tree in the living room. Harry found Ginny and Severus immediately. The infant had his head buried in Ginny's chest.

"What's the matter?"

"Mum tried to introduce him to Great-Aunt Muriel," his girlfriend whispered in reply. "Turns out Sev's shy when it comes to meeting new people."

"Well, I'd be shy about meeting new people if I had to meet Great-Aunt Muriel too." Harry answered with a smirk. "She's right scary, she is." Both Sev and Ginny laughed at him.

The gift exchange was a complete success. Sev and Teddy ended up with the most presents, simply because there were more people willing to give them gifts. The twins gave Severus a box of pranks designed specifically for him and his little fingers. Harry and Ginny had both glared at them when Sev ripped that particular gift open. Sirius had given both Sev and Teddy little toy brooms designed for infants and toddlers—the same kind he had given Harry when he was their age. The two infants had immediately become excited at the sight of the toy brooms. Harry, Ginny, Remus, and Dora, on the other hand, were not as exuberant. The animagus had placated them, though, when he reminded them that they indeed had control over the brooms and that the kids could only ride them under adult supervision.

After all the gifts had been opened and the last dessert had been devoured, after the sun had dipped below the horizon and almost all of the Weasley extended family had left for the day, Sev lay nestled in Harry's arms. The infant was exhausted. He had spent most of the day running around the living room of the Burrow with Teddy and chasing gnomes in the garden. Now all he wanted to do was sleep. Teddy had the right idea, he realized, as the other infant had fallen asleep in Remus' arms an hour ago.

"Why don't you take a short nap, cub?" Harry suggested as he rubbed the infant's back. "But don't go to sleep just yet. It's going to throw you off completely when you see the sun again two hours from now."

Severus frowned. What did _that_ mean? He wondered as he leaned into Harry's chest.

"Do you have everything packed and ready, love?"

"Just about."

"So you're really going to run away from here?"

"I told you, Padfoot. It's not running away. We're going on holiday."

"Well I hope you have fun, dear, wherever you're going."

"Thanks, mum."

"The phone's charmed and ready to go."

"We'll call you when we get to the hotel."

"I still don't understand why you just can't tell us where you're going."

"He already explained that, Ronald!"

"And I still don't get it!"

"How're you getting there, dear?"

"By portkey, mum."

"Hopefully he stays asleep the entire time."

"He's not even asleep yet."

"Have a safe trip, all three of you."

"Thanks, Dora."

"Take lots of pictures."

"Definitely."

"Come on, love." Ginny whispered in his ear. She sounded like she was right on top of him. "Off you go, sweet. We'll wake you when we get there." Ginny ran her fingers through his soft hair and laid a kiss atop his temple. The caress pushed the infant ever closer to the brink between the waking world and the dream.

The last thing he heard as he crossed through the threshold was Dumbledore's soft voice whispering, "Godspeed, Harry. To you and yours, Godspeed."

* * *

**As expected, next up, the New York trip! The family takes a few days to visit all the popular sights; we experience New Year's Eve in Times Square from the eyes of a child, while Harry asks Ginny that all-important question; and just when everything's looking up...somethink wicked this way comes! ;-P **

**Congratulations, ladies and gentlemen, you are now officially caught up to my other posting site! :-) Thanks a lot for reading the last chapter and most especially thanks to those who left a REVIEW! Starting next weekend, you might only have one post a week. It depends on whether or not I find the time to finish the climax of the story by next weekend. But, as I said, I intend to finish writing this story by the end of the month so...fingers crossed! My website should be up shortly. I'll let you know and you'll be able to look at the pictures for this story once again. Thank you so much for reading this chapter and please don't hesitate to drop a line and let me know what you think! :-) **


	41. On Top of the World

_HONK! HONK! HONK!_

"Come on! Move it, bub!"

"Charming place, isn't it?"

"Oh, come on, Harry. _You_ sound like that when _you're_ driving and someone's not moving fast enough for you."

"Do I?"

"You can't tell?"

"I've never noticed." The teen chuckled. "Ah! Here's the place. See? Just where it says—the alleyway down the street from the Plaza Hotel, approximately around 795 Fifth Avenue. Just walk into the alley and input the password with your wand."

"What's the Plaza Hotel?"

"It's that nice looking place down the street." The teen answered, nodding towards the monstrous white building next to the big park.

"Oh?"

"I'll take you in there tomorrow, if you'd like."

"Maybe."

With as much subtlety as he could manage, Harry pulled Ginny and the sleeping Severus into the alleyway between the two fancy-looking buildings and took out his wand. "There's supposed to be a bunch of bricks here with letters on them."

"Like those?" His girlfriend asked, pointing to twenty-six letters chalked into the wall on the right, next to a chalked doorway. All the marks seemed to be glowing strangely in the twilight.

"Exactly like those." Taking out his wand, Harry tapped on a series of bricks with the tip. S-Q-U-A-R-E-T-I-M-E-S-B-B. Peering over his shoulder one last time, Harry checked to see that no one was looking before tapping on the chalked door three times with his wand.

"What does BB stand for?" Ginny asked.

"Bed and Breakfast." Harry replied, taking Ginny's hand.

All of a sudden, the door that had been chalked onto the wall began glowing brightly. A vivid bluish light began circling the doorframe and within seconds, the glowing door floated off the wall and settled itself before them—in the middle of the dark alleyway. Out from the sides of the doorway grew a fancy steel fence, complete with vines entwining each of the black rails. The fence was as tall as the doorway and stretched itself out until it touched either side of the alleyway. Finally, after all the vines had entwined themselves firmly around the posts supporting the fence, the doorway stopped glowing and settled into its surroundings, looking for all the world like it had been there all along.

"Shall we, my love?" Harry asked with a smile. Raising his wand, the teenager tapped on the rounded door three times once again, grinning in delight when the knob turned of its own accord and the door creaked open. A lush garden full of various kinds of flowers and shrubs greeted them as they stepped inside. A winding path of gravel led the way from the doorway, which was now quite obviously a gateway, around a few flower beds full of roses and wildflowers, over a bridge which spanned a small stream that flowed towards a miniature cascade, and finally up a series of stone steps that led to the porch of a gorgeous red brick house with white trimmings and a cozy air.

"Welcome to Square Times Bed and Breakfast, sir!" A big black doorman with a _really_ deep voice greeted them from the porch. He had the door open for them and was waving them inside. Harry and Ginny exchanged a smile before walking down the path and up the stairs, hand in hand. "I hope your portkey here was satisfactory, sir?"

"It was indeed." Harry replied, shrugging out of his jacket and helping Ginny with hers. "Thank you for asking!"

"It was my pleasure, sir." The doorman replied, offering them his hand, "My name is Ifeanyi and I am both the doorman and the owner of this fine facility."

"Both the owner _and_ the doorman?" Ginny asked with a laugh.

"I know!" The doorman nodded with a booming laugh of his own. "I am both at the very bottom _and_ the very top!"

The doorman's booming laughter startled the infant awake and he jerked up in his sling across Ginny's chest. "Ah, ah, ah!" Severus soon began to cry.

"Oh!" The doorman/owner exclaimed, trying to get a hold of himself. "I am so sorry! Did I wake up your baby? I didn't realize he was there—"

"No, no, it's alright." Harry interjected, waving him off as Ginny tried to soothe Severus, "We needed to wake him up anyway. Key-lag and everything, you know?"

"Oh, yes! Yes, of course. I still apologize, though."

"It's alright."

"Where are you keying in from?" Ifeanyi asked, closing the door behind them and steering them towards the front desk.

"Uh…Ottery St. Catchpole." Harry replied, checking his pockets to see if their luggage had made it through with them. "It's in the UK."

"Ah! Yes—England!" The doorman nodded, "That's in Devon, isn't it? I have a cousin that lives by there. Godric's Hollow, I think it was."

"Oh, _we_ live in Godric's Hollow!" Harry interjected, gesturing towards his girlfriend and his ward, "Yeah, my in-laws—her parents—live in Ottery St. Catchpole. _That's_ in Devon. Godric's Hollow is not quite in Devon, but it's close by. It's in the West Country."

"Yes, yes, that's right. Well…have a great stay, sir! Ma'am! Little sir!"

After the doorman/owner had excused himself and Harry had checked them into the hotel, the three took the lift up to their hotel room.

"Wehw we?!" Sev squeaked, frowning at Harry. He was just a bit moody after having been rudely awakened from what should have been a nice, twelve-hour nap.

"We're in New York City, cub." Harry replied, showing him the picture of the Statue of Liberty on their key card. "We're in America."

The infant's eyes widened. They were in America? In _America_?! How long was he asleep for?!

"We just got here, love." Ginny explained. "You fell asleep about two hours ago, just before we left the Burrow. We took a portkey here from there and landed…where was it again, Harry?"

"Central Park."

"Now we're here at the hotel in New York City."

"Don't fall asleep yet, cub." Harry added, opening the door to their room. "It's only six o'clock here, whereas it's eleven o'clock at the Burrow. You body's clock will get thrown off if you fall asleep right now."

"Key-lag." Ginny explained.

Severus groaned. Why did they have to go so darn far away?! Why couldn't they have gone somewhere within the same time zone? This whole key-lag business was right irritating. He wanted to go to sleep _now_!

"Two-and-a-half hours, cub." Harry interjected. "Just stay up for two-and-a-half more hours and then you can go to sleep."

"Oh, he's going to be cranky about that the entire time." Ginny warned, lifting Severus out of his sling and passing him to Harry so that she could unpack.

"Uh-huh!" The infant agreed, sticking his tongue out at the teenager. "Wamp sweep mow!"

"It's already _way_ past his normal bedtime anyway."

"Wamp sweep _mow_!"

"You know," Harry started, bringing Severus over to the couch and settling down. "just last month, you didn't want to sleep at all. No matter what I did, you didn't want to go to sleep, but _now_ you want to sleep as much as you can?" The teen raised a playful eyebrow.

"Wamp sweep _MOW_!"

"How about a movie? Let's watch a muggle movie. I hear they have a muggle entertainment—"

"Wamp sweep _**MOW**_!!!" The infant whined. Turning towards Ginny, he complained to her, "Immy! Wamp sweep mow! Wamp sweep MOW!" His little voice cracked, making him sound like he was on the verge of tears.

"Oh, for goodness sake! Harry, just let him sleep now. We'll let him oversleep in the morning."

"Uh-huh!" Sev added, pointing to Ginny in agreement. "Uh-huh! Uh-huh! Uh-huh!"

"Alright, alright. We'll go to sleep now." The teen conceded, knowing he was outnumbered. "But first, you need a bath. You've been running around with gnomes all day."

Throughout his bath, during which Severus was too tired to even play with his bath toys, Harry told him of all the wonderful things they were going to do while they were here in New York City. "This guy that I used to know told me all about New York and the places to go around here. He used to be a minister here, you see. Except, he worked in the Bronx, which is just a car ride away from here." Severus yawned and leaned sleepily against Harry's chest as the teen bathed him. "It's a less well-off part of town, compared to where we are right now—Manhattan Island, which is probably why he was sent to work there before moving on to East End of London. Anyway, he told me all about the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island and baseball and the New York Yankees. He told me about the Empire State Building and Rockefeller Center and its Christmas tree, and Central Park and its ice skating rink and the Plaza Hotel. He told me about Broadway, about SoHo and about the city's Financial District, oh! And the World Trade Center! Cub, I guarantee you—you're going to love the view from the Top of the World!"

"Harry?"

Ginny's voice made Harry pause in his monologue as he turned towards her, "Huh?"

His girlfriend graced him with an amused smile from where she leaned against the doorframe. "He's asleep, love." She said with a laugh, nodding towards the infant in the sink.

Harry turned back to find that Severus was indeed sound asleep, leaning against his chest.

"You're talking to yourself."

The young wizard chuckled and shook his head. "Oh well…" Bending down, he lifted Severus out of the sink and carried him to the bed, where Ginny had laid down his towel and his night clothes. "I'll just tell him all of this in the morning."

"He's had a long day anyway." Ginny added.

"Can you believe it's still Christmas?"

"Ours was extra special this year." His girlfriend pointed out. "It was five hours longer!"

"That's why I wanted to take you and Severus out to do something extra special tonight, since it's only…seven o'clock. And we're in New York! On Christmas!"

"Harry…" Tossing her shoes into the closet, Ginny came over to her boyfriend's side and wrapped her arms around his neck. "No matter what Severus and I are doing, _you being there_ is what makes it extra special."

Harry wrapped his arms around his girlfriend's waist and sighed, "I _know_ that, but—"

"But you don't believe it. I can hear it in your voice." Ginny countered, narrowing her eyes at him playfully.

"I _do_ believe it." Harry argued weakly.

Ginny snorted. "You're such a liar." Leaning up, Ginny gave Harry a long, passionate kiss. "Come on, love," she said after a while, taking his hand, "I'll tell you how you can make the rest of this evening special. How about…" She held open the bed sheets as Harry laid Severus down in the middle of the bed, "…you and I lie down, and you tell me about all the wonderful things to do in this city. How does that sound, love?"

Harry sighed and shrugged, taking his cue from his girlfriend and changing into pajamas. "I suppose…I _am_ a bit tired."

"You've been chasing after the boys all day."

The teenager sighed as he climbed under the covers and wrapped an arm around his infant and his lady. He heard Ginny sigh in contentment from her side of the bed. "Two weeks, love," Harry said, reminding Ginny why he had decided to come here to begin with. "In just over two weeks…"

"…he'll be our son." Ginny finished, wrapping an arm around Severus and leaning up to give Harry a kiss. "Don't you worry about a thing, Harry. We're home free…"

"I hope you're right…" He replied worriedly.

Harry and Ginny drifted off to sleep that night listening to the sounds of New York City through their hotel window, background music to the enchanting melody of their baby's breathing.

_**

* * *

**_

Six days. It had been six days since they had arrived here in New York City, and Severus never _ever_ wanted to leave! He was having the time of his life!

The family had all slept in that morning after they arrived. Ifeanyi had to come and knock on their door several times before it even registered in Harry's mind that somebody was trying to wake them. Only then did he drag himself out of bed and open the door. It turns out the friendly owner/doorman was there to make sure they arrived before breakfast stopped being served for the day.

"After all, my mother's favorite part of staying at a Bed and Breakfast whenever we went on a family vacation was the free breakfast!" The big black man commented, his booming laugh startling Severus awake for the second time in less than a day.

"I completely agree." Harry replied, giving their host a groggy smile. "Thanks for waking us, sir. We'll be right down."

"Absolutely!" Ifeanyi replied with a grin. Looking past Harry's shoulder, he waved at Ginny, who was seated at the edge of the bed. "Good morning, ma'am!"

Like Harry, Ginny had responded with a flimsy wave and a sleepy smile.

They had gone to all the popular sites near the hotel that day. First, Harry had taken them to the Plaza Hotel, where Ginny marveled at and photographed the spectacular lobby for a while before cajoling Harry into taking them for a walk through Central Park. The teenager had initially been reluctant to do so, as he knew some areas of the park were popular with muggers, but his girlfriend had convinced him that he had taken on _Voldemort_, for Merlin's sake!

"What are you afraid of _muggle _muggers for, Harry?!"

"Fine." Harry had answered begrudgingly. Yet Severus didn't miss the sudden appearance of Harry's wand in his sleeve as they began walking down the path that started across the street from the Plaza hotel. At this point, Sev started making a fuss in his stroller, asking to be let down so that he could walk.

Harry had been reluctant at first, eyeing their surroundings warily as if someone was about to jump out of the bushes and make a grab at his kid. Ginny, being slightly more reasonable than her paranoid boyfriend, decided to strike a compromise and thus Severus ended up walking with the condition that he hold on to both Harry's and Ginny's hands. The infant had agreed and had happily strolled along next to Harry and Ginny as they continued down the path. His enthusiasm for walking, however, lasted for all of about twenty minutes. After that, he had let go of his guardian's fingers and jumped in front of his stroller, demanding to be let back on.

"It's alright, cub." Harry had replied as he lifted him back into the stroller, "It's cold out anyway. You'll enjoy it better under a blanket. If the greens are open, you can run around on them.

Sev had briefly wondered what a green was until they came about a _huge _clearing covered in snow! There were clumps of people scattered about the area and kids running around, throwing snowballs at each other. Ginny had remarked briefly about how she thought the green would look absolutely gorgeous during the summer and that was when Sev decided he wanted try out what the other kids were doing. What started out as an attempt to hit Harry in the face with a snowball turned into a mini snowball fight between Sev, whom Ginny sided with, and Harry. In the end, the victors, who had managed to corner their prey behind a tree and pelt him with snowballs, consoled their victim by giving him a big hug, a big kiss, and a big snowball down the back of his shirt. Sev hadn't had that much fun in his life!

The family stopped for a quick lunch at the Tavern on the Green before Harry commissioned one of the famous horse-drawn carriages on Fifth Avenue to take them on a ride through the park. Sev, never having ridden in a carriage before, embraced the opportunity to feel like a member of the nobility in the days of old; when horse-drawn carriages were a sign of wealth and prosperity.

"Money has nothing to do with the wealth and prosperity you have now, cub." Harry had whispered in his ear.

Thinking back to the best Christmas gift he ever got, Sev smiled and knew he was right. Harry and Ginny could have been dirt poor and Sev still would have considered himself one of the wealthiest people in the world.

After the carriage ride was over, Harry conceded slightly, admitting that he was "a bit" wrong in his initial assessment of the park. It indeed appeared to be "a bit" safe. Yet Sev didn't fail to notice his repeated use of "a bit", nor the fact that the wand under his sleeve never quite left his hand.

"Blimey! This park is huge!" The teenager exclaimed out of the blue as they made their way down their original path to another end of the park. "There's so much here!"

Ginny snorted. "You're just _only_ noticing that, love?" Severus had rolled his eyes. Harry had the tendency to be a bit thick at times.

"The whole of The Met fits inside a small fraction of this place!" He continued.

"What's the Met?"

The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Sev's eyes couldn't get any bigger as they strolled through the Great Hall of the museum. He felt like he was in a Roman cathedral! There was so much to see, so many places to go, so many things to think about. Sev didn't know where to start! Thus, the infant settled for gaping at everything in general. Their collections were spectacular! Sev saw pieces of art from all around the world and from different points in history. He even saw pieces of art from Merlin's time!

"It's spectacular, isn't it, cub?" Harry remarked with a smile.

"Uh-huh…" Sev muttered in reply, gawking at the life-sized Egyptian temple before him. How were they able to fit that thing through the door without magic?!

"You never quite know with these muggle engineers." Harry had replied, steering them away from the small temple and towards another part of the museum, "If one sets one's mind to a task, one is capable of doing some spectacular things, I guarantee you!"

The best part of that first day, in Sev's opinion, came about when Harry took him and Ginny ice skating in Central Park, under the canopy of stars. The teen had placed him in his carrier and had taken Ginny's hand as she struggled to find her balance and learn to glide gracefully. It had taken an hour, but Ginny had eventually learned to ice skate on her own, and Severus had ended up sandwiched between them as they slow-danced/skated to the music that had started playing in the background.

"Where is that music coming from, Harry?" She had asked.

"I don't actually know." The teen had replied with a shrug. "They could be playing it on a stereo somewhere around here, or a band could be playing it somewhere close by."

Whatever the source, Sev thought it a grand ending to a great day. They had played in the park, had a snowball fight to end all snowball fights, rode a horse-drawn carriage, saw wicked pieces of art, and went ice skating under the stars. At the time, Sev thought the trip couldn't get any better than that.

Boy, was he ever so glad to be wrong!

The view from the crown of the Statue of Liberty was absolutely amazing! And Sev was never happier that he wasn't completely able to walk for long stretches of time. Harry had carried him from the top of the pedestal _all the way_ to the top of the crown—all 354 steps! Severus had been laughing on the inside the entire way up, especially whenever Harry groaned at the site of more steps. Ginny had offered to help him carry the load, of course, but, being a gentleman, Harry had naturally declined without hesitation. Sev actually found that rather interesting. _He_ would've given it a second or maybe a third thought, perhaps, if he had to carry himself up twenty-two flights of stairs. Well…he might have back then, in his old life. Now, however…

Anyway, the view from the top of the Statue of Liberty was phenomenal, but it…somehow…paled in comparison to the view from the Top of the World.

"So…they built two of them?"

"Two buildings, which stand at almost exactly the same height." Harry nodded. "It's amazing, if you really think about it. I mean…the engineering!" The teen exclaimed with a grin as he admired the view out the window. "It's one of the tallest buildings in the world and one of the landmarks of New York City, really."

"You mean _two_ of the tallest buildings in the world." Ginny reminded him with a smile, "There are a pair of them, remember?"

"People call them the Twin Towers." Her boyfriend nodded.

Severus could not stop gawking at the view before them. He could see clear to the Pacific Ocean!!!

Well…not _really_ clear to the Pacific Ocean, but…he _FELT_ like he could see clear to the Pacific Ocean! They were _incredibly_ high off the ground! He wondered why he wasn't feeling sick right now. Was this how it felt to be this high? Was this how it felt to sit atop the clouds and be away from all your problems? Was this how it felt to be on top of the world?!

"Well, this place is aptly named, no question there." Harry chuckled, "The Top of the World Observatory."

Despite the people and the crowds and the noise and the bustle, Severus had felt at peace up there. That was a place where his mind had just completely cleared. All the voices in his head had been silenced and it left him with a sense of calm and tranquility. He could've stayed up there for hours, just staring out the windows of the world. He absolutely _loved_ that feeling—that sense of mindlessness, that point where all thoughts ceased to form and all that was left was a sense of absolute awe at the wonders before him, be they natural or man-made. Severus was starting to crave that feeling. And if being over a thousand feet in the air was what caused that feeling…

…then Sev couldn't _WAIT_ to try out that new broom Sirius gave him for Christmas! He couldn't, he couldn't, he _COULDN'T_!!! He wanted to fly it _**SO**_ badly now!

Needless to say, Harry and Ginny had a hard time trying to drag him away from the World Trade Center.

"MO!"

"Come on, cub, you can't stay here forever."

"MO!"

"We'll come back next time, love. Come now."

"MO! MO!"

"The World Trade Center's not going anywhere."

"We'll come back in a few years, baby. And we'll bring Remus and Dora and _Teddy_ with us. How's that?"

"MO! MO! MO GO!"

"Wow, he really liked this place, huh?" A stranger commented with a smile as she passed them on her way to the lift.

Harry snorted. "He's certainly acting like he's never going to see it again."

It had taken some sweet-talking, and more than a few stern warnings, but Harry and Ginny were eventually able to calm Severus down and get him to willingly leave the complex. Fortunately, his sense of awe had come back later that night, when Harry and Ginny had taken him to see a Broadway musical called _The Lion King_. A simple _Confundus_ charm had everyone thinking Sev was a lot older than he looked. The infant laughed at all the glassy-eyed looks he received whenever people turned in his direction.

"Best—show—ever."

Sev couldn't agree more.

"The music was certainly nice."

'Nice' did the music absolutely no justice at all! Sev made it a point to leave with a recording of the music else make a scene until they did. Fortunately, he didn't have to resort to that, as Harry went ahead and purchased something called a 'CD' during intermission, which had a recording of the musical imprinted on them.

Other highlights from the rest of the week included trips to the biggest Christmas tree Severus had ever seen, Rockefeller Center, the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, the holiday window displays all around the city, shopping trips, and, of course, Times Square…during the day.

Times Square at night was a scene reserved for tonight and _only_ tonight.

New Years' Eve.

_**

* * *

**_

"New Years' Eve is not complete without a funny hat."

"HA!" Ginny snorted as she combed her hair in front of a mirror. "Says you!"

"What do you think, Sev?" Harry asked.

The baby pushed himself to a sitting position on the bed and glanced in Harry's direction. What he saw made him laugh so hard, he collapsed back on the bed in a fit of hysterical giggles. Harry was wearing what resembled a black wide-brim hat with colorful pictures of confetti on the top, a colorful banner around the middle with the words _Happy New Year_ printed along the sides, and a brim lined with soft blue-and-black striped fur. The pose Harry was currently striking while wearing said funny hat did nothing to help his manly image, Sev could tell you that.

Ginny laughed as she glimpsed Harry's image in the mirror she was using. "I think he likes it, love." She answered between giggles. "_I _think it makes you look…fabulous!"

"Oh, hush up!" Harry replied with a roll of his eyes. Taking off the hat, he threw it onto the bed, where it landed atop Severus' laughing face. The sour look on Harry's features as he turned away made the infant's laughing start anew.

"Good evening, sir!"

"Good evening, Ifeanyi! Happy New Years' Eve."

"And to you too, sir!" The doorman/owner replied with a friendly smile. "And speaking of which, is it safe for me to assume that you all are going to tonight's festivities down in Times Square?"

"It is, sir."

"Then here's a map of the apparition points near Times Square. You should be able to apparate directly to the front of the hotel once you get back. Will your little one be needing a stomach soother?"

"No, thank you, we brought our own." Harry replied, accepting the map with a grateful smile.

"Great! Have fun tonight, sir! You all have a special treat coming your way. It's the start of the last year of the millennium, you know!"

"Will do!" Harry replied with a smile as he closed the door behind him. He didn't need Ifeanyi to tell him that tonight was going to be a special night. He knew that from the get-go. He had been planning this 'special night' for months.

"Alright! Forget about the funny glasses and the funny hat and everything. Gin, if we don't go now, we're not going to find a good spot!"

"Relax, Harry! I'm almost done!" His girlfriend replied, checking herself in the bathroom mirror once again.

"Oy!" With a roll of his eyes, Harry threw himself back onto the bed and pulled a giggling Severus against his chest. "Women!" He whined, louder than necessary. He could hear Ginny blowing raspberries at him from inside the bathroom. Sev muffled his laughter against Harry's shirt.

Ten minutes later, the family was out and heading for the apparition point outside the hotel. While Ginny fussed over Sev's clothing, Sev's jacket, Sev's hat, Sev's mittens, Sev's scarf, Sev's blanket, Sev's sling, and finally her own means of staying warm, Harry checked, double checked, and triple checked his jacket pocket, making sure his special gift was in there and had stayed in there in the three seconds between the last time he checked and the present.

"Do you think he's going to be warm enough, Harry?"

The teen glanced down at the infant inside the sling on his chest. Severus scowled up at him from under what looked to be several thousand layers of clothing and blankets. Echoes of the words, _"That woman is the __**definition**__ of overkill…"_ reverberated at the back his mind. Harry snorted. "He's going to be just fine, love."

"_Tell her I'm beginning to __**sweat**__ under all this unnecessary fabric!"_ Sev screamed in his mind.

"When we get out there in the frigid cold, we'll see if it's still unnecessary." Harry replied just before stepping out the door.

Boy was it necessary! The moment the cold winter air hit his face, Severus wished there was something to cover that as well! The infant almost wanted to whine until they cancelled the whole Times Square business and stayed at the hotel all New Years' Eve! Yet he knew how much both Harry and Ginny had been looking forward to tonight as the days passed, and since they had both been indulging him these past few days, he figured he might as well repay the favor and let them have their one night of "adult" time. Yet how they were going to have their "date night", as Sirius called it, while _he_ was there, he didn't know. Thus, he resorted to the easiest solution, which was to simply stay as quiet and unobtrusive as possible. Perhaps he could take in all the sights, like he did when he admired the view at the World Trade Center, or the show during _The Lion King_. The only challenge to that plan would be to actually find something in Times Square to pique and hold his interest for however long this whole midnight excursion would take.

As it turns out, finding that interesting thing wasn't all that hard.

It was round, it was shiny, it was bright in the sense that it was basically a ball of light bulbs, it was high—_really_ high—and Severus couldn't take his eyes off it.

"Wha dap?!" He exclaimed, pointing all the way up to the ball on top of the tower.

"That's the New Years' Eve ball." Harry replied, making sure he had a good grip on Ginny's hand as he steered them through to the crowd to the middle of the Square. "It starts to drop from the tower at exactly 11:59 and completes its descent at exactly midnight, New Years' Day. When that ball comes close to its base, you'll hear this entire crowd count down the final seconds of the year. It's absolutely amazing, from what I hear."

"That's an interesting tradition." Ginny remarked, glancing up at the ball Severus kept gawking at. "How did it start?"

"Well…" Harry shrugged, "It depends on who you ask. Supposedly, there was this ball that accidentally dropped from one of these towers some odd years ago and it dropped at exactly 11:59 and hit the ground at exactly midnight, and supposedly it was that accident that started this tradition." Harry smirked. "But then there's this much tamer story that has to do with time balls and how, over two hundred years ago, time balls were dropped from the tops of towers at specific times and they descended at certain rates, and depending on where on a tower a time ball was, a sailor at sea, who could see the time ball on land, could know the exact time and thus calculate their exact latitude. So…sailors used to use the time ball method to tell time, and so when this whole tradition was getting its start in the beginning of the twentieth century, the designers made a time ball that would take exactly a minute to drop from the top of the tower to the base."

"And the rest is history?" Ginny asked with a smile, releasing Harry's hand and wrapping her arms around his neck.

"As the saying goes." Harry nodded, wrapping his own arms around his girlfriend's waist. Severus was now effectively sandwiched between the two of them. "So I'm guessing this is the spot we're going to be standing in, come midnight?" He asked with a smile.

"Don't pretend like you weren't leading me to this spot the entire time." Ginny replied with a roll of her eyes.

Harry smirked and looked away with a shrug. "Maybe…"

"You can't play innocent with me, Henry James Potter." Ginny countered with a smirk.

As Ginny rose up on her tiptoes to give her boyfriend a smooch, Severus pushed up in his sling to peer over both their shoulders and up at the interesting-looking ball on top of the tower. Harry sure knew how to pick a spot—that was for sure. They were standing at the very center of Times Square. Severus could see clear from one end of the Square to the other and he had a perfect view of the bright and shiny ball at the top of the tower, looming precariously over the unlit numbers 1-9-9-9.

If he squinted, Severus could just make out a man in a black coat about a block away from them. He was standing atop a stage, set up next to one of the buildings, and speaking into a microphone, directly into a big black box that Harry said earlier was a muggle camera. Behind him, at the very top of the stage, hung a banner that said, _Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve._ Everyone around them seemed to be working themselves up into a frenzy. Couples were holding each other, kids were jumping up and down, and people were waving funny hats, funny glasses, and colorful streamers around their heads. The overall aura of the place was one of expectation, excitement, and hope.

"Let me hold Severus for now, Harry."

"Are you sure?"

"Mm-hmm!"

The infant barely noticed as the sling was transferred between Harry and Ginny. He was too busy taking in his surroundings. The screams, the laughter, and the positive vibes coming off the people, the bright lights, the sounds, the sweet smells—_everything_—were contagious and before Sev realized it, he too was bouncing in his sling, eager to see the ball drop from the top of the tower.

"Looks like someone's caught the New Years' Eve bug." Ginny commented with a laugh. Severus felt her soft fingers run through his baby hair and his view of the proceedings was obstructed for a moment as she bent down to plant a kiss atop his forehead.

"It's kind of hard _not_ to when you're in the middle of the biggest New Years' Eve party in the world." Harry replied, wrapping his arms around his girlfriend from behind. Ever so gently, he turned them towards the ball that was set to drop at any moment.

Sev loved this. He absolutely _LOVED_ this! He wanted to come here _every_ New Years Eve from now until the end of his life. It was _amazing_!

_FLASH! FLASH! FLASH!_ The lights from the big screens surrounding them and the camera lights and the stage lights and the ball lights…They all lent themselves to the air of glamour that this place held. There was something about this place, at this time, in this moment, that made it feel magical. And it was the sort of 'magical' that Sev had felt very few times before. It was different than what he was used to. The sort of 'magical' that described the air of Times Square on New Year's Eve, Sev likened to being in the presence of some kind of divine. It was the feeling that one got in one's soul only in times like this—surrounded by a crowd of people and feeling at one with the rest of them. Feeling the energy they generated flow through oneself and contributing one's own energy into the mix.

The sounds of the crowd of people blended together to form a unique symphony that sounded like music to Sev's ears. He could see the smiles, hear the squeals of laughter, feel the excitement, the anticipation, the hopes and the dreams. Wishes and prayers and pleas and cries floated by his ears on their way to the invisible divine. The new year was approaching, and with it came the chance at a new life.

The roar of the crowd reached deafening proportions. Sev could just barely hear the voice of the black-coat man on the stage via the handheld TV of the gentleman next to them. _"There it is! There it is! It's beginning to drop!"_

"The ball's coming down, Sev." Ginny exclaimed excitedly, pointing to the flashing ball that was slowly making its way down the tower.

_FLASH!_ _Sparkle, sparkle, sparkle. FLASH!_ The ball lights were alternating between bright flashes and dim sparkles, making it look like a gleaming package coming down from the heavens, and wrapped within its sparkling folds, the hope that comes with the start of a new year.

"_They can see it! This is when the excitement hits in Times Square. What is it going to be like for the year 2000 if it's like this for 1999?!"_

_FLASH! Sparkle, sparkle, sparkle. FLASH! _Sev looked around him at the smiling faces and the hats and the streamers and the colors and the lights, he heard the voices and screams and the shouts of pure joy in the street, he took a deep breath and smelled that crisp night air, allowing it to flow through his little body and carry out all his lingering negative feelings. He didn't want them to spoil his moment.

"_They are ready! Are they ever ready!"_

Sev felt Ginny's arms come around him and hold him tight, and just beyond them he could feel Harry's own arms embrace the both of them from behind. The warmth from both his parents filled Sev with a different kind of warmth and the infant could no longer keep the giant smile from erupting across his face. He was less than a minute from the new year.

He was less than a minute from his new life.

_FLASH! Sparkle, sparkle, sparkle. FLASH!_

"_Thirty seconds. Thirty!"_

Sev leaned back against Ginny's chest and just grinned at the dropping ball in the distance. He could feel the excitement in his bones. He wanted nothing more right now than to see that 1999 light up in a blaze of glory, signaling the official start of his new year and all that it brought with it.

"I have one more gift for you, love." He heard Harry whisper into Ginny's ear.

Sev bit his lip to prevent himself from giggling like a madman. He knew what that 'one more gift' was.

"_Twenty seconds to 1999!"_

"And I think I'll let it speak for itself."

Sev's toes curled up in anticipation and he grinned into his blanket. His eyes kept darting between the dropping ball atop the tower and the small, blue, velvet box that had suddenly appeared in Harry's hand. He didn't know which he wanted to stare at most!

_FLASH! Sparkle, sparkle, sparkle. FLASH!_

"Because it says how much I love you," Harry whispered, opening the box and holding it up for Ginny to see, "And how much I need you in my life."

"_Fifteen seconds! Oh, it's getting close!"_

"You and Sev are everything to me, Ginny!"

"_It's in 10…!"_

Sev looked up to see Ginny's eyes sparkling in the city lights. She too had her bottom lip stuck between her teeth, and as she turned to peer up into her boyfriend's eyes, a single teardrop made its way down her cheek.

"…_9…"_

"I love the two of you more than life itself!" Harry continued, leaning his forehead against Ginny's and looking into her eyes.

"…_8…"_

"And I would be honored…"

"…_7…"_

"…if you would spend the rest of your life with me."

"…_6…"_

"Will you marry me, Ginny?" Harry asked, his voice cracking at the end.

"…_5…"_

Ginny's arms tightened around Severus. Sev's eyes darted from the ball to the ring to Harry's and Ginny's faces and back.

"…_4…"_

They both had their eyes closed and were leaning their foreheads against each other. A smile tugged at the corners of each of their lips.

"…_3…"_

Then all of a sudden, a smile erupted across Ginny's face and before Severus knew it, their eyes were open and each was staring deep into the other's soul.

"…_2…"_

_FLASH! Sparkle. FLASH!_

"…_1…"_

"Yes."

"_**HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!"**_

Severus grinned up at the heavens above just as a loud pop echoed throughout Times Square and a shower of colorful confetti came fluttering down from the sky.

From the corner of his eye, he could see Harry and Ginny locked in a passionate kiss, but he found that a might less interesting than the fireworks that suddenly popped out of the big tower after the ball hit base and the number 1999 lit up in a blaze of glory.

Oh, he was _definitely_ coming back here every New Years from now until the day he died!

All of a sudden, he felt Harry and Ginny give him a big wet kiss, one on either side of his cheeks, just as the hum of a familiar tune hit his ears. If seemed like the entire _crowd_ was singing one song!

"_Should old acquaintance be forgot  
and never brought to mind?  
Should old acquaintance be forgot  
and days of old lang syne?"_

Sev saw Harry slip the ring onto Ginny's left ring finger just before she turned around and wrapped her arms around his neck. The infant, however, was too preoccupied with the shower of confetti that had just reached his level after fluttering down from above.

"_For auld lang syne, my dear,  
for auld lang syne,  
we'll take a cup of kindness yet,  
for auld lang syne!"_

Severus shut his eyes and smiled up at the sky and whomever was watching. All around him, he could hear people celebrating, ringing in the New Year. The pieces of confetti that fluttered down his face felt like the fingers of angels, caressing his cheeks, and blessing him with good fortune for the coming year. Just above him, he could hear Harry's and Ginny's voices blending together with the rest of the crowd as they began swaying gently to the music.

"_For auld lang syne, my dear,  
for auld lange syne,  
we'll take a cup of kindness yet,  
for auld lange syne!"_

As the crowd erupted into another round of raucous cheers and applause, Severus relaxed into his sling, his eyes still closed and the giant grin still glued onto his face.

Best—New Year's Eve—EVER!

Above him, he could tell Harry and Ginny were still dancing and making out at the same time, but he didn't mind. He was comfortable and warm in his sling, and happy and excited about the coming year, and delighted that his parents were getting married. He was a bit tired as well, which was why he was making himself comfortable in his makeshift bed, but that was an aside.

Severus felt like he was on top of the world, on cloud nine, words did no justice to how happy he felt right now.

The infant felt like _ABSOLUTELY NOTHING_ could ever make him feel sad _EVER_ again!

_**

* * *

**_

_Knock! Knock! Knock!_

Harry groaned and rolled over on the bed, tightening his arm around Ginny and Severus. "We're skipping breakfast today, Ifeanyi. Thank you!"

_KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!_

"Go away." The teen groaned. Why couldn't he be as deep a sleeper as Severus and Ginny? Although…he had to admit, he was still three-quarters of the way in the threshold of slumber. Not _entirely_ awake.

_**BOOM!**_

Harry was out of bed and onto his feet in a millisecond. Yet regardless of the fact that adrenaline was now pumping through his veins and he was a thousand times more awake than he was a millisecond ago, he had still reacted too late. Five big, brutish thugs had all jumped on him at almost exactly the same time and now had him pinned to the ground in such a way that a regular bystander would've feared him crushed to death by now. Above him, he heard Ginny scream and Severus begin to cry.

"Henry James Potter and Ginevra Molly Weasley," someone started saying above him. The remote tone of voice gave Harry the impression that whoever it was was reading something off a piece of parchment, "by order of the Ministry of Magic,"

"Who are you people?!" Ginny screamed.

"GET OFF ME!" Harry boomed, trying to gather up all his energy in order to push the massive thugs off him.

"Put him in a body bind!"

Harry's eyes widened and he quickly put up a shield charm, feeling as a massive wave of energy bounced off its surface.

"You are hereby ordered to surrender one Severus Tobias Snape,"

"_**OVER MY DEAD BODY!!!**_" Harry roared. Using all the strength he could muster, he was able to push the five thugs off him long enough to get out from under them. Yet the moment he had freed himself, five more jumped on him from behind. They were joined a millisecond later by the five he just pushed away.

"Hang the ridiculous proclamation, you fool!"

"MALFOY!" Ginny spat at the top of her lungs.

"What—" Harry was able to put up a shield charm just in time to block a wave of four or five body binds that were being sent his way by the ten brutish thugs who were physically holding him down.

"Grab the infant and let's go!"

"Over my dead body, you will!" Ginny exclaimed, shielding Severus with her own body.

"That can be arranged." Malfoy spat, pointing his wand at her.

"Draco!" An unfamiliar voice exclaimed.

"Mr. Malfoy, might I remind you that I am a representative of the Ministry of Magic and young Mr. Snape's social worker!"

"Hestia?!" Ginny exclaimed in confusion, squinting at the silhouette of the now-familiar woman by the door.

"Ginny, I'm sorry," she sighed, "Mr. Malfoy has brought serious allegations against you and Harry—"

"Johnson, grab Snape!" Malfoy ordered.

"Touch him and die!" Ginny roared.

"Take him and go, Gin!" Harry exclaimed, blocking yet another attempt at a body bind. He had yet to put down his shield charm long enough to send out a wave strong enough to push the ten brutes off him.

"That would be considered kidnapping, Potter!" Malfoy retorted haughtily, smirking at his currently preoccupied arch-rival. "But go ahead! Be my guest!"

"He's right, Harry." Hestia replied sadly. Ginny could sense each of the words were being forced out of the social worker's lips. "Draco Malfoy has _quite publicly_ submitted allegations and proof of claims that indicate that you, Harry, might make an unfit guardian for Severus and thus I've been forced to revoke your guardianship rights—"

"Mo wamp go!"

"But why does he—"

"Severus is directly connected to the Prince family line and Mr. Malfoy has shown proof of being directly connected to the Prince line via his father." Hestia explained with a sour face.

"I come to reclaim my nephew, if you please." Malfoy smirked at the girl on the bed.

"MO, IMMY!"

"MALFOY!" Harry groaned, trying to block several spells and deliver one at the same time. The effort cost him a momentary hole in his shield charm and a portion of Harry's face went numb of a second.

"I'm sorry, you guys." Hestia continued sadly. "There's nothing I can do."

There was a loud thumping noise, as if someone was running down the hall towards their room, before a familiar voice exclaimed, "Harry! Ginny!"

"Sirius?!"

"Mo go, Immy! HAWEH!"

"What are _you_ doing here, Black?!" Malfoy spat.

"_Certus_, Harry, do it!"

"_CERTUS!_" Harry screamed, half out of desperation and half out of frustration from having to keep a shield charm up against ten spells at the same time while trying to catch his breath and deliver a spell of his own.

"Oh, thank Merlin!" Hestia sighed, clasping a hand against her chest.

"What?!" Malfoy snapped.

"Get your brutes off of him!"

"No!"

"Mo, go, Haweh!"

"I invoke the right of _certus_!"

"What does that mean?!" Malfoy barked at the social worker.

Hestia ignored him. "Do you have a counter-claim, Harry?"

"Yes!" Harry groaned, trying to push the brutes off him once again. "Draco Malfoy is an alcoholic! And I have the _proof_ to that claim!"

Malfoy paled. "That's it! I'm taking the child." The teen growled, advancing on Ginny.

"MO!"

"Touch him and die!" Sirius growled, jumping in front of Ginny and Severus and holding his wand up against Draco and his gang.

"Mr. Black!"

"Hestia! Goddamn it!"

"I still have claims for him! They have no proof of their claim against me at the moment." Draco argued, scowling at the social worker.

"That's true—"

"What?!"

"Harry invoked the right of _certus_, Hestia." Sirius reminded her.

"What is that?!" The blonde-haired teen snapped.

"Yes, but he's right. You have no proof of your claim at the moment and since Harry and Ginny's guardianship rights have been revoked, Severus has no legal guardian at the moment, which makes Malfoy's claim take precedence."

"**MO**!!!"

"Yes!" Malfoy countered with a smirk, taking a step towards the bed.

Sirius moved his wand to his neck. The animagus' eyes turned dark and cold. "I keep my word, Malfoy." He growled.

"But I invoked—" Harry, in his anger and frustration, had managed to push the ten giant men off him for a fraction of a second, yet a split second wasn't enough and they landed back on him shortly after.

"_Yes_, Harry invoked the right of _certus_," Hestia continued with a nod, "which means he has made a counter-claim and officially challenges you in court, Mr. Malfoy." Hestia flicked her wand and out of the end flew a short piece of parchment. Hestia handed it to the scowling teen who pocketed it without a glance, as he had yet to take his eyes off the angry animagus before him.

"If you want to take this to court, Potter, we'll take it to court!" He snapped. "The Wizengamot and nothing less!"

"Mo wamp go, Immy!" Severus cried, tears pouring down his face. "Mo wamp go!"

"And _since_ Mr. Potter has invoked the right of _certus_, that means we can no longer trust either of you." Hestia continued to explain.

"What?!" Malfoy snapped, his eyes shooting towards the social worker in surprise.

"You still get precedence _only_ because they currently do not have proof of any of their claims, yet it is enough for me to doubt your ability to care for the child. Thus, a representative from the Ministry of Magic will be accompanying you and Mr. Snape back to Malfoy Manor to observe your child-care methods."

"_**WHAT**_?!" Everyone in the room exclaimed.

"Why does _he_ get custody of Severus?!"  
"Why can't he stay with _us_ until the court date?!"  
"That's not what the law says!"  
"MO! MO! MO!!!"  
"I am his uncle by blood! I get precedence!"  
"I challenge this claim!"  
"MO WAMP GO!!! MO WAMP GO!!!"  
"Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen!"  
"This isn't right!"  
"GET OFF ME, NOW!!!"

"_**THAT IS MY FINAL DECISION**_!!!" Hestia exclaimed above the din. "Alastor Moody!"

All of a sudden, there was a loud _Thump-Clunk_, _Thump-Clunk_, _Thump-Clunk_ outside the room. The familiar silhouette of none other than Mad-Eye Moody appeared outside the door moments later. Silence instantly swept about the room.

"Yes?!" He snapped in his usual gruff manner.

"Will you accept the responsibility of observing the Malfoys with young Mr. Snape during his weeklong stay in Malfoy Manor until the date of the custody hearing on Friday, January 8th at 9AM?"

Moody's magical eye locked onto Malfoy and it narrowed at him suspiciously. The blonde teen gulped involuntarily. "I do!" He snapped in return. _Thump-Clunk._ He began making his way into the room. "And I also accept the responsibility…" _Thump-Clunk!_ "…of assessing the situation in Malfoy Manor…" _Thump-Clunk!_ "…to the best of my abilities!" _Thump-Clunk!_

Stopping next to the gang of ten brutes on top of Harry, Moody banged his staff against the floor, sending out a wave of energy powerful enough to throw all ten burly men clear across the room. Harry breathed a sigh of relief the moment the men were off him. "You need to learn how to effectively split your focus, Potter! No matter _how_ many ways it has to go!" He snapped, his tone still gruff but his words not holding their usual sting.

Harry shot to his feet and adjusted his shirt. "Yes, sir!" He replied, clearing his throat and rubbing his chest.

_Thump-clunk!_ "Step aside, Black." Moody growled, taking Sirius' place in the stare-down between him and Malfoy.

"Yes, sir." Sirius muttered under his breath, taking a seat on the bed, where Harry and Ginny were now seated, trying to calm a crying Severus.

"Now you listen to me, you little _ferret_, and you listen well." Moody snarled, getting in Malfoy's face and making the teen flinch involuntarily. "You will not lay one harmful finger on that child—"

"You will not lay _**a**_finger on this child!" Harry interjected from behind.

"Potter, you're not helping!" Moody snapped, turning his good eye onto his trainee while he kept his magical eye on Malfoy. Harry's mouth snapped shut immediately. "If you want to get permanent and unquestionable custody as quickly as possible, I suggest you say your goodbyes to him for a week and prepare the strongest case you can!"

"It's not going to be strong enough—"

"**AND THAT'S ENOUGH OUT OF YOU**!!!" Moody bellowed at Malfoy, making the teen and his entire entourage jump back in fright. "Get outside and wait for him out there!"

"But—"

"MOVE!!!" Moody ordered, raising his wand at Malfoy and making the teen run away in fright. The rest of his group was not far behind him.

"I'll wait outside, Potter." Moody continued in a more conversational tone. After nodding at Ginny and Hestia, he turned on his heel and marched out the door.

"MO WAMP GO!" Severus wailed, rivers of tears running down his cheeks. "MO WAMP GO! MO WAMP GO! MO WAMP GO!!!"

"Hush now, cub…" Harry ordered gently, rocking the child against his chest. "Hush now…"

Severus didn't want to hush. He didn't want to stay quiet. He didn't want to leave Harry and Ginny. He didn't want to go! "MO WAMP GO!!!"

"Moody will be with him the entire time." Hestia interjected half-heartedly. "He won't take his eye off him, I guarantee you. You can't get any safer than that."

"Oh, yes you can!" Sirius countered. "We can send our house elves in there, can't we?" He asked the social worker.

Hestia grimaced and took a quick survey of the room. "On the record, no. Off the record, send as many as you want!" She replied with a smirk.

"Moody and Dobby and Kreacher too, cub." Harry said, not exactly willing to release Sev from his embrace either. "They'll all be watching you this week."

"MO WAMP GO!!!" Sev wailed, hooking his arms around Harry's neck and gripping for all he was worth.

"I guarantee you we will win you back, cub." Harry added, "And after all this is over, the adoption papers will kick in…" He glanced up at Hestia for confirmation and she nodded, "…and we'll be a proper family, okay?"

"MO WAMP GO, MO WAMP GO, MO WAMP GO!!!" The infant cried, grabbing onto the fabric of Harry's shirt and holding on.

"We don't want you to go either, sweetheart." Ginny replied with tears in her eyes. Pushing up onto her knees, she wrapped her arms around both Harry and Severus. "But this is something we just have to do. Sometimes people need to do things they don't really want to do, love."

"But we're sending the best protection team known to man with you."

"You got that right." Sirius muttered. "Moody's an entire protection team all in himself."

Yet Severus, much like Harry and Ginny, simply refused to let go, and out of desperation, he let his true feelings known to all. "MO WAMP GO, DADEE!!! MO WAMP GO MUMMEE!!!"

The pain in both Harry's and Ginny's chests all of a sudden intensified tenfold. _Mummy_ and _Daddy_—the two words they had been patiently waiting for Severus to say, uttered in the moment when they were about to lose him.

"Mummy, Daddy!"

Ginny turned to Hestia in desperation. "Can't we do _anything_?!"

The social worker had tears in her own eyes and she was clutching her chest as if she too felt their pain. "My hands are tied, Gin…I'm sorry!"

"Why can't he stay with us?" Sirius asked.

"Malfoy has claims against you. And they're valid! And it was made in front of _a lot_ of witnesses. I'm sorry, guys!" The older witch replied sadly.

"Why can't Dumbledore keep him?"

"He's the Head of the Wizengamot! He can't appear to show favoritism. And it's hard enough to say 'no' to Severus." Hestia added, waving at the crying child. "Guys, _**I**_ can't appear to show favoritism. Else, they'll assign him to another social worker, and those people are less inclined to share my viewpoints on proper child care."

"MUMMY! DADDY!!!" Severus whined, his voice reaching new heights.

"I'm sorry, Harry, Ginny." Hestia repeated for what seemed like the thousandth time that morning. "But I'm going to have to take him." She continued, hesitantly reaching towards the infant in their arms.

"MO WAMP GO! WAMP STAY!!!"

"He can bring his lion with him." The social worker said with a hopeful shrug.

"There. You see, love? You'll have Simba with you the entire time—"

"MOoooooo…!" The infant wailed in agony. Now even Sirius could feel the physical pain in his chest from listening to Severus' desperate cries.

"We love you, Severus." Harry whispered into the infant's ear as he pushed off the bed and made his way towards the door.

Sensing the movement, Severus began shaking his head and gripping Harry's robes with a vengeance. "Mo! Mo! Mo!"

"We'll be inside your mind the entire time." Harry continued, nudging Severus with their mental bond, reminding him that it was still there. "You're beginning to sense Ginny in there too, did you know that?"

"Mo wamp go, mo wamp go, mo wamp go…" Sev chanted into Harry's shoulder, soaking the material with his tears.

"Harry and I will talk to you every minute of every day, love." Ginny added with a whisper. "Remember what I told you about the darkness? Don't let it put out your light, Sev."

"Picture it like a test, my boy." Harry added. "You walk into a nightmare alone…with our protections around you…and you emerge out the other end in a dream, and that dream will never end. I promise you that."

"Mo wamp, mo wamp, mo wamp…" Sev replied, shaking his head into Harry's sleeve.

"Every time you close your eyes, we'll be there, my love." Ginny whispered into his ear before giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"We love you, Severus." Harry whispered into the other, planting a kiss atop that temple.

Severus closed his eyes and found his stuffed lion cub being held to his chest. The infant hugged it for all he was worth and buried his face into the soft material as he felt himself transferred from Harry to an unfamiliar set of arms. They were a woman's, but he knew they weren't Ginny's.

"_We're back here, my love."_ Ginny's voice echoed into his mind.

"_We'll be here the whole time, cub."_ Harry's voice added.

"_We love you, Sev, and we'll get through this!"_

"_You have my word on that…"_

Harry's word. He had Harry's word. Harry's word meant that Harry would go the ends of the Earth and beyond, move Heaven and Earth, if need be, do every conceivable thing in the universe to get Severus back and keep it that way. Harry's word meant that if any Malfoy laid a finger on Severus, Harry would make sure that they ended up with a fate worse than death. Harry's word meant that he would have the best protections while he was there—in enemy territory. Harry's word meant that he needn't worry about a thing.

And Severus took Harry at his word.

Thus, when he was carried out of the hotel and into the cold, silent New York night, Severus didn't worry about catching a chill. Moody took care of that. When they touched back down on English soil after a short trip via international portkey, Severus didn't need to worry about sicking up everywhere. Hestia took care of that. And when Severus was placed inside an empty black crib with naught but a blanket and a pillow, in a dark green room with a black tile floor, devoid of any windows and any semblance of warmth, Severus didn't need to worry about the things that went bump in the night.

At least…he hoped…

* * *

**And a dark cloud descends...**

**Next up, the chapter that took me positively forever to write (mostly because of finals), and the longest chapter yet: Severus' weeklong stay at Malfoy Manor. We find out what goes on behind closed doors with the Malfoys, why they wanted to get their hands on Severus so badly, and the secret weapon Sirius plans to use to win over the Wizengamot for his godson.**

**NOTE: I apologize profusely for the REALLY long wait all of you had to endure. All my professors decided to have finals early this year and so the entire month of April had me scrambling to finish lab reports and cramming Cosmology into my head. But alas! I am done! Now it's just a matter of waiting until my graduation. And while I wait, I can WRITE and develop my website so that you all can see the pretty pictures associated with this story again! :-) The media in development include: (1) the picture of Sev and Ginny that Harry had in his lab, (2) a 360 degree view of the ring Harry offered Ginny, and (3) a virtual tour (led by baby Severus) of the Den, Haven Place, and Godric's Hollow. Some heavy programming is necessary until those are ready, though. Until then, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please don't hesitate to let me know what you think! :-) **


	42. Here, There Be Dragons

**WARNING: Scenes of domestic abuse**

_

* * *

One week, one week, one week, one week…_

Severus chanted in his head as he lay in his bare crib and stared up at the dark, vaulted ceiling. He didn't like the way the shadows danced at the corners of the room, hiding there, like monsters, waltzing between this world and the next, ready to jump out at him the moment he turned his attention away.

Malfoy had wasted no time in letting him know just how much he was actually wanted there. The moment Hestia saw that Severus at least had a room, a crib, and a decent blanket and pillow, which she had designated as his basic necessities, besides food and water, Draco had driven her out of his home like an unwanted pest. Having no other legal reason to stay, Hestia had reluctantly obliged, but not before passing Moody a piece of parchment that Severus later learned contained a list of suspicious activity to watch out for. The moment Hestia was gone, though, the blonde-haired teen had given both Severus and Moody a look of complete disdain before turning on his heel and marching out the door, slamming it behind him.

"Well…this custody hearing should be short and sweet." Moody had grunted. Sev peered at him in confusion. "If he shows no incentive to care for you at all—by _himself_, since he's the one vying for custody, then Potter and his lady friend will be awarded custody. Plain and simple!"

Severus _knew_ Malfoy had no incentive to care for him. The boy couldn't even care for a dog, for Merlin's sake! A human being required much more care than that.

_POP! POP!_

The sudden noise had Moody jumping to his feet and pointing his wand in the direction of the sound. Severus, on the other hand, scooted to the side of the crib farthest away from it.

"Who are you?" The auror snarled, "State your purpose!"

"W—w—w—we—we are house elves, s—s—sir!" A familiar little voice squeaked from beyond Severus' crib.

The infant gasped. He _knew_ that voice! Pulling himself up with the railing, Severus peered over the footboard of the crib to find two familiar-looking house elves cowering before Moody. "Dooobeee!" Sev exclaimed with a smile. "Kweeee-ew!"

"Master Sirius and Master Harry have sent us to help you guard Young Master Severus there." Kreacher explained, not as phased by Moody as Dobby was.

"They did?" Moody croaked, his magical eye moving from one house elf to the other suspiciously.

"Yes."

The auror had stood there, frozen, his gaze moving back and forth and back and forth for a long while. Until, finally, he accepted their answer and dropped his guard. "Fine." He snapped, turning away with a huff.

Thus began their long week at Malfoy Manor.

_One week, one week, one week, one week…_

It had barely been two hours and already Severus wanted nothing more than to go home. Home as in the Den, Godric's Hollow, the Burrow, Hogwarts—anywhere Harry and Ginny were right now. He didn't want to be here, in the dragon's lair, watching the shadows through the corners of his eye, waiting for something to happen.

This place was _nothing_ like home. It was cold, dark, damp; it reminded him too much of the quarters he used to keep in the dungeons of Hogwarts a lifetime ago.

Or was it just…seven months ago?

_It was…! _Severus realized with muted surprised. It really _was_ just seven months ago that he had been an adult. It _was_ seven months ago that he had fought in the war and been a spy and played with the darkness like it was something he actually wished to control. Yet these past seven months, Severus felt like he's been living another life—a better life, a sweeter life, a life he _should_ have been living the first time around. It was a life filled with love and affection and family and values.

"_May you soon see this opportunity as a blessing…"_

The words of the Lady of the Lake, spoken to him just last June, came floating back into his mind. Severus shut his eyes and images from the last seven months of his life invaded his consciousness. A blessing it truly was indeed...

_FLASH!_

"_Alright, I'm going to hold you low to the ground and you're going to swing your legs as hard as you can." Harry told Severus as he threw the infant-sized football onto the grass in the backyard. "Ready?" _

_Sev narrowed his eyes and looked around the backyard for anything he could aim for. The moment he spotted Padfoot napping in the grass, an impish grin appeared on his face and he began nodding at Harry with enthusiasm. _

"_Excellent! Alright then…" Severus felt Harry shift him around for a bit before the teen allowed him to slip down his arm so that he could catch him between his two hands. The young wizard then lowered him until his little feet hovered just above the ground. "Okay. KICK, Severus! Kick the football, cub!"_

_The infant bit his lip to hide his grin, pulled his foot back, and gave the small football a hearty kick! The toy then flew into the air briefly before coming down and landing atop Padfoot's head with a loud THUMP! The dog whined and immediately looked up in their direction. _

"_Sorry about that, old boy!" Harry exclaimed with a grimace. Severus, on the other hand, giggled at the mutt's scrunched up face. _

_WOOF! The mutt barked, huffing before turning his tail to them and trotting towards the porch. He settled for napping on the swinging bench instead._

_FLASH!_

"_Alright, love, let's start a process here." Ginny said, adjusting the gloves on her hand before checking the gloves she had just put on Sev. "Mum and I used to garden together all the time. I'm sure you used to love gardening as well." She said, raising an eyebrow at the squirmy infant before her. _

_Severus shrugged and reached for the bag of seeds nearby. "Omo." He answered simply. It was partially true. He couldn't remember the last time he had actually gardened, and therefore he couldn't remember if he actually enjoyed it or not. _

"_Alright. I see you're all raring to go." Ginny chuckled, adjusting her position on the grass so that she now faced the bare flowerbed. "First, we make a small hole..." Ginny scooped some dirt out of the ground and set it aside. "Then we put a few seeds in…" She dropped a pinch-worth of seeds into the hole with a smile. "Then we cover it back up!" The teen swept the dirt back into the hole and turned her vibrant grin onto the infant next to her. "Your turn, babe!" She declared, nuzzling his cheek. _

_Severus bit his lip and smiled. Leaning forward, he poked the fertile soil with three fingers, creating a hole. He then dropped a handful of seeds around the vicinity of the hole, managing to get a pinch-worth inside the actual opening, before cupping the dirt between his hands and creating a small mound on top of his tiny hole. _

_Leaning back, Severus inspected his planting job in relation to Ginny's. Hers was flat while his culminated in a mound, there were no seeds around hers while seeds littered the ground around his, and there were no tiny handprints anywhere near hers while his mound was surrounded by them. The infant frowned. All in all, his planting job was a lot more uncoordinated compared to hers. _

"_Perfect job, my love!" Ginny whispered in his ear. Sev could hear a smile in her voice. "It's excellent!" _

_All of a sudden, Sev's frown turned upside down. _

_FLASH!_

"_Which one do you want, Sev? The brown horse, the black horse, the white horse, or the carriage?" Harry asked as they climbed onto the carousel platform. _

"_Love, I don't think the carriages go up and down." Ginny commented, pointing to the sign next to one of them. _

"_True." Harry nodded. "You'll want a horse then." _

"_Bick!" Sev replied, pointing to the big white horse with a smile. _

"_You should ride with him, Harry." Ginny suggested, holding the camera up. "That way, I can get your picture while you ride."_

_After a short bout of whispered arguments, Harry climbed onto the big white horse with Sev and proceeded to wrap the strap firmly around his middle. As soon as that was done, he wrapped an arm around his infant's waist for good measure. _

"_Ready, love?" Ginny asked, telling him to smile before quickly taking his picture. _

"_Here we go, cub…" Harry said when the carousel began to move._

_As the wind swept through his hair and the music filled his ears, Sev concluded with a grin that this carousel ride was the best ride EVER!_

_FLASH!_

The smiles.

It had only been a few hours, but he already missed smiling. Sev eyed his surroundings for the thousandth time that day. Cold, dark, and quiet. They were the qualities that used to characterize his Slytherin quarters as well. Cold, dark, and quiet. Sev couldn't smile here. He had no _reason_ to smile here. If it wasn't so cold, he would smile at being warm. If it wasn't so dark, he would smile at the light that hit his face. If it wasn't so quiet, he would smile at the fact that he didn't feel so alone.

_Just like the first time, then._ The usually-grumpy voice at the back of his mind mused in a rather uncharacteristic tone filled with melancholy. Great! Even his cynical side was depressed by the state of things!

_It's the aura that pervades this so-called home. _It explained neutrally.

Sev couldn't help but agree.

_With yourself._ His cynical voice pointed out sardonically.

The infant rolled his eyes.

It was true, though! The aura that encompassed this mansion reminded Severus vaguely of something he had sensed before. He couldn't put his finger on what it was, though. He just remembered that it was rather dark. There was a muted moaning noise right at the edge of his hearing that he couldn't quite make out.

_I suggest you not even try. _The bored voice commented. _It could be something you don't want to deal with. _

The fact that he was having reassuring conversations with himself was a testament to his current state-of-mind. After being surrounded by happiness and light for months, it was rather hard to transition back to the way it used to be. His life with Harry and Ginny was filled with joy. The atmosphere they created encouraged independence and free will. Sev knew he could be who he was around them and they would do nothing but encourage him to keep at it.

Here, in Malfoy Manor, on the other hand, the situation was entirely different. The atmosphere around here felt miserable, suppressed; like happiness and light were being beaten down and not allowed to take form. A shiver ran down Severus' spine. This reminded him too much of his old home in Spinner's End. Draco's attitude from earlier was too reminiscent of the attitude his first father had towards him. Severus would be damned if ended up growing up surrounded by this rubbish the second time around!

All of a sudden, Sev heard a loud scraping noise and turned just in time to see Moody step away from his fallen chair and cross the room in two strides. When he came to a stop, he had his nose to the far wall and was eyeing the wallpaper with an intensity that would have scared Severus, had that look been directed towards him.

Frowning in confusion, the infant wondered idly what it would be like to be under the command of _that_ nutter. Harry, Ron, Tonks and Sirius all answered to him and Sev wondered how they took that. Recalling Harry's and Sirius' reactions to his presence back in New York, it was obvious that they respected him in the same way that soldiers respected their superiors. Sev understood that. Yet he wondered if that respect was based on fear of Mad-Eye Moody or on respect of the man and his accomplishments.

Because, if Severus was to be frank, Moody was not a man he would have picked to be the role model at the insane asylum. The man was a few fries short of a happy meal, in his opinion. Mad-Eye Moody had the reputation of toeing the line between good auror and bad auror. He was the one who usually came up with the most insane conspiracy theories and believed in them so much that convincing him of the truth was tantamount to convincing the Devil that Heaven was paradise. The man was almost like Voldemort in a way. Both commanded respect just by their very presence, and both weren't in full possession of all their marbles as well. Yet the aura permeating from Moody was not one filled with the desire for global domination, but one bursting with the need to keep everyone as safe from the darkness as possible. Therein lay the difference.

Moody was desperate for unselfish reasons. Voldemort merely looked out for number one. Moody sat on the ledge between the edge of sanity and the abyss of madness. Voldemort ran to the cliff and gladly threw himself off. Given the choice between the two of them, Severus would have followed Mad-Eye Moody with almost no hesitation at all; which was probably why Harry trusted the crazy old man with his, Severus', life.

In the blink of an eye, Moody went from being a frozen, wall-staring statue to a moving blur whose speed defied all logic entirely. "You two! House elves!" He bellowed, making Sev, Dobby, and Kreacher all jump at the sudden noise after an eternity of silence.

"Y—y—yes, sir?" Dobby stuttered from behind Sev's crib.

"Guard that child with your _lives_, do you understand me?" He barked, pointing at Severus.

The infant's eyes widened. Why, in Merlin's name, did he say that? Why would he _need_ to say that?

As if to answer all his silent questions, Moody promptly turned on his heel, opened the door, and took off down the hall.

Like a dam bursting open, a loud, high-pitched wail, accompanied by a surge of dark energy, suddenly overwhelmed Sev's senses. Out of instinct, the infant covered his ears with his hands, closed his eyes, and dove headfirst into his pillow. He suddenly remembered where he had heard that wailing before. It was back when he had accompanied Harry and Ginny down to the Slytherin common room to pack his things away. Sev recalled the dark energy had assaulted him then as well.

_But it wasn't as intense as this!_ The voice at the back of his mind screamed in response. The wailing of the phantom voice was so loud that Sev had to scream at himself—in his head—in order for him to hear himself think!

Merlin's Beard! That sound was awful! It reminded Sev of the screaming he heard from the victims of the Cruciatus curses back in his Death Eater days. It sounded like the wailing of a human being whose flesh was being ripped from bone, whose muscles were being torn to shreds, and whose organs were being ripped from their body. It sounded like the cry of a mother whose child had just been murdered in front of her eyes. The pain and agony in the voice made Severus cringe and want to cry out himself.

"Stop! Stop! Stop!" He moaned.

"Young Sir! Young Sir!" Severus cracked open an eye to see Dobby waving at him nervously and Kreacher peering at him with muted concern. From the way Dobby's mouth kept moving, Sev figured the house elf was trying to tell him something, yet he couldn't hear it, whatever it was. The voice and the accompanying dark energy were too distracting. Sev could tell his heart was beginning to race, his stomach was knotting up, and his breaths were getting shorter by the second. He had other things to worry about besides what Dobby was trying to tell him.

"Can't—seen—caught—banish—invisible—w—leave you—Here, sir!"

Severus moaned and began rubbing his ears in an effort to block out that voice. Right now, he didn't give a damn about what Dobby and Kreacher had to say unless they meant to help him get rid of that pain-inducing voice coming from what seemed like everywhere.

_The very walls are wailing._ The voice at the back drawled ominously. _Crying out in despair._

Severus wanted to die.

Glancing back towards Dobby and Kreacher, Sev watched as the former house elf snapped his fingers and the two elves faded away.

The infant gasped and pushed up against his bed, his eyes widening at the spot Dobby and Kreacher had just been standing. The terrible wailing intensified once his ears were no longer covered but Severus didn't care. His two house elves—his only forms of protection left, now that Moody had taken off—were now gone! "DOOBEEE!" Sev cried in a panic, looking around the spot where they had been standing just moments ago. "DOOOBEEE! KWEEE-EW!" The infant felt his heart rate shoot up exponentially.

They were gone! Dobby and Kreacher and Moody were all gone! And the door was open and the voice was yelling and Sev was shivering and he felt exposed and something cold and dark was coming for him. He could just feel it!

_Something wicked this way comes…_

Severus never wanted to die as badly as he did right now!

"_Do you sense it, Sev?"_

The infant shut his eyes and a memory of a time not so long ago flashed in his mind.

"_It's white magic." Ginny murmured into his soft baby hair. "It's hard to detect, I know. Surrounded by all this darkness, it seems virtually impossible to be able to sense any white magic anywhere. But know this, love: there can be no dark without the light, and all the darkness in the universe cannot extinguish the light of a single candle." Sev pushed up, removing his hand and his attention from the glass to meet Ginny's eyes. "Even if there were no windows in this room, and we were surrounded by dark magic…there would still be light. You know where?" Sev inclined his head curiously. Ginny pointed to his little chest. "In here." Sev looked down at her finger. She then pointed to his forehead. "And in here." Sev looked up. After a moment, he grasped her finger in his little fist, brought it into his mouth, and began chewing on it._

"_You remember what it felt like, don't you?" Ginny continued, regardless of the finger chewing. "You remember what it felt like to be surrounded by white magic? To sense it __**everywhere**__, feel it in __**everything**__? Do you remember how absolutely amazing it felt to be immersed in it? How free and alive you were when Harry showed you how to sense it last night?"_

Sev _did_ remember what it felt like, and he wanted nothing more than to feel that right _**now**_!

"_Then there's your candle." Ginny murmured with a smile. "It's inside __**you**__!" She rubbed her nose against his baby nose, generating a fit of childish giggles from the infant. "All the darkness in this room would not be able to extinguish this candle."_ _Ginny pulled her finger out of his mouth and tapped him gently on the lips with it._

It was inside him; it was inside him; it was inside him!

Severus whimpered and glanced down at his chest dubiously. It didn't _feel_ like it was inside him!

"Well, well, well, what have we here, boys?" A voice cackled from the open doorway.

Sev gasped and quickly turned so that his back was no longer facing the door. Who else then should he come face-to-face with other than the dragon of the dragon's lair himself?

Draco Malfoy.

"What are you crying about, Snape?" He jeered, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips as he leaned cockily against the doorframe. "And where did your bodyguard go, I wonder? You're here all alone!" He finished in a mock-sad tone-of-voice. Sev could hear cackling coming from the shadows just behind Malfoy.

The infant whimpered and swiped a hand across his eyes. This couldn't be happening. This wasn't supposed to be happening!

"God, look at you. You weakling!" Malfoy snarled, glaring at him as he pushed off the doorframe and began stepping into the room. "A few months with Potter and his pansies and you turn into _this_!" He made a disgusted sound at the back of his throat and promptly spit on the floor by his feet. "Disgusting, crying child!"

"_What's wrong with you, boy! Be a man! Quit crying like a little girl! Stupid pansy! Just like your whore mother!"_

"I'll give you something to cry about, Severus Snape. Don't you worry about that!" Malfoy continued, a mad gleam in his bloodshot eyes.

All of a sudden, Severus' heart rate kicked up and he steadily began to hyperventilate. He could smell alcohol in the room.

"A spy for the Resistance!" Draco cackled madly. "A spy! The Dark Lord _trusted_ you like he trusted none other in his ranks, and you turn out to be the snake in the grass!"

"Get him, Draco!" One of the voices cried from the shadows beyond the doorway.

"Well, I guess that's typical, isn't it? The head snake turns out to be the biggest lion of them all."

"We kill lions! Don't we, boys?" Another voice whooped from the shadows just beyond.

Severus made a low whimpering sound in his throat as he pulled his stuffed lion cub over and hugged it for all it was worth, burying his face in its soft head while at the same time keeping one eye trained on the preying Malfoy. His fear skyrocketed with every step closer Malfoy took, making his tears fall all the harder and his cries all the louder.

"Look at this whimpering idiot." Malfoy taunted, earning him a laugh from his cronies just outside the door. "Crying like the baby he is. Now Potter and his lap dogs aren't here to protect you, are they?" The blonde teen pulled out his wand. "SHUT YOUR FACE!"

All of a sudden, Severus' cries were silenced. His childish wails ceased to bounce off the bare walls. He felt himself crying. He _knew_ he was crying! He knew he was yelling his lungs out right now, yet he heard not a peep.

Malfoy had just cast a silencing spell on him.

_What an abominable thing to do!_ The voice at the back commented, scandalized by Draco's actions.

Sev couldn't cry. Well, he _could_ cry, but he couldn't _hear_ himself cry! And if he couldn't hear himself cry, then what was the point of crying? He cried in order to vent his frustrations, release stress, voice his displeasure, and a number of other different things. Yet without the ability to _hear_ all these things come out of him, to _hear_ himself release these frustrations, without the knowledge that he was being heard by someone who could help him deal with his stress, then what was the point of crying? Malfoy had just taken away his only means of releasing all his pent-up emotions, effectively imprisoning Severus within his mind.

_Harry would never have done that!_ His little voice agreed with ferocity. _Harry would never have cast a spell on me to get me to do something he wanted!_ Severus could have cried 'til his lungs gave out, day in and day out, and still neither Harry nor Ginny would have resorted to using a silencing charm on him. Ever!

"There! That sounds a bit better. Don't you think, boys?" Malfoy grinned, his eyes narrowing at the panicking child inside the crib. "Now…what shall I do first, eh?"

"Draco!" A female voice echoed from the doorway, making everyone turn towards it in surprise.

Severus was shocked to see Astoria Greengrass walk through the threshold and march straight towards Draco, looking half-determined, half-panicked. _What is she doing here?_ He wondered idly.

"Draco, stop! You told your father you would wait until he gets home." She said, trying to grab Draco's wand from his hand.

"What are you doing?" The blonde replied, scandalized.

"Give me your wand!"

_SMACK!_

Draco backhanded the younger girl strongly, sending her sprawling towards the floor. Sev gasped and hugged his lion cub even closer to his chest, pushing himself to the other end of the crib, trying to get as far away from Malfoy as possible. Adrenaline pumped through the infant's veins.

_Not good! Not good! Not good! Not good!_ Sev chanted in his head. He bit his lip hard in a desperate attempt to contain his fear.

"Father is already home, you stupid bitch!" Draco growled at her hunched form. "He's a bit preoccupied at the moment, though, dealing with my meddlesome, disobedient mother. And you'll do well to remember _your_ place in this family," he cried, pointing a threatening finger at the fallen teen, "lest you want to end up just like her once I'm done with _HIM_!" And with that, Malfoy marched towards the crib with angry strides, pulling his walking stick out of thin air and preparing to use it against the eleven-month-old Severus Snape.

Before he could reach him, though, a powerful wave of energy coursed through the room, sweeping Draco off his feet and sending him flying into the air. The blonde teen flew through the threshold and into his unsuspecting cronies, knocking everyone to the ground. Before anyone could process what had just happened, the bedroom door slammed shut and its lock clicked into place.

"Told you, I did!" A familiar voice squeaked where no one stood. "I did! I did! I did!"

"Yes, yes, shut up now." There was a quick snapping sound and Dobby and Kreacher suddenly reappeared where they had been standing before—right beside Severus' crib. The infant couldn't be happier to see them. "Are you alright, Little Master?" Kreacher asked, snapping his fingers and instantly removing the silencing charm.

"KWEEE-EW!" Sev cried, reaching through the bars of his crib to give the grumpy little house elf the biggest bear hug he could possibly manage at the moment.

Kreacher's eyes popped out of their sockets the moment the little human's arms encircled his neck. Then, just as quickly, they narrowed again when he became highly suspicious of this new kind of affectionate display.

As Kreacher tended to Severus, Dobby made his way across the room to give Astoria a check-up. "Young Mistress? Young Mistress, are you alright?" He asked, approaching her with hesitation.

Astoria had picked herself up, somewhat, off the ground and was now sitting with her back against the wall. Her knees were pulled up to her chest and she had her arms crossed over her kneecaps. Her head was buried in her arms and she appeared to be sniffling.

"Young Mistress?" Dobby questioned, laying a shaky hand upon her arm.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" The young woman shrieked, jerking violently to the side. She jumped away from Dobby at the same time Dobby jumped away from her.

"S—s—s—sorry! Dobby apologizes for startling the young mistress!" The house elf squeaked, wringing his wrists nervously.

"It's alright!" Astoria replied hastily. Her eyes, however, remained wide and puffy as they darted from side to side. "It's…it's okay…" Almost subconsciously, she began rubbing the spot on her cheek where Draco had struck her moments before. "It…it's fine."

Frowning, Kreacher waved Severus to the far side of his crib and turned his back to the infant, shielding him from the crazy-looking teen across the room.

"Would you like me to heal that for you, Young Mis—"

"No, thank you!" Astoria replied, jumping to her feet and hastily making her way towards the door. "No, thank you. I'm fine!" Still rubbing her cheek furiously, the teen frantically scanned the room, as if looking for anything she might have dropped. Seemingly satisfied with not having found anything, Astoria tightened her robe around herself and reached for the doorknob. She paused before turning it, however, and glanced back over her shoulder to peer at Dobby and Kreacher.

"I'll try to convince the kitchen elves to come in and feed him." She told them, her voice no higher than a whisper. Glancing at the door nervously, Astoria turned back to the two house elves after a split second and lowered her voice even more. "And I won't tell them you're here." As soon as those words were past her lips, she unlocked the door and slipped out of the room as stealthily as a shadow, making sure to close and lock the door behind her.

Sev cringed briefly as the wailing voice and the sensations of darkness assaulted him for the short second that the door was open, but relaxed again once the door was shut and locked.

It was going to be a _long_ week!

_**

* * *

**_

"Malfoy's going to regret this little ploy for redemption, mark my words." Ron sighed as he watched his sister through the kitchen window.

Ginny was sitting in the middle of the garden, her head buried in her arms and her shoulders shaking from the intensity of her sobs.

"Time for another crying fit, I assume." Hermione remarked sadly as she followed her boyfriend's gaze.

"How's she been doing?" Sirius asked, nodding towards the crying teen out the window.

"It's been the same thing for the last three days." Fred replied.

"She goes from crying fit—"

"—to studying fit—"

"—and back to crying fit again!"

"And when she gets into a studying mood, she hits those law books like nothing I've ever seen before." Ron remarked.

"_I_ can't even keep up with her!" Hermione added for emphasis.

"And _that's_ saying something!" Ron exclaimed.

"Well she has good reason to, doesn't she?" Remus pointed out. "Imagine your own child being taken away from you. She's desperate to get him back. They both are!"

"I can't imagine what they're going through." Tonks threw in, tightening her arms around Teddy. The very _thought_ of someone coming in and taking her baby away from her filled her with dread and desperation. She would do anything and everything to prevent that from happening. She didn't know how Harry and Ginny were standing it!

"Yeah, I know." Sirius nodded in agreement. "Harry's not doing much better, I can tell you."

"We see him when he's here, Padfoot."

"What's he up to when he's not here?" Hermione asked, concerned about her best friend and his current state-of-mind. "Ron and I try to ask him how he's feeling but he always blows us off."

"Won't even answer when we corner him about it." Ron added.

"Yeah, I wouldn't do that, if I were you." Sirius replied with a grimace. "Harry's beyond furious right now, and cornering a very angry lion is never advisable."

"He goes off for long stretches at a time." Remus explained, passing Hermione a cup of tea. "And when he comes back, he digs through countless law books for hours on end."

"Getting him to eat is a battle in and of itself."

"Yeah, Ginny too." Ron nodded.

"George and I think that those long stretches when he goes out by himself are his venting times." Fred explained.

"Do you lot remember that scarecrow we had in the South Field?" George recounted, "The one we used for target practice whenever we de-gnomed the garden?"

"Yeah?" Ron raised an eyebrow.

"We were just wondering whether or not you all noticed it was steadily beginning to resemble Malfoy a bit." Fred asked with a smirk.

"Or whether or not you all noticed how it's scattered all over the South Field right now." George finished with a snort.

"You destroyed it?" Hermione asked with a frown.

"Not us!"

"Harry!" Fred and George replied in unison.

"The thing exploded rather violently yesterday." Fred explained.

"Beyond repair now."

"That's probably where he went off to yesterday afternoon." Sirius mused idly. Outside the window, he watched as his godson walked up to Ginny and took a seat behind her. Harry wrapped his arms around his girlfriend and provided her with a shoulder to cry on. At the same time, he levitated a law book behind her head and began reading while she bawled her eyes out.

_Clever boy…_Padfoot mused silently.

"What charges or whatever has Malfoy brought against Harry?" Ron asked.

"They're not exactly charges, Ron." Hermione interjected. "They're more of allegations that bring into question Harry's ability to care for a child."

"But what does Ginny have to do with all of this?"

"Ginny applied for co-guardianship along with Harry. Once Harry's guardianship rights were revoked, Ginny's went along with it."

"So just because they assume Harry will be a bad guardian, they immediately assume Ginny will be a bad guardian as well?" Ron frowned. "One bad apple is supposed to make the whole batch rotten?"

"I suppose their reasoning was that once they received allegations that one of the petitioners' abilities were questionable, they wouldn't want the child anywhere near that questionable petitioner anymore. If one petitioner signed the agreement along with a second petitioner, then it's safe to assume that the former already has or will have continuous contact with the latter. Thus if the former's abilities were called into question, then you wouldn't want the petitioned to stay with the latter—"

"Hermione!" Ron exclaimed, interrupting his girlfriend's monologue. "Speak _English_, will ya?"

"If Draco Malfoy and Lucius Malfoy petitioned for guardianship of Severus together, and we brought up allegations of alcohol abuse against Draco, then by your logic, Lucius should get custody of Severus."

"But he's just as bad!" Ron argued.

"But you can't prove that."

"See the point, Ron?" Remus raised an eyebrow. "It's to prevent worse case scenarios such as that."

"But Ron was asking what the allegations were against Harry, though." Tonks pointed out. "And what proof did they have?"

"Draco Malfoy presented evidence in front of the _entire_ Department of Wizarding Child Protective Services that Harry has a history of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse as well as neglect. Along with that, they cite some bogusly high statistic stating that most people who live through abuse end up as abusers themselves. Their evidence for Harry's history came from his medical record at St. Mungo's." Sirius explained.

"Which they most likely obtained illegally." Hermione pointed out. "Medical records are not supposed to be public knowledge."

"We could use that to argue our case before the Wizengamot." Remus pointed out.

"But the thing is, Moony, Hestia was supposed to know about this, but she didn't."

"Her impartiality is questionable—that would be the counter from Malfoy's court." George added.

"We've got to work on that one." Sirius nodded, making a note of it on a sheet of parchment. "Other allegations include that Harry has a history of violence—"

"See, _that_ I don't understand!" Ron exclaimed.

"—and that he has been linked to muggle gang activity quite recently."

"Well, that's a total lie!" Hermione argued.

Sirius' lips thinned into a line and he wordlessly slid a copy of Harry's muggle criminal record over to her. A mug shot of a fifteen-year-old Henry James Potter stared back at them from the top page. "The Death Eaters dug up Harry's muggle criminal record. It's all there in black-and-white."

"Can't these be forged?" Ron argued.

"They could have been." The animagus replied with a frown, "And that would've been a grand argument…if it wasn't for the fact that Harry admitted it himself."

"WHAT?" Ron, Hermione, Fred, George, and Tonks all exclaimed, their eyes widening at Sirius.

"Most of the history of violence argument comes from his bouts of vandalism during his younger years."

"When he reacted publicly to the abuses he was suffering at home, at the hands of his uncle." Hermione nodded. "That part we know about. What is this about gang activity, though?"

"It started off innocent enough, really. I supposed most recruitments do, if you really think about it." Remus picked up where Sirius left off. "Harry went out to dinner one night at a restaurant that had a bar somewhere in the back. You know that sort, right?" Everyone nodded at him. "Well…turns out, there was this gang leader that was having dinner at the very same restaurant, the very same time. Anyway, he spots Harry—fifteen-year-old kid eating alone. This is a mere week into the summer holiday after your fifth year."

"Suffice to say that Harry was a bit depressed, a bit bored, and more than a bit lonely." Sirius interjected. "The perfect combination if you're looking to tempt someone into joining your gang. Long story short, Harry went from having a drink with his new friends to partying at the hottest nightclubs in London within the space of three days. He had the world at his fingertips—fast money, fast drugs, fast alcohol, fast cars, fast women…" Sirius inhaled sharply and his own eyes glazed over at the thought of it all. "Sex appeal, sex appeal, sex appeal…" He murmured under his breath.

"Harry doesn't seem the sort to fall into that kind of life." Hermione argued with a frown.

"Maybe not to you, 'Mione." Remus replied gently, "But, remember, it is not wise to judge another's reaction to a situation unless one has gone through such a trial oneself."

"I highly doubt Hermione's been recruited into a hardcore gang before." Fred teased with a snort.

"But I have." Sirius interjected, his somber tone bringing their joking to a screeching halt. "I've been targeted for recruiting into muggle gangs before. And let me tell you, it is _NOT EASY_ for a young man of fifteen to turn his back on that world."

"Padfoot?" Tonks raised a surprised eyebrow at her cousin.

"It's all sex appeal—every bit of it!" The animagus continued. "And it's all fun and games until your life depends on whether or not you choose to beat someone senseless or stick a bullet in their head." Sirius' eyes glazed over as if he was reliving a distant and painful memory. "And it's only once you actually get to that point that you realize you may have gotten in over your head." Pulling back Harry's criminal record, Sirius stared into his godson's mug shot and saw in those fifteen-year-old eyes, a reflection of himself as a teenager. "It's only when you're standing before the devil, and he's asking for that final bit of your soul, that you realize you've been giving it to him all along."

"Sirius!" The sound of his name snapped Sirius out of the trance-like state he was in and he looked up to find almost everyone staring at him in confusion.

"What's all this got to do with proving Malfoy's going to be a bad father and Harry's going to be a good one?" Tonks asked, getting the question on everyone's mind out into the open.

"Oh…" The animagus frowned. He had just lost his train of thought. "This has nothing to do with proving Malfoy is going to be a bad father. For that, all you need to do is to talk to his secret mind healer and have a proper medical healer diagnose his alcohol addiction before the court." He explained with a shrug.

Hermione, Ron, Tonks, Fred, and George all exchanged a perplexed look. "Did you get all that down, Ronald?"

The redhead grunted in response just as Sirius continued his monologue. "No…I was just thinking about _Harry's_ situation and how we're going to prove he's perfectly capable of raising a happy, healthy child before the Wizengamot."

"And where did your thoughts lead you?" Tonks asked, genuinely intrigued by her cousin's train-of-thought.

"Well…if he's anything like me—"

"Which he is, considering he got out of gang life in virtually the same manner _you_ got out years ago, Padfoot." Remus replied with a raised eyebrow.

"Then this whole gang situation would have changed him greatly—for the better!"

"The question is how we're going to _prove_ that!" Hermione argued. "How we're going to convince the Wizengamot, _beyond a shadow of a doubt_, that all the things that happened to Harry in his life has shaped him for the better and that he's ultimately going to turn out to be a great father. How are we going to _prove_ all that?"

"The same way we prove that Malfoy is going to be a bad father." Sirius answered simply.

"But we have a mind healer working for us when it comes to attesting to Malfoy's state-of-mind." Tonks interjected. "We have no such thing when it comes to attesting to _Harry's_."

"We're going to need someone who has known about Harry all along." Hermione added, "Someone who can corroborate our claim that Harry's experiences have changed him for the better."

"And that he's not a nutter." Ron threw in.

"The problem is _no one_ fits that description!" Fred argued.

"I _know_! That's my problem." Hermione replied with a scowl. "I—"

"_**UH-HUH**_!" Sirius exclaimed, slamming his palm against the table and startling everyone into silence. "I got it!" He cried with a joyous cackle. The animagus' eyes gleamed in the sunlight as he jumped up from the table and grabbed his coat off the hook by the hearth. "Moony! Come with me!" He called, glancing back at the perplexed group of people frozen behind him. "Come on, mate, I need your help with something!"

After exchanging a quick glance and a nod with his wife, Remus stood up from the table and caught the coat Sirius threw his way. "Where are we going?" He asked for the sake of everyone else in the room, even as he followed Sirius to the floo.

"London." The animagus replied.

Remus frowned in confusion. "Grimmauld Place?" He asked.

Sirius shook his head and grinned at his best mate over his shoulder. "East End."

_**

* * *

**_

Moody was glaring at the floor.

He was on his knees by Severus' crib and was glaring at the floor. His good eye was closed while his magical eye bulged out of its socket, and it was trained on a speck of invisible dust on the otherwise immaculate hardwood floor. The infant was beginning to feel sorry for whatever speck was under the man's scrutiny right now.

_Your boss is a nutter._ Sev muttered toward the two familiar presences in his head. The infant was lying on his side inside his crib. He had his arms wrapped firmly around Simba and was watching the eccentric auror with just a modicum of interest. Otherwise, he was incredibly bored. Again. Severus had not been taken out of his crib since he arrived here.

Harry's chuckles reverberated from the back of his mind. _That's how Moody is, cub. That's what makes him special._

_Think of him as an eccentric old man rather than a nutter._ Ginny added kindly.

He was crazy and he was weird. There. Sev made his final assessment.

_But he is the best form of protection anyone can come by._ Harry commented.

_No, __**you**__ are!_ Sev argued, hugging his lion even closer to his chest and shutting his eyes.

"_You are! You are! You are!" Sev ran to the couch Harry and Ginny perpetually occupied at the back of his mind and dove into the space in between them, squeezing himself into the small gap. Both his parents' arms immediately encircled him._

"_Are you keeping that candle burning, love?" Ginny asked gently. "Remember what I said several months ago?"_

"_Don't let the darkness win, cub."_

"_The door keeps the voices away!" Sev replied, looking up at Harry for an explanation. "When it's open, I feel like the scary voice is everywhere, but when the door is closed, I feel like it's being held back."_

"_Moody likely put charms on the door so that the house's aura wouldn't affect you too much." Harry nodded. "Whether or not the door's open determines whether or not the charms work effectively."_

"_It still feels like a cage, though." Sev remarked sadly. "They don't even feed me there. It's stupid! I want to go home!" He lamented. "The big voice even hates it there!"_

"_Does he now?" Harry responded with a look of surprise. "That's new!"_

"_The big voice?" Ginny raised an eyebrow._

"_Severus Snape." Her boyfriend answered. "The BIG Severus Snape, as opposed to this guy." He said, gesturing towards the five-year-old between them. "He's the perpetual voice of cynicism at the back of Sev's mind." _

"_I prefer to consider myself the voice of reason, thank you very much!" A familiar voice echoed from the family's right. All three heads turned to find a familiar-looking thirty-eight year-old approaching from somewhere among the white void of Sev's mind. _

_Harry smiled and stood up, offering Snape his hand. "Mr. Snape."_

"_Mr. Potter." Snape nodded, taking Harry's hand and giving it a firm shake. _

"_I heard you don't like it in Malfoy Manor."_

"_Yes." The potions master replied simply, turning away and studying the white void around them. It was obvious that was all Harry was going to get out of him. The teenager snorted and shook his head._

"_Who are you?" Sev cried, studying the man with a frown. _

"_I'm you, you silly little boy!" Snape replied with a roll of his eyes. _

"_He's me?" Sev peered up at Ginny in confusion. Grabbing her hand, he wrapped her arm around himself even tighter and scowled at the strange man. _

_Ginny settled for picking him up and settling him on her lap instead, her arms wrapped firmly around his waist. "You don't remember what you used to look like, love?" _

"_His self-image has yet to form." Snape explained. "He has a vague notion of what he used to look like, but he pays it little to no heed. He's building himself from the ground up." _

"_I don't understand, Mr. Snape. There are two of you?" Ginny's eyebrows scrunched together. _

_Snape shook his head. "Not quite." Shifting his robes to the side, he took a seat on the easy chair that had appeared out of nowhere. Once he was seated, Harry took his own seat once again. "There is him." The potions master gestured towards the child on the couch. "I'm just…a certain part of him." _

"_But you were…de-aged, weren't you?" _

_Snape shook his head. "I was reborn." Once again, he pointed to the fidgety five-year-old on Ginny's lap. "He is the man. I am merely the memories." _

"_When Sev first took the potion, it was you who was dominating his mind, wasn't it?" Harry asked with a small half-smile._

_Snape inclined his head. "Yet he has steadily been taking control of himself as time goes on."_

"_That explains the behavioral changes." Harry remarked to Ginny. _

"_So are you stuck in his mind, Mr. Snape?" His girlfriend asked, trying to grasp the whole situation. _

"_No, madam, I am a __**part**__ of his mind." Snape repeated with a roll of his eyes. How many times did he have to say it? "The voice at the back that niggles at him whenever he misses an opportunity to pull a prank on the mutt."_

"_Ah!" On her lap, Sev grinned and began giggling at his older counterpart. "That explains it. Thank you!"_

"_It's good to know you're still in here, Snape." Harry remarked with a smile. _

_The potions master eyed him warily before turning away and trying to act nonchalant. "It's good to know I have a real family this time around." He murmured under his breath. "One who's actually fighting for me."_

_Harry heard him anyway. "Good feelings all around, th—"_

Sev's eyes flew open as he felt his crib shake and heard the hinges creak loudly.

"Goddamn family!" Moody grumbled, using the crib to help him climb to his feet. "Do they think I can't see them?" He snapped at Severus. "Do they think I don't know what they're up to?" Turning away, the auror summoned a piece of parchment from the desk and began scribbling furiously upon it.

Severus was confused. What just happened here?

"I have enough evidence to put both father _and_ son in Azkaban _ten times over_! Rape, assault, battery, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, harboring wanted criminals!" Moody barred his teeth at the parchment as if it was the source of his troubles.

"Do they think I don't know what's going on?" Moody bitched to Sev, slamming his parchment down atop the growing pile on the side table by his makeshift cot. "They don't call me _Mad-Eye _ for nothing. I can see clear to either end of this abominable house, from the east wing to the west and from the attic to the basement!"

So _that's_ why Moody kept glaring at the walls and the floorboards and the ceiling and everything. He was _spying_ on the Malfoys!

_Clever ploy…_The big voice at the back mused. _Kills two birds with one stone._

"_Kingsley probably came up with it." Ginny commented._

"_No, hun, it seems more Moody's style." Harry snorted._

"Every Death Eater on our wanted board is hiding in this house right now. I can _see_ them!" The auror exclaimed, shaking his finger at the ceiling. "I can tell you _exactly_ where they are right now. And the day of your custody hearing is the day my boys and I **raid** this joint!" The old wizard slammed his fist into the desk in emphasis.

"_Did he say __**every**__ Death Eater on the board?" Harry exclaimed, suddenly agitated. _

"_But if that's the case, why haven't they—"_

"_They're holding back." Harry surmised. "They're holding back because they're __**expecting**__ to win Severus during the custody hearing!" _

"_Harry—"_

"_Over my dead body!"_

"Lucius Malfoy is getting a one-way ticket to Azkaban, let me tell you that!" Moody continued. Severus began sucking on his thumb, nervous at the intensity of the old wizard's rants. "And just wait 'til I catch his _son_ in the act! That boy _rapes_ that lady-friend of his when he's in a drunken rage, I just know it!" The auror glared at the far wall. "I can tell by the way she flinches at the touch. Like a beaten animal, let me tell ye!"

Moody scoffed. "And it's the house elves that Potter and Black sent that take care of you. I never _once_ saw one of Malfoy's elves come in here. Do they feed you? NO! Do they change you?"

**BANG**!

Moody banged his fist against the side table with a ferocity that made Severus cringe.

"NO!"

"Do they listen to me?" He snarled at Severus.

**BANG**!

"NO!"

_Alastor Moody is not a man who takes getting ignored very well._ Sev mused. No wonder Harry, Ron, and even Sirius were afraid of disrespecting him.

"What? Did they expect to just take you without a fight from Potter's camp? After he's cared for ye these past few months? What are they, stupid? Know your enemies!" The auror snarled, pointing a finger at the ceiling in emphasis "Know your enemies—that's what I always tell my boys. Wife beaters, the pair of them! Like father, like son. If I wasn't here, you'd be dead by now, I can tell ye that! Dim-witted, good-for-nothing…"

Moody's rants faded into the background as Sev slowly tuned them out. They were getting more and more senseless by the minute.

Reaching to the back of his mind, he could feel both Harry's and Ginny's presences, still there and still very strong. Harry's consciousness had gone, most likely to continue working on the case. He had sounded extremely angry a few minutes ago, Severus recalled. Yet Ginny's consciousness was still there. She was singing to him, humming that song that he loved so much. Sev recalled many a night when he fell asleep to her angelic voice humming that familiar tune.

"_Mmmmmm Hmmmm Mmmmm Mmmm Mmmm…"_

It was usually the nights Harry was gone for training. And Ginny was the one putting him to bed in the evenings.

"_Mmmmmm Hmmmm Mmmmm Mmmm Mmmm…"_

It was the same song Harry had first sung to him months ago, when he had gotten sick and couldn't get to sleep.

"_Mmmmmm Hmmmm Mmmmm Mmmm Mmmm…"_

The same one Sirius had sung to Harry years ago, under the same circumstances.

"_Mmmmmm Hmmmm Mmmmm Mmmm Mmmm…"_

Severus hugged Simba close to his chest and allowed his mind to wander. Ginny's singing brought back oh so many memories. Thoughts of sweeter times. Better times. Happier times.

"_There's your candle, love. It's inside __**you**__!"_

The memories—they were his candle, protecting him from darkness. They were his lifesaver in this storm. They were the reason he still had hope; the reason why he didn't wish death on himself quite yet.

"_Alright, Sev, here we go!" Harry wrapped his right arm firmly around the infant while his left lightly rubbed the unicorn's soft mane. Sev gasped as their ride suddenly began to jerk and shake. Wrapping his arms around Harry's hand, he grasped at the teen's fingers and held on to dear life until the unicorn steadied itself on its feet. "There now!" Harry chuckled. "Not too bad, eh?" _

"_Smile, handsome!" Ginny cried, waving at them from behind the lens of a magical camera. _

_Sev grinned but, just as quickly, his look transformed into one of surprise as the unicorn they were riding suddenly began to move._

_Harry chuckled behind him and tightened his grip on the infant. "Nice and easy, Sev." He crooned. "Unicorns are gentle creatures. They're slow and graceful." The teen pointed to the ground. "Their feet don't even touch the earth." Harry rubbed his thumb across Sev's tummy. "You'll be fine. I'll make sure you won't fall."_

_Beside them, Ginny climbed onto a unicorn herself and slung the camera over her shoulder. Sev watched as she leaned down and laid an ear to the back of the unicorn's neck. Her eyes closed and a smile appeared on her face as she began to caress the unicorn's silky mane. "Thank you, sweetheart." Sev heard her murmur, her voice full of grace and wonder. "Thank you for this ride." The unicorn neighed and began nodding up and down, as if to say she was welcome. _

"_Hold on, Sev." Harry said before the infant noticed the increased grip across his chest. "We're about to go for a run." _

_No sooner had the words left his lips that the unicorn they were riding suddenly took off on a run. Sev squeaked in surprise and gripped Harry's fingers with a vengeance._

"_Easy, cub…" Harry chuckled above him. "Relax…__**Feel**__ it…"_

_Severus closed his eyes and tried to swallow at the bile he could __**feel**__ rising from his stomach!_

_Yet the moment he opened them, though—the moment his eyes once again met sunlight—he felt as if those eyes had been closed his entire life. _

_They were riding with the unicorns! They were riding along with a herd of one of the most magical creatures in history—one whose very name oozed with white magic and light. And they had been welcomed into it! From the very beginning, the unicorns had called them and had accepted the three of them into their fold. Now they were being treated to a view of the world as seen through the eyes of these amazing creatures. And, oh, was it gorgeous! _

_Sev had never particularly noticed before, but the Scottish countryside was beyond beautiful! The rolling emerald green hills, the long, tall grass, flowing in the wind, the winding creeks—they all contributed to the air of innate magic about the land. For the first time in his life, Sev took a minute to sit back, feel the wind blow through his hair, and bask in the beauty of the land that had become his second home. A sweet essence tickled his nose and the infant inhaled slowly, savoring the scent of the crisp summer air mixed with the aroma of the lingering morning dew. A warm finger caressed his face and Sev looked up to see rays of sunlight filtering down through the treetops to touch him with their warmth. _

_The entire herd made scarcely a whisper as they ran through the forest. And in the absence of their sound, Sev was able to immerse himself in the music of the wilds of Scotland. The birds in the creek sang him a tune while the grumbling elves and the grunting centaurs provided the background track to their song. The infant smiled at the harmony of life around him._

"Goddamn it!"

CLUMP! THUD! BANG!

"What is it, Mr. Moody, sir?"

"They're at it again! The both of them!"

"Master Draco?"

"AND his father!"

"Poor Mistress Narcissa…Poor Mistress Astoria…"

"Watch the kid!"

"_Hang on to your candle, sweetheart!" _

"_The light chases away the darkness."_

_Fingers of light from the treetops, reaching down to caress his face. _

_Riding with the unicorns through the Scottish countryside._

Screaming. Earsplitting, gut-wrenching, blood-curdling screaming. The door was open again.

"_There's nothing to fear from the shadows."_

_Riding on Harry's shoulders through the moors around Hogwarts. _

_Wading in the shallows of the lake with Ginny. _

"_Lie flat and still, cub." Harry instructed. "Relax…calm down…and you'll just float along the surface of the water." Sev bit his lip and began squirming. "Easy, easy, easy there! I got my arm underneath you, Sev, and I'm not going to let you drown." _

A high pitched scream and the cry of an agonized female, weeping. "I _hate_ him! I hate all of them! I _HATE_ my life!"

As the voice at the back of his head crooned about getting what she deserved for living with a family like that, Sev couldn't help but disagree. The infant felt sorry for her. Sorry that she had been born into a family that would arrange for her to be married to a madman.

"I'm not having him anymore! I can't stand this!" Sev watched as she took a seat on Moody's cot and buried her face in her hands. The infant cringed at the black and blue marks all over her arms. "No more! No more! No more!"

She wailed.

And the walls wailed.

And Sev's heart wailed as well.

_As Harry helped him float along the surface of the lake, Sev took the time to immerse himself in all that he could sense around him. The lake birds sang to him, and the clouds danced above him, and the water wrapped him in its embrace._

"Astoria!"

"No, Mrs. Malfoy!" The girl shrieked, jumping off the bed and backing away from the woman who had just ran into the room. "NO MORE!"

"Calm down, dear girl!"

"How can you be so calm?" Astoria screamed, frustration, anger, and fresh bruises marring her otherwise pretty face. "The other bastard was going at you too!"

"I know—"

"THEN HOW CAN YOU BE LIKE THAT?" Astoria yelled at the top of her lungs.

All the while, Severus lay, unmoving, in his crib, hugging Simba close to his chest and watching them with unseeing eyes. This all felt like a dream to him…

And the world in his mind? _That_ felt like reality!

"_Oh, the summertime is coming  
And the trees are sweetly blooming…"_

_Ginny was dancing him around the front field, singing into his ear whilst waltzing between Aberforth's sleeping goats. _

"_And the wild mountain thyme  
Grows around the blooming heather…"_

"_Will ye go lassie go…" Harry voice joined in. As Ginny turned, Sev spotted him leaning against Aberforth's low wooden fence, a small smile on his face and his eyes shining with the light of the sun. _

"That should hold them back for now." Moody snarled as he reentered the room and slammed the door behind him.

The voice that was screaming bloody murder was instantly silenced.

"You! Elves! Help the ladies!"

"You're an Auror, aren't you?" Astoria cried.

"Aye!"

"I want to press charges against that bastard!"

"Duly noted."

"No, wait! Astoria…"

"How can you just sit back and take it?" The teen snapped at the older woman.

"I haven't—"

"Yes, you have!" Astoria bit back. "Just look at you, Mrs. Malfoy. You're pathetic!"

"_L is for the way you look at me  
O is for the only one I see…"_

_Padfoot pushed slightly against the kitchen door with his nose, opening it just a crack but wide enough to allow himself and the infant behind him to peek through. _

"_V is for very, very extraordinary  
E is for even more than anyone that I adore!"_

_Sev bit his lip as he leaned against the dog and used him to help boost himself up so that he could peek into the kitchen too._

"_Yes, love is all that I can give to you!  
Love is more than just a game for two."_

_They were dancing in the kitchen again. Sev loved it when they danced in the kitchen! Harry was singing to Ginny and she was giggling into his chest; probably because his singing wasn't all that great. _

"_Two and love can make it!"_

"_Take my heart and please don't break it." Ginny whispered._

"_Love was made for me and you!" _

_It was indeed._

Sev watched as Narcissa Malfoy collapsed onto Moody's cot, much like Astoria did just minutes before. She had a long, sad look on her bruising face and the infant took note of the deadness about her eyes as she frowned at the floor. "You get used to it, Astor—"

"No!" The teen retorted immediately. "_You_ get used it! _I_ am not having it anymore! I don't care what father or mother says. They can disown me for all I care now. I am having _**no more**_ of this!"

"_All you have to do is want it, Severus."_

Harry's voice echoed in his head.

"_Want it and it's yours." _

Sev knew what he wanted.

"_Daddy?"_

"_I'm right here, cub." _

"_Mummy?" _

"_Always here, love." _

"_I want to go home!"_

The Lady Malfoy's eyes rose from the floor to meet the infant's gaze through the bars of his crib. Sev didn't react. He didn't really care much. He felt like he was watching one of those muggle television shows as he reclined on the couch in the back of his head, snuggling between Harry and Ginny. Everything that happened out here didn't really affect him; because it wasn't real, and at the end of the day he was going to go back to the reality within his mind.

"I'm so sorry, Severus." She gasped, her voice thick with sadness.

"Humph! Sorry isn't going to cut it with the Wizengamot!" Moody growled, signaling for the elves to go help Astoria. "You know, I have documented proof of _neglect_! How did they expect to win the kid in the courts if they blatantly neglect him in front of a representative from the Ministry?"

"They didn't expect a real court battle." Narcissa replied, her gaze never leaving the child in his crib. "Or you."

"What kind of world are you people living in? Dreamland?" The auror snapped. "In case you haven't noticed, Potter isn't the kind to take things lying down!"

"They were expecting him to take matters into his own hands. And when he did, they would be waiting for him."

"The kid was bait." Moody surmised, his face scrunching up into a frown.

"Yes…for a trap Potter never walked into."

"Then why didn't ye just kidnap him?" The auror was trying to get his head around their whacked out logic.

"And give Potter the power to bring up charges? Have him in the right while they remain in the wrong? Not to mention, appear even worse to the press and the rest of the Ministry?" Narcissa snorted half-heartedly. "You underestimate my husband's efforts to clear the Malfoy name."

"Woman, _nothing_ can help your family's name at this point!" Moody was never one for beating around the bush.

Narcissa frowned at his words and returned her gaze to the baby across the room. Sev watched as the look in her eyes slowly transformed from one of depression to one of barely controlled rage. Fingering her bruising cheek, the Lady Malfoy quickly glanced at the battered teen across the room, who was being healed by the house elves, before returning her gaze to the infant in his crib. The child knew immediately that that look of anger was by no means directed at him.

"They're not my family anymore, Mr. Moody." She declared with quiet conviction. Across the room, Astoria, Dobby, and Kreacher all widened their eyes at her words.

"Good!" Moody snapped, not caring one bit for the miraculous transformation that just took place. "Then you'll have no problem testifying against them in court?"

"If you'll have no problems with helping me get a divorce?"

"_Severus…"_

"_Hello, Lady!" Sev closed his eyes to find himself back at the mysterious lake in the middle of the Forbidden Forest—where Merlin's lover lived. _

"_What is it that you want, Severus?" She crooned, gliding towards him with as much grace as the mist around her, making mere ripples upon the surface of the water._

"_I want to go home." Severus knew that from the depths of his heart. "To my parents…and my family…" He could feel a knot forming in his throat. Every muscle ached with need. "I just want to go home!" This time, his voice cracked and the five-year-old could feel a tear slide down his cheek. He missed Harry and Ginny!_

"_Dear child, sweet child…" The Lady reached out a ghostly finger to wipe the tear from his cheek. "Don't cry…"_

"_Severus!" The child turned at the sound of his name to find a little girl, around his age, standing at the tree line and grinning at him. She had bright red hair and the most enchanting green eyes Severus had ever seen! "Come on, Sev! They're calling us! Come on!" And without even waiting for a reply, she turned around and took off. _

"_No, wait!" Not aware of his own actions, Sev chased after her, not sparing a second glance at the Lady or the lake behind him._

"_Come on, Sev. Hurry!" It was easy to follow her bright red hair. It stood out clearly among a forest of green and brown. "Your mum and dad have been calling us for forever!"_

"_Wait!" Sev cried. "Who are you?"_

"_Lily!" Ginny's voice came out of nowhere and Sev ground to a halt just as he reached the edge of the tree line. "There you are! And where have you been, Severus? We were just about to send Padfoot to sniff you out."_

_The Den. This was the Den! But…it was different somehow. _

"_Well what are you standing there for, love. Come on!" She waved him over. "Get inside and wash up. The both of you! Lily, your parents are in the living room. And Teddy just got here, Sev." _

"_Hey, Sev! Let's go flying later, okay?" A familiar-looking aquamarine-haired boy cried happily from the small back porch. _

"_Excuse me! Both you AND him are grounded for that stunt you pulled last week, remember?" Remus' voice called from one of the second-floor windows. "If either of you touch a broom, your butts are going to regret it!" _

"_I second that." Harry called from behind Severus, startling the child. Before he could blink, Sev was swept off his feet and onto Harry's shoulders. "Now come on! You're gonna help me barbeque, cub."_

Back in his crib, Sev's eyes flew open and he gaped at the ceiling. Was that a glimpse of the future?

"_All you have to do is want it, dear child…"_

_An image of Harry and Ginny flashed in his mind. They were both smiling down at him and holding their hands out for him to take._

"_Want it and it's yours…"_

_Without hesitation, Severus grabbed hold of both their hands and held on as tightly as he could. _

A strange tingling sensation instantly flashed through his body, from the top of his head to the tips of his toes.

"_And now, Severus…" the Lady's voice echoed in his mind, a hint of a smile in her tone. "…it's yours!"_

_Odd._ Sev thought. What did she mean by that?

_Never underestimate the power of Old Magic._ The big Severus crooned at the back of his mind.

Old Magic?

THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! **THUMP**! **THUMP**! **THUMP**!

"They're trying to break in!" Astoria shrieked in alarm. "They can't break in! I demand you to not let them break in!"

Moody sighed and growled something unpleasant under his breath.

"Moopy?" The auror turned at the sound of his name to find Severus sitting up in his crib, his thumb in his mouth, staring at him through wide eyes.

"What, kid?" Signaling to the elves, he bade them to add their own special charms onto the door, on top of his, in order to prevent the Death Eaters on the other side from getting through.

"Wamp mummy and daddy!"

"Tomorrow, son." The auror replied, digging in his pockets for the two-way mirror the social worker had given him a week ago. He needed to contact Hestia. "You'll have them back tomorrow."

* * *

**"Will Ye Go Lassie Go" --Lark and Spur **  
**"Love Was Made for Me and You" --Nat King Cole **

**Next up, I try my hand at writing a courtroom drama! How will I fare? We'll see as the battle for custody of Severus Snape begins! In a chapter that ended up being so long, I had to split it into two (again), the Potters and the Malfoys face off before the Wizengamot (and everyone else who managed to fit in the courtroom). Who's representing the Potter side? Wouldn't you like to know! ;-) And just how well can they make a case? You'd be surprised! Plus, we find out where Harry's often disappeared to over the course of the past week, everyone's favorite master healer makes a reluctant appearance, and we see Severus do some convincing of his own to help out his parents. **

**NOTE: Hey all! I'm sorry for not updating last weekend. I meant to, but my Commencement ceremony was last weekend and it was just hectic. So this was my graduation gift to you! :-) By the way, thank you all SO much for the wonderful reviews and an extra thanks to all those who offered their congratulations. You're all super duper extra extra awesome and I couldn't thank all ya'll enough! I really hope you enjoyed this chapter. It took me positively forever to write. And please don't hesitate to let me know what you think! :-)**


	43. Out of the Mouths of Babes and Fools

**WARNING: Mentions of abuse.**

* * *

The metal door creaked loudly as Sirius gave it a slight push, making it swing open all the way. He flinched at the sound of crashing metal where the door made contact with whatever muggle contraptions Arthur stored behind the shed doors. The rim from a car tire rolled across his path briefly before coming into contact with the wooden shelves, overflowing with contraptions, in the middle of the small space.

It was a convenient place to hide out, really. One step into the shed and one would be lost into oblivion.

Sirius took a step inside. "Harry?" He called. Ginny had told him his godson was in here; and he himself figured there was nowhere else Harry could possibly be. Plus, the shed door was open when he got here, which meant that he was probably right.

Something moved in the shadows at the back of the shed. Sirius had to squint to see through the cloud of dust being illuminated by the rays of the morning sun, which filtered in through the only dirt-encrusted window on the side of the room. He heard a sniffle before the shadow shifted a second time.

The animagus breathed a sigh of relief. He had found him! His confidence restored, Sirius slowly continued towards the back of the shed, where his grieving godson sat, moping. "Harry, come on, pup! You should be getting ready, shouldn't you?"

"Do you know how long, Sirius?" A nasal voice spoke up from the shadows as Sirius watched the figure shift yet again. "Do you know how long I stood there?"

The animagus squinted through the rays of morning sunlight, trying to make out the figure in the back. He was quite sure that it was Harry. Yet his voice sounded thick, heavy—like he had been crying. "Harry?" He asked, just for clarification.

"Hours, Padfoot." Harry shifted until he was leaning against Arthur's worktable. Sirius got a good look at his godson then—half his face illuminated by sunlight, the other half shadowed by darkness. The animagus could just make out dried tear tracks running down his godson's cheek. So he was right then. The boy _had_ been crying.

"What are you talking about, pup?" He asked, approaching Harry with the same caution as one approached a beaten puppy.

"Malfoy Manor." Harry croaked, his eyes still refusing to meet Sirius'. "Do you know how long I stood outside of its wards? Just staring at it?" He whispered, his gaze focused on a point a million miles away. His face twisted into an ugly grimace then. "_Hours_, Padfoot!"

"Over this past week?" Sirius asked, kneeling before the bench upon which his godson sat.

"Every few hours or so, I would apparate there." The teen explained, his voice still no louder than a whisper. "And…just stare at it."

The animagus struggled to keep the frown from his face. So _that's_ where Harry would disappear to for hours on end!

"Does that make me a bad father?" He asked out of the blue, his eyes instantly snapping back to meet his godfather's.

Sirius was floored by the question. Where had _that_ come from? "How does that make you—"

"That I didn't do _everything_ necessary to protect my son?" The teen continued, pushing himself up from his slumped position to fix Sirius with the most desperate gaze the wizard had ever seen on a man.

"Harry…" He reached out to grip his godson's shoulders firmly. "You did the _right_ thing!"

"I didn't go inside to _get_ him!" The boy agonized, his face contorting into another heartbreaking frown. "I _could_ have, but I _didn't_!" Sirius could smell tears bubbling just below the surface. "I just…_**LEFT**_! I _**LEFT**_ him there _over_ and _over_ again!"

"Harry, listen to me—"

"A year ago, I would've just marched in there and—"

"And that would have lost you custody of him _permanently_!" Sirius cried, giving his godson a good shake in an effort to get through to him. "You know why? 'Cause you'd be _**DEAD**_!"

That broke him. Harry turned away from him and cracked. The teen began choking on his own sobs and tears began spilling down his cheeks once more.

Sirius automatically came up and wrapped his godson in his embrace. "Come on, my boy…" He crooned into Harry's ear as he began rubbing comforting circles into the teen's back. "Come on, pup…"

"I didn't do _anything_!"

"Oh, you did plenty." Sirius quietly assured him.

The animagus' mind flashed back to the conversation he had with Hestia late last night, and how he found out just why the Malfoys wanted to get their hands on Severus so badly. The infant had merely been a tool the Death Eaters were using to lure Harry to them. Now Sirius was finding out just how close their plan came to working!

"_Your cousin wishes to testify on Harry's behalf."_

"_Narcissa?" Sirius barked, his eyes widening to the widths of saucers. "Are you MENTAL? She probably—"_

"_She's __**divorcing**__ him, Padfoot!" Hestia broke in, stopping Sirius cold. _

_He had been speechless for a whole five minutes. _

"Look…" Sirius started as soon as he sensed Harry calm down. "I spoke to Hestia and Moody last night. There's a reason the Malfoys—"

"I have a mental bond with my son, Sirius." Harry replied weakly. "There's nothing that you know that I already don't."

The animagus' eyes widened slightly. For a minute, he flashed back to last night, when no words came to him and he immediately didn't know how to reply. So…Harry _had_ known it was a trap; maybe not immediately, but he had found out when Severus had.

_Clever boy…_The older wizard thought. Then he realized that _indeed_ there was something that he knew that Harry already didn't. "Oh, there is _one_ thing, my boy," he replied, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips, "and it might just win us this case!"

Harry took one look at his godfather's twinkling eyes and gave the man a suspicious frown. What did he mean by that?

_**

* * *

**_

Harry felt like he was about to hyperventilate. His palms were sweaty, and no matter how hard he tried to wipe the sweat off, it would just keep coming back! The edge of his tie was now crumpled due to his constant fiddling, and he felt like unbuttoning some of the top buttons of his shirt because of the stifling heat. He was just about to reach for the edge of his tie yet again when two soft hands covered his own and gave them a supportive squeeze.

"We got this, Harry." An angelic voice whispered in his ear.

"Yeah, that's what we thought when we left for New York—"

"Shhh!" Ginny hushed him up by giving him a quick squeeze and leaning her forehead against his temple. "Now I'm sure of it!"

Harry swallowed and turned to face his fiancé. "I hope you're right." He whispered shakily.

"All rise!"

All conversations in the room ground to a halt and there was a muted groan as everyone climbed to their feet and the side doors opened to allow the members of the Wizengamot to file in.

"In the case of Henry Potter vs. Draco Malfoy for the custody of one Severus Tobias Snape, the honorable members of the Wizengamot, led by His Lordship Albus Dumbledore, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, presiding!"

"Thank you, Martha." Dumbledore replied, taking his seat and signaling everyone else in the courtroom to take a seat as well. "Will both parties stand and present themselves, please?"

The members of both tables at the front of the courtroom stood up. One of the strange men at Malfoy's table spoke up first, "I am Michael John Smith, My Lord, barrister-at-law. I will be representing the Malfoys, consisting of Lucius Malfoy and Draco Malfoy."

Sirius picked up right after him. "Sirius Orion Black, the Third, My Lord. I am _not_ a lawyer, but I am the leading counsel on this side of the case and am quite versed in wizarding law. I will be representing the Potters, consisting of Henry James Potter and Ginevra Molly Weasley." A small buzz traveled across the packed courtroom after he finished disclosing that little factoid, but Dumbledore quickly took care of that with a few whacks of his gavel. He signaled for the two groups to once again take their seats.

After adjusting his glasses, Dumbledore pretended to read off a piece of paper on his desk while seeming to ask offhandedly, "Is the child in question present?"

"Yes, My Lord, he is outside the courtroom in the custody of his social worker." Martha, the court clerk, replied as she typed away with her typewriter.

"Bring him through, then." The doors at the back immediately opened and everyone present turned to sneak a peek at the child at the center of all this hoopla.

There was Severus, curled up into a ball in Hestia's arms, hugging his lion cub close to his chest and sucking on his thumb.

"He's still wearing the same clothes they took him in!" Harry growled beneath his breath.

"Calm down, love!" Ginny chided him gently.

A low buzz swept through the room and the sounds of clicking cameras filled the air as whispers began bouncing off the walls.

"_It's Snape!"  
"Look, Dean!"  
"He's so CUTE!"  
"Yeah, that's the kid we saw at the party."  
"Wow. So THAT'S what he looks like!"  
"I don't understand the big deal."  
"How adorable!"  
"How precious!"  
"He looks like a regular baby."_

"Order!" _BANG! BANG! BANG!_ "Everyone hush up!"

The sound of Dumbledore's voice broke Severus out of his reverie and when he looked up, he became a bit disoriented. Hestia was carrying him up the aisle of a courtroom of some kind, and sitting at the tables in front of, what appeared to be, the members of the Wizengamot, was none other than those bastard Malfoys and—

"DADDY!" He cried, pushing off of Hestia with as much strength as he could and trying to make a jump for Harry.

Everyone screamed in panic the moment Severus started to fall to the floor.

Fortunately, Hestia moved quickly and was able to catch the infant before he could drop too far. "Holy Merlin!"

"MUMMY!" Sev screamed, oblivious to it all. "DADDY! MUMMY!" Tears began leaking from his eyes as he blindly reached for them.

"We're right here, sweetie!" Ginny replied, making a reach for her baby.

"No, Ginny!" Sirius cried, pulling the teen back. "Not yet!" He hissed in her ear.

"Daddy! Wamp go daddy!"

Harry held a finger to his lips and locked eyes with his infant as Hestia passed them by. _Wait, cub…_He told him in a calming voice, via their mental bond. _Just wait a little longer…_

Severus calmed down then, biting his lip before settling in Hestia's arms. He kept his teary eyes on his parents even as Hestia walked farther away from them. "Pomeh?" He asked his dad over her shoulder, his voice tiny and oozing with sadness and desperation.

"I promise, cub." Harry replied, giving his infant a cocky half-smile. He needed to appear strong for Severus' sake; even if he felt the exact opposite inside.

Up in the stands, one of the members of the Wizengamot stroked her chin in contemplation. _That_ was certainly interesting!

"I don't understand!" One of the other members cried out. "Is he an infant? Why does he appear to understand us perfectly?"

"It's because he _does_, My Lord." Hestia replied, stopping right at the center of the Wizengamot semi-circle. "Severus, here, is in full possession of his previous memories."

"So he's an adult inside." One of the female members broke in. "Let him make his own choice as to who he wants to stay with!"

"But he's clearly a child!" One of the other members argued. "They don't know enough to make their own decisions!"

"Yes, but—"

"Lords and Ladies!" Dumbledore boomed. "Lords and Ladies, if I may?" Everyone quieted down and gave him their full attention. "Why don't we allow a mind healer to assess his mental condition, and if he deems it fit to go so far as to take in young Master Snape's input as to his own placement, then so be it? Does anyone have an objection to that?" After waiting a few moments to see if all the other members were okay with that decision, Dumbledore nodded and signaled to someone at the side of the room. A middle-aged gentleman immediately began stepping forward.

"Martha?"

The clerk began opening her mouth but the gentleman beat her to it. "Dr. Christopher Pendleton, My Lord," he introduced himself, "I was trained as a mind healer at St. Mungo's and I also have a muggle doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis on Child Psychology."

"Very well." Dumbledore nodded, signaling for one of the guards to open the side door. "You may use the Judges' Chambers to conduct your interview. Keep in mind what we just said!"

As Hestia, Severus, and mind healer made their way to the back room, the infant peered longingly over his social worker's shoulder and waved sadly in his parents' direction.

Ginny blew a kiss his way before the doors closed and she could see her baby no more.

"Alright!" Dumbledore boomed, straightening the papers on his podium. "Let's move things along! I want to hear what both sides have to say on this issue. We shall start with the Malfoys. Mr. Smith?"

The smug-looking barrister-at-law stood up from his seat and gave the Wizengamot a charming smile as he buttoned one of the buttons on his jacket. "Ladies and Gentlemen of the Wizengamot, we are here today to decide the fate of one eleven-month-old _child_. Now…despite the fact that he _may_ have all the memories of his previous life—something that has _yet to be proven_, as a matter of fact—the reality still remains that he is a _child_, an infant…a baby." Smith flashed a blinding grin at some of the younger ladies in the stands. "A baby of the Prince bloodline!" He exclaimed, pointing a finger in the air for emphasis. "And if you'll all kindly examine Exhibit A in the folders atop each of your desks, you'll notice that the Prince bloodline is _directly connected_ to the Malfoy bloodline." Again with the finger-wagging. "_Precedent states_ that in custody cases such as these, the child is best suited being placed with his blood relatives. In the instances where the child had been placed with non-blood-related relatives, an astounding _ninety_ percent of the time, the Department of Wizarding Child Protective Services had to take _back_ custody of the child due to reports of abuse and neglect."

The lawyer paused yet again to smile at the ladies in the stands, causing Sirius to shake his head with a scowl.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, how do we know that, this time, it's going to be any different? Mr. Potter over there," he pointed his emphasis finger at Harry, "has had continuous run-ins with the muggle law since he was a five-year-old child. He's got a muggle criminal record as long as my arm! Exhibit B in your packets is merely an excerpt of the nasty things he's done since childhood."

Sirius forcefully clamped a hand down on Harry's shoulder in an effort to keep him from jumping out of his seat. "Patience, pup!" He hissed in his godsons' ear. "We'll get them back."

"Vandalism, robbery, breaking and entering, assault and battery—including assault on his arresting officers! Muggle psychologists have remarked that this child is _beyond_ help. _No one_ was able to get through to him! And the criminal activity didn't stop there, Ladies and Gentlemen. No! We have records and muggle photographs of Mr. Potter—aged _sixteen_, _**two**_ years ago, Ladies and Gentlemen—that show him associating with a _fierce_ and _dangerous_ muggle gang known as the Taipan Tribe. 'Taipan' after the most venomous _snake_ in the world! It is listed as _the_ most dangerous muggle gang in the Greater London area, in fact. Exhibit C shows some of those pictures we were able to obtain from his muggle records. _THIS_ is the man you want to place a child with, Ladies and Gentlemen? An infant? A _helpless_ little baby?" Smith took a lengthy pause to examine the faces of the Wizengamot members, trying to see if his words registered with any of them. Finally, he finished with an even tone, "If I have not already done so, by the end of today, I will prove to you that Mr. Potter would make a poor choice for guardianship in this situation and that precedent should be upheld and young Mr. Snape placed with his _blood_ relatives, the Malfoys. Thank you." Turning on his heel, the lawyer unfastened the bottom button on his jacket and took his seat once again.

Harry glanced over at Malfoy's table to find the younger blonde smirking smugly back at him. The teen scowled in return.

The short silence following Smith's opening statement was quickly broken when Dumbledore cleared his throat. "Thank you, Mr. Smith. Now we shall hear the Potters' opening arguments. Mr. Black?"

Sirius immediately climbed to his feet. "Thank you, My Lord." The animagus cleared his throat in preparation as he approached the center of the Wizengamot semi-circle. He only took a split second to survey his audience before diving into his Opening Argument. "My Lords, My Ladies…to begin, I pose this single, seemingly straightforward question: What defines a family?" He paused briefly to let the question sink in. "Is it blood ties? Marriage ties? Is that what defines a real family? Is that what forms the bonds that hold a family together? Because if it is, then I would ask you to explain my own case." Sirius turned and pointed directly at the younger Malfoy. "Young Draco Malfoy and I are first cousins once removed. His mother is my cousin, and the two of us," he gestured between them, much to Malfoy's annoyance, "are directly related by blood."

A murmur made its way around the courtroom.

"Yet, as you can tell from the way he's scowling at me right now, neither of us like that very much. He couldn't care less that I'm his cousin, and I couldn't care less that he's mine. We're _total_ strangers." The animagus paused to allow his words to sink in. A quick survey around the room told him he had a captivated audience. "There is no familial bond between us, there is no…love." Sirius stroked his goatee thoughtfully. "Love—now there's a…an idea. Could family be defined by love? Could love be those elusive bonds that hold a family together?" The wizard gestured towards his godson. "My Lords and Ladies, sitting over there is my godson, Harry Potter. Now, the Potters are not related to the Blacks in any way, shape, or form, and _yet_ I consider that boy my son, and everyone else sitting around him my _real_ family. And _WHY_? Because we love each other! That love is what keeps us together. That love is what creates us! And that _love_ is what separates my _real_ family from the one I have on paper." He gestured haphazardly over his shoulder to where the Malfoys were seated.

Harry glanced over to see Draco's face darkening.

"My Lords and Ladies, if Mr. Potter was even half as bad as Mr. Smith made him out to be, why would young Mr. Snape love him enough to call him—_him_ who would otherwise be a complete stranger—'daddy'? You heard it from the mouth of the babe himself. Why would he call him 'daddy'? And why would he call Mr. Potter's girlfriend 'mummy'? And, for that matter, since young Mr. Snape has been living with Mr. Potter for _seven months_, if Mr. Potter was half even as bad as Mr. Smith made him out to be, why would Severus still be a happy, healthy, bouncy baby boy after all this time?" He paused to see if his words had any effects. Much to his relief, it looked like it had. "My Lords and Ladies, if you'll look in those very same folders on your desk for Exhibit D, you'll see what I mean. Now, all of you can call that evidence; but I call them family photos—happy memories of all the milestones Severus has reached over the past seven months. There are hundreds more where they came from. If you want more proof than that, I can take you on a tour of the house Mr. Potter and Miss Weasley keep for their family. Or you can ask anyone in the community at Godric's Hollow just how much these two _LOVE_ their child!"

"Yeah!" A voice shouted from the back.

"No doubt about that!" Another joined in.

Harry turned to find a large group of people at the back of the courtroom raising their hands. They were his neighbors from Godric's Hollow!

"Now, I'm not denying that Mr. Potter may have done those things when he was younger—made those _mistakes_—but I can tell you, from personal experience, that experiences like that—living that kind of life—changes a man, permanently. Now he can change either one of two ways—he can jump off the edge of that cliff and throw himself entirely into that criminal lifestyle, or he can get out of the game entirely, turn his life around, and work to steer his own children away from all of that junk. My Lords and Ladies, if I have not already done so, I will prove to you today that Mr. Potter is the one who chose to change his life and give his child—young Mr. Snape—the life he never had growing up—a life full of love, laughter, and a _real_ family." Sirius turned to the side to glare at Draco over his shoulder. "And while I'm at it, I will prove to you that Mr. Malfoy here is the one who chose to throw himself off the cliff."

"Bastard!" Draco instantly lunged at the animagus, but his lawyer managed to catch him just in time. The sudden move, however, was enough to catch the attention of the crowd and pandemonium quickly erupted in the courtroom.

"And that he is an alcoholic and that he likes to hit women!" Sirius shouted above the din, smirking at the fuming blonde as he made his way back to his seat.

"That is ENOUGH!" Dumbledore boomed, banging his gavel rather forcefully in an effort to calm the crowd. "The both of you take your seats!" The old wizard sighed. This was going to be a _long_ hearing! "Thank you, Mr. Black. Mr. Smith, you may call your first witness."

Smith rose from his seat, once again fastening that infernal button of his. "My Lord, we only have one witness, sir. We call muggle Sergeant Victor Rockwell to the stand." He handed Sirius a file as he passed by.

The animagus frowned upon taking it. "They never submitted any witness names to me." He whispered to his godson.

"Son of a bitch!" Harry hissed.

Sirius' frown deepened. "What's wrong?"

The teen, his eyes flaming, nodded towards the smug-looking muggle police officer making his way up the center aisle of the courtroom. "That's Rockwell!" Harry whispered. The teen spat out the name like a nasty curse. "He's the guy who arrested me the most when I was a kid. He's a crooked cop!"

"Would you state your name and profession for the record please, sir?" Smith began.

"Officer Victor Rockwell. Sergeant. Metropolitan Police, Tower Hamlets Borough." The man replied in a bored voice.

"Half the times he arrested me, the charges were bogus, and _every_ time he nabbed me, he made sure to take that baton of his to me, and he somehow managed to blame it on the fact that I ran from him!" Harry vented, silently working himself into a frenzy.

"Officer Rockwell—"

"Ah! _Sergeant_ Rockwell." The officer corrected with a crooked smile.

Smith acquiesced with a nod, "My apologies. _Sergeant_ Rockwell…"

"Of course I ran from him!" Harry continued in his godfather's ear. "_Everyone_ ran from him! If you didn't run from him, you ended up with a beating!"

"Harry, calm down, pup!" Sirius hissed in return.

"Would you please state your relation to Mr. Potter?"

"I had the pleasure of arresting him the most when he was a young street rat, running around the streets of East End." Rockwell smirked.

"The important thing is he can be _bought_!" Harry continued, regardless of his godfather.

Sirius waved for him to quiet down once again. Dumbledore was glaring daggers in their direction. "Write it all down on paper, pup!" He cried, shoving a quill and parchment in his godson's hands. "And make sure you can swear on it!" The teen instantly began scribbling like mad.

"And how would you describe Mr. Potter? In your own words." Smith continued.

"A troublemaker—plain and simple." The officer replied without a second thought.

Sirius studied the folder Smith handed him with a frown. "You said he beat you?" He quietly asked the teen next to him. Harry looked up from his writing and nodded silently in reply. "Was that before or after he slapped the cuffs on you?"

"After." Harry answered without missing a beat.

"_Every_ time?" His godson gave him another nod. "Right." Picking up a piece of scrap paper, the animagus nabbed the quill from his godson's hands and wrote a quick note on it before passing it over Harry's shoulder to Ginny and Hermione. "Make sure your statement is the _truth_ and rock-solid." He said, forcefully tapping his finger against the parchment his godson was scribbling on.

"Yes, sir." The teen murmured, picking up the quill and quickly resuming his writing.

"We'd always had him in and out as a kid. Potter was _always_ involved in something or another," he pointed at Smith, "and _always_ it was violent! The entire station knew his name!"

The lawyer smiled. He had been expecting the answer. "Would you name some of the crimes Mr. Potter has been found guilty of committing?"

"Once, when he was seven, he and his little gang of friends beat up this homeless woman on the street."

"Not true." Harry murmured under his breath with a shake of his head. The pressure of the quill on the piece of parchment intensified tenfold.

"And she was pregnant at the time!"

Harry growled and his scribbling became even more furious. Sirius watched as his grip on the quill strengthened, almost causing it to snap. "Pinning me for a crime that he _himself_ committed!"

"They had to take her to the hospital. She lost the baby _and_ fell into a coma. He was only lucky she wasn't conscious enough to accuse him herself!"

Harry threw the quill down and would have jumped to his feet, had it not been for Sirius', Remus' _and_ Ron's hands all clamping down on his shoulders simultaneously.

"You're going to prove his point, Henry! STOP taking the bait!"

"Relax, love…" Ginny whispered in his ear. Harry could feel a tingling sensation run down his spine as her calming magic took effect. He settled for glaring daggers at his old nemesis, who smirked smugly in return. The bastard was enjoying Harry's reactions to his testimony.

"What other crimes has Mr. Potter been convicted of?" Smith continued.

Ginny had to help in calming Harry several times as Smith coaxed several more stories out of Rockwell; all of them obviously inaccurate, if the teen's reactions were anything to go by. Sirius feared his godson would eventually reach his breaking point and lash out magically. Although he had planned an appropriate defense if it ever got to that point, he really had hope that he would not have to resort to using it.

"Tell us about Mr. Potter's recent bout of gang activity, Sergeant Rockwell." Smith said, causing Sirius' ears to perk up.

"So I was working with a detective inspector on a case he was investigating involving the Taipan Tribe. Now…you have to understand, this gang is brutal—_very_ dangerous, not to mention _ruthless_ as well! Their initiation rites include raping and killing a woman and beating and then murdering a target chosen by the gang leader himself. And this is in cold blood, mind you! The woman and the target are kidnapped beforehand, and then given to the recruit—bound and gagged—to do with as he sees fit." The man leaned back in his chair and laced his fingers together, taking up a sort of 'expert' stance. "What the whole initiation rite is for is to make their members immune to their own conscience; mold them into trained killers." He paused slightly, as if rethinking his words. "Well…maybe not _trained_, but killers nonetheless. The point is, they won't even bat an eyelash at having to kill someone should they be told that the person's death was warranted."

Whispers of Voldemort immediately began circulating about the room. Harry felt a chill creep up his spine.

Dumbledore took care of the noise with a few whacks of his gavel, and Harry watched as Remus passed Sirius a note from the back of the room.

"Imagine my surprise…though I really shouldn't have been surprised…when our surveillance team catches my old friend Harry among the known gang members. Spotted in his possession? A black 9mm semi-automatic handgun. Now completely illegal, mind you! They probably obtained it off the black market. It looked like he was in the middle of an initiation."

The whispers this time became murmurs and Harry could sense that there were more people talking this time around.

Harry turned to his godfather with a shake of his head. "It was _supposed_ to be my initiation. I got out of it _entirely_ that night! I never did any of those things!" He hissed.

"Shhh, pup! I know!" The animagus assured him. Dumbledore banged his gavel several more times, sending a glare of annoyance towards the gathered crowd.

"Those very pictures are in Exhibit C in those folders on your desk, Ladies and Gentlemen. He was going through an initiation ceremony that involved a rape, a beating, and _two_ murders, both of completely innocent people. Now, if memory serves, those activities were very similar to those which the Death Eaters are well-known for."

And the murmurs gave way to full-volume chatter. "But Potter defeated the Chief Death Eater!" A man shouted from amongst the crowd. Dumbledore banged away and sent the man a death glare while Harry buried his face in his hands.

"Perhaps to take his place?" Smith responded, turning towards the speaker.

The chatter became shouts and people started jumping to their feet. There were at least twenty people shouting at once. The rest shook their head as they argued with their neighbors.

_BANG! BANG! BANG!_

"Ladies and Gentlemen! If all of you wish to remain in this courtroom, you are to quiet down immediately!" Dumbledore turned his death glare towards the Malfoys' lawyer. "Mr. Smith, I implore you not to rouse the audience. This is a custody hearing, _NOT_ a rally. This is your _only_ warning!"

The barrister laid a hand on his chest and bowed slightly to Dumbledore. "Apologies, My Lord. My point is that this is _not_ a man you want to place an _infant_ with, Ladies and Gentlemen! He can barely stay out of trouble because he's been getting himself in these scrapes for so long, and he associates with dangerous criminals. What sort of life would young Severus lead if he were made to live with this kind of man? He would wind up a Death Eater again in no time!"

This time, Sirius, Remus, Ron, Hermione _and_ Ginny all had to hold Harry down and clamp his mouth shut to keep him from standing up and shouting out.

"DON'T fall for it, pup!" Sirius hissed, his voice shaking as he struggled to keep his godson down. "You're letting him win!"

The simple statement managed to do the trick and Harry pulled himself together in seconds. The teen settled for glaring at Smith instead, and the lawyer smirked at him in return. The young wizard could tell, however, that the attorney was _just_ a bit disappointed by his lack of reaction. Although he had to be held back several times, he had yet to react in the same manner as Draco did just minutes before.

Turning back to the Wizengamot, Smith murmured, "No further questions, My Lord," before making his way back to his table. "Your witness, Black."

Sirius nodded respectfully and climbed to his feet, but not before whispering in his godson's ear, "Take a deep breath Henry James!" He ordered firmly as he picked up the file from earlier. "I got this. Deep breaths!"

Turning, Sirius addressed the Wizengamot, "My Lord, I would like to state for the record that this witness' identity was not disclosed to myself or anyone in the Potter party in any way over the past week."

All the members turned to glance at the Malfoys' lawyer, who merely shrugged from his seat and offered no verbal reply.

"Council, do you have anything to say in that regard?" Dumbledore pushed, hoping to get some sort of reaction from the other side.

Yet Smith simply shook his head. "No, My Lord."

The Chief Warlock removed his glasses with a sigh. "Very well. Comment is noted. Proceed, Mr. Black."

"Yes, My Lord." Sirius turned back to the file in his hand. "Mr. Rockwell, we've been going through your post-incident reports from the times when you had been Mr. Potter's arresting officer. Would you say the time stamps on these reports are accurate?"

The sergeant grinned smugly at him. "Down to the second!"

"Really?" Sirius raised an eyebrow, acting surprised.

"I do not lie." The officer replied, sounding rather proud of himself.

The animagus snorted and turned towards his table. "Yes, I'm sure, sir." He murmured under his breath, making sure it was loud enough for Rockwell to hear.

The policeman frowned. "What is _that_ supposed to mean?" He asked, now obviously offended.

Sirius turned back towards him and feigned innocence. "What is _what_ supposed to mean, sir?"

"Do you doubt I'm telling the truth?"

"That is _precisely_ what I doubt, sir."

Smith jumped to his feet. "My Lord, Mr. Black is badgering the witness."

Dumbledore sighed. "Mr. Black, get to the point _quickly_, please."

"I would like to request the administration of Veritaserum, My Lord." Sirius said, turning towards the Chief Warlock.

"What?" Rockwell exclaimed, both angered and confused by the strange name.

"It's a sort of truth serum we have here in the Wizarding world." The animagus explained.

"Hey! You ain't giving me no drug!" The officer pointed a threatening finger at him.

"Two questions." Sirius replied, his eyes and tone filled with challenge.

"I refuse!"

"A mere drop, Mr. Rockwell. You afraid of a mere drop of truth serum?"

"My Lord—"

"Are you calling me a coward?"

"Not—"

"No one calls me a coward to my face! Bring it on!"

_BANG!_ "Request approved! Mr. Black, while the Veritaserum is being retrieved, do you have any other questions for the witness?" Dumbledore inquired.

"Yes, My—"

"Then I suggest you ask him without further antagonizing him. This is your _only_ warning!" The old wizard gave him a pointed look.

Chastised, Sirius nodded. "Understood, My Lord." Turning back to the file in his hands, Sirius continued with his original line of questioning. "Mr. Rockwell, you said previously that the time stamps on these incident reports are accurate down to the second."

"You know that's right!" Rockwell replied, a little more guarded this time around, suspicious of where Sirius was taking this.

"Will you permit me to read a section of the report?"

Rockwell shrugged. "If you want."

"Thank you." The animagus turned towards the Wizengamot. "My Lords and Ladies, this is an excerpt from the police report Mr. Rockwell submitted regarding the alleged incident he described earlier involving Mr. Potter, aged seven, and a group of other young boys of similar ages. The alleged victim was a pregnant homeless woman in her mid-30's who ended up in a coma and the baby dead." Turning towards the file in his hand, he began to read, "'At precisely 10:57PM, I placed Mr. Potter in handcuffs and put him in the back of the police car. My fellow officers doing the same to each of the boys in the gang.' Does that sound correct, Mr. Rockwell?"

Not seeing any harm in answering that particular question, the police sergeant shrugged. "Yeah, that sounds about right. I had other officers with me at the time. They each took a boy in their possession."

The animagus glanced down once again. "And it says here that you left the scene at precisely 11PM and arrived at the station to book him at precisely 11:45."

A frown began forming on Rockwell's face. "Yeah, that's right."

"Did this alleged crime occur outside of your jurisdiction, Mr. Rockwell?" Sirius questioned.

"No! It was within our borough."

"And how far would you say the crime occurred from your police station?"

Rockwell shrugged. "I don't know. About three miles away?"

"Three miles!" Sirius smirked as he went to retrieve another folder from his table. Hermione quickly handed it to him, taking special care to point to a particular spot on the page. Sirius nodded. "It takes forty-five minutes to drive three miles to the police station from the scene?" The animagus questioned dubiously.

"Hey! I'm not the one on trial here! It's not my fault there was street traffic!"

Sirius spun around and sent the witness an incredulous look. "Street traffic? Street traffic at eleven o'clock at night?"

"Yeah!"

The animagus shook his head and turned down to the new file with a sigh. "Mr. Rockwell, are you aware that in the wizarding world, medical histories themselves contain time stamps?"

Rockwell froze for a fraction of a second and then gradually began to pale.

"And these medical histories can be quite extensive, you see, for every bump and bruise is recorded on these long pieces of parchment, along with the dates and times of their occurrences." Sirius turned the file over and waved it around for Rockwell to see. "_AND_, should something odd-shaped create a bruise on a person's body, the description of its shape will also show up on these records."

A guard placed a glass of water in front of Rockwell and the man, in his nervousness, immediately took a sip, unaware that the glass contained a single drop of Veritaserum.

Sirius, however, knew of its contents and smirked internally, careful not to let the laughter show on his face. "Now…according to Mr. Potter's most recent medical history, on the very night of that incident, between the times of 11:10PM and 11:40, a _multitude_ of cuts and bruises appeared on young Mr. Potter's body. The cuts appeared on the palms of his hands and the soles of his feet and are consistent with a military-grade knife, while the bruises on his legs and stomach are consistent with the shape and size of a police baton. In addition, there were rope-burns around his ankles, suggesting he was tied down as well as handcuffed, which you admitted to doing. Now…if you were _really_ driving to the police station during that forty-five minute window, how did all these injuries manage to occur?"

Rockwell huffed and opened his mouth to reply, but then, unexpectedly, his mouth snapped shut. His eyes widened in surprise and he physically clamped a hand atop his mouth to prevent whatever he was going to say from spewing out. "Mwhawhawha!" Came the muffled response, garbled through the airtight gaps between his fingers.

Mercilessly, Sirius cupped a hand behind his ear and replied in a voice not entirely devoid of derision, "I'm sorry, Mr. Rockwell. I didn't quite understand that. Could you repeat that, please?"

"MWHAWAHWAH!" The police officer replied, his muffled yell laced with frustration. The middle-aged cop was actually beginning to turn red in the face and, with an angry glare at Sirius, he stomped his feet against the floor like a child throwing a nasty tantrum.

"Is anything the matter, sir?" The animagus asked, a hint of a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

Ever so slowly, Rockwell's hands reluctantly began moving away from his mouth, as if some invisible force was jerking at his wrists, but not without plenty of resistance from the stubborn police officer. "Be—Because—Be—" Now the words were in no way muffled and Rockwell's voice could be heard loud and clear throughout the giant courtroom.

After allowing a small smirk to leak through his concerned façade, Sirius approached the witness stand with slow, predatory steps, making sure to stop just out of reach so that the man wouldn't pummel him when he dropped his little bombshell. Clasping his hands behind his back, Sirius leaned over condescendingly and lowered his voice to a near whisper, taking care to meet the struggling man's angry glare. "I feel it is my duty to inform you, Mr. Rockwell, that the water you just took a sip of contains a potion known to the wizarding world as Veritaserum." All of a sudden, the animagus' smirk melted into a full-scale, merciless grin. "As of thirty seconds ago, you have relinquished the ability to lie."

"Be—Be—Because—I—" Rockwell's face began turning crimson and he looked as if someone was choking him. His stomping foot stomped harder, and he shut his eyes in an effort to concentrate on not letting his secret out.

"Because you _what_, Mr. Rockwell?" Sirius cried, pushing the struggling man off the brink.

"—be—be—BEAT HIM!" Rockwell screamed at the top of his lungs as the words were finally yanked from his lips.

Shocked whispers circulated about the courtroom. Harry's face began to turn red, Smith buried his own face in his hands, and both of the Malfoys glared at their lawyer, looking absolutely incensed.

"You beat him." Sirius started, his fun completely spent now that he had broken the crooked cop, and in its stead, white hot fury at his godson's treatment took over him. "You beat a seven-year-old boy?" The coldness of his voice could have frozen the sun and the danger in his eyes could have killed ten times over.

Rockwell struggled to control his loose tongue, but it was no use. The serum had taken over. "Yes."

"Why?" Sirius boomed, getting in his face.

"In order to get him to take the blame for the beating of the homeless woman."

"In order to get him to take the blame." The animagus echoed with a snarl. "_Whose_ blame were you trying to get him to take, Mr. Rockwell?"

The officer shook in his effort to keep his mouth shut, but it was all for naught. "MINE!" He screamed, loud and clear.

"Yours!" Sirius stuck a furious finger in his face. "So _YOU_ beat a pregnant homeless woman into a coma, killed her unborn child, and pinned the crime on a group of seven-year-old _INNOCENT_ homeless kids, beating one of them into confessing to be their ringleader!"

"They weren't going to send him to jail anyway! The kid was seven! They were the perfect scapegoats!" Rockwell's eyes grew to the widths of saucers and he clamped a hand over his mouth in surprise.

"But you delighted in watching them marked for life!" Sirius cried, his face twisted into a disgusted scowl.

Rockwell nodded reluctantly; and just as the animagus opened his mouth to blast him with yet another damaging accusation, a sick gaggle of giggles suddenly bubbled up to the surface, startling everyone into silence. "Yes…" The crooked cop cackled. "Yes, I did." This time, the giggles took on a distinctly sinister tone. "They're too pretty at that age. It's either let the system mark them or…ha, ha, ha…mark them yourself!" Sirius felt like he was interrogating someone with a split personality, as Rockwell fixed him with a cocky grin and eyes that held just a bit of madness one moment, before quickly adopting a look of complete shock the next. And it continued like that for the better part of a minute—madness, shock, madness, shock, madness, shock, until finally, Rockwell's hands decided to take matters into their own and his fingers soon found their way around his very neck.

The animagus' hands balled into fists and it was at that point that Sirius decided to take Dumbledore's earlier advice and step away before things got out of control. "My Lord, I respectfully request—"

_BANG!_ "Aurors, take Mr. Rockwell into custody." The Chief Warlock immediately signaled for the aurors to double-time it to the witness stand.

Thankfully, the guards were able to apprehend Rockwell before he could even make it out of his seat. The babbling, cackling cop twitched in their collective grasp as they dragged him out of the courtroom. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?" He hollered at the top of his lungs, his bloodshot eyes directed towards the Malfoy table. One second and two twitches later, the madness returned and out popped a song. "Oh, they're pretty…oh so pretty…" Twitch. "WHERE'S MY MONEY, MALFOY! YOU PROMISED ME A PAYDAY!" Twitch. "They're so pretty…oh, so pretty!"

Whispers coursed through the room once again as the doors closed behind a clearly insane Rockwell. Smith had his face buried in his hands, Draco was glaring at him while Lucius slowly began to pale, and Harry was slumped over his own table with his hands clasped behind his neck. His face was turning a bright red and Ginny was rubbing his back in support.

"No further questions, My Lord." Sirius muttered, giving the Wizengamot a short bow. Upon retaking his seat, he gave his godson's shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

As soon as Dumbledore was able to regain control of his courtroom, he cleared his throat and quickly pushed forward. "Moving on! Mr. Smith, your party has the floor."

Sirius watched as Smith tugged at his lapels nervously. "Um…" he cleared his throat, "…we have no further witnesses, My Lord."

The Chief Warlock sighed. "Very well. Mr. Black, do you have further witnesses?"

The pseudo-lawyer, unlike the real lawyer, climbed to his feet before addressing the court. "Yes, My Lord."

"Then proceed, if you will."

"Yes, My Lord."

The animagus took a deep breath, steeling himself for his next witness. This was going to be a doozy. "We would like to call to the stand Master Healer Casey House from St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries."

Another round of whispers coursed the room as a surly-looking woman stood up at the back of the courtroom and began making her way towards the witness stand.

"Are you sure about this, Padfoot?" Harry whispered next to him.

"You yourself suggested it, Pup." Sirius replied, giving his godson a half-reassuring, half-cocky smile as he picked up a folder. "Trust me. You gave me good notes. I got this."

As soon as the healer was situated in the witness stand, Sirius wasted no time in questioning her. "Madame, for the sake of record, would you kindly state your name and profession?"

House wore a scowl and she glared at the animagus as she replied in a bored voice, "Casey House, Master Healer, St. Mungo's."

"Thank you. Now…Master Healer House, would you please state for the Wizengamot what alcoholism is? What is its definition?"

House sighed. "Alcoholism, or alcohol addiction, to put it in layman's terms is the compulsive _need_ to consume alcohol. It's when a person has reached a point where they begin to crave alcohol after they have not had it for a certain amount of time, usually short. And this is no light addiction, mind you!" She emphasized with a raised finger, "It's a drug addiction! Alcohol is a _real_ drug! Typically, you can single out alcoholics by their behavior. The alcohol tends to interfere with their physical and mental health. They'll also be having trouble with their social life, family life, job responsibilities, and that sort."

"I see." Sirius nodded. "And the effects of alcohol addiction?"

The Master Healer narrowed her eyes in annoyance. "Other than the ones I just mentioned?" She hollered.

The animagus brushed off her attitude with a smile. "If you would be so kind."

House rolled her eyes and heaved a great sigh. "Alcoholics tend to have delayed motor skills, they will have decreased ability in being able to think clearly, their judgment would be impaired—"

"So, would you consider these the signs and symptoms of alcoholism, Master Healer?"

"Duh!" The healer muttered under her breath. Half the courtroom had to quickly suppress a giggle. "If you want to look at it that way, yes!"

"Interesting. Are there _other_ signs and symptoms, Master—"

"There's a whole sh—" House paused suddenly, her eyes darting towards the multitude of judges in the stands. Everyone knew of the curse word that nearly escaped her lips. "—lot…There's a whole _lot_ of symptoms of alcoholism."

"If you would be so kind as to name a few more, please?" Sirius continued, himself suppressing the urge to chuckle.

The Master Healer looked bothered. "Abdominal pain, confusion, drinking alone, episodes of violence while intoxicated, hostility when being confronted about the issue." As she ticked the symptoms off on her fingers, House studied Draco Malfoy's maddening face.

"If it pleases the court, I would like to have your expert opinion on whether or not those descriptions fit Draco Malfoy."

As if on cue, the teen in question instantly jumped to his feet. "I will not stand for this! I am not having myself diagnosed here and now!" He screamed.

Sirius allowed himself a tiny smile and, without missing a beat, executed a flawless about-face to confront his cousin. "I had a feeling you'd say that, so I had your most recent medical records subpoenaed." The animagus quickly passed the file folder in his hands over to the irritated master healer. "Healer House?"

"I did not agree to this!" Malfoy shot back.

"This is evidence, Mr. Mal—"

"Shut up, Black!" The teen snapped.

"Draco!" Lucius exclaimed.

"Mr. Malfoy, this is a courtroom. I expect a certain level of decorum!" Dumbledore chastised the blonde boy.

"This is an invasion of my privacy!"

Sirius narrowed his eyes at his cousin. "Mr. Malfoy, you are being accused of being an alcoholic and when evidence is presented that could possibly refute that claim, you want to have it withheld?"

"You know bloody well what it's going to say, Black!"

"Mr. Malfoy!"

"Oh, so is that a confession then?" Sirius challenged, taking a threatening step towards the teen.

_BANG! BANG! BANG!_

"Mr. Malfoy, you will take your seat immediately or I will hold you in contempt!" Dumbledore boomed, pointing his gavel at the angry blonde. For once, the stubborn Malfoy did was he was told, but not without some coaxing from his father and an angry glare at the Chief Warlock himself.

Dumbledore then turned his attention towards Sirius, "Mr. Black, I will not have confrontations of that sort in this courtroom. Is that understood?"

The animagus tore his gaze away from the Malfoys and acknowledged the reprimand with a respectful nod. "Yes, My Lord. I apologize."

"Please continue, Healer House." The Chief Warlock bid the witness.

The Master Healer snapped the folder shut and pointed it at Draco. "I can tell you all right now, even without having to read this file, that the boy's an alcoholic. Look at his hands!" Almost everyone in the courtroom, including all the members of the Wizengamot, leaned over to try to get a good look at the blonde teen's hands, but Draco had the sense to hide them away almost immediately. "They're trembling! That's known as the shakes! Delerium tremens. And just look at his appearance. The boy's _at least_ five pounds underweight. His eyes are bloodshot, and they've been twitching around along with his ears every now and then, which, to me, indicates psychosis, _and_ he's sweating! How long's it been since your last drink, kid? Twenty-four hours? Thirty-six?"

"_**SHUT UP!**_" Malfoy cried. Jumping out of his seat and over the table, he lunged at the Master Healer. The aurors were all over him in seconds. "SHUT UP! I AM _**NOT**_ AN ALCOHOLIC! I'M NOT!" The teen's voice began to grow hoarse from all the screaming and he looked on the verge of tears. "Get off me! SHUT UP!"

"Mr. Malfoy—"

Before anyone could blink, Malfoy whipped his wand out of his walking stick and pointed it at the healer.

"LOOK OUT!"

"Mr. Malfoy!"

"_SEDACIO!_" House hissed, pointing a finger at the thrashing teen.

The effect of the spell was immediate. Draco went limp in the aurors' arms and his wand clattered to the ground. He was completely unconscious.

"What?" House replied defensively, as almost everyone in the room sent her a strange look. "That's the only spell I've managed to master wandlessly, which has come in handy an unbelievable amount of times at the hospital, so don't look at me like that. I've put him under sedation for now. If anyone _really_ cares about that kid, they'll volunteer to be _his_ guardian through his detox." The master healer almost immediately turned her chilly glare towards Lucius Malfoy, who purposefully turned his head away during his son's loss of control.

"Take young Mr. Malfoy to a holding cell." Dumbledore ordered the aurors before turning towards the courtroom audience. "I'd like to take this opportunity to remind _**everyone**_ that wands are strictly forbidden inside this courtroom. The only wands permitted in this room are the ones carried by the security aurors. All other wands are strictly prohibited. That being said," The Chief Warlock looked over the rims of his glasses to fix the elder Malfoy with a meaningful glare. "I will give you one last chance, Mr. Malfoy, to relinquish…_yours_." His hard eyes then locked onto the silver head of the walking stick leaning against the elder Malfoy's right leg.

An auror stepped up just beside Lucius, prepared to snatch away the hidden wand should Dumbledore give the word. The blonde peered at the guard out of the corner of his eye, his lips turned up in pure disdain. The glare then locked onto the Chief Warlock himself and the two had a silent face-off with one another, even as Lucius ever-so-slowly surrendered his walking stick to the auror.

As soon as the potential weapon was secure, Dumbledore ended the face-off to rebuke the stressed-out lawyer next to the stubborn blonde. "Any more blatant disregards of court order from your table, Mr. Smith, and I will have both your clients expelled from this courtroom for the duration of the hearing. Is that understood?"

"Yes, My Lord! Apologies." Smith tried to whisper in Lucius' ear, but the man pushed him away none-too-gently.

Harry thought he heard something along the lines of, "Shut up, you imbecile!" before the lawyer's face began to redden.

"Mr. Black, you may proceed."

"Oh, I think I've made my point quite plainly, My Lord." Sirius started, moving from where he had stationed himself on the sidelines, "We have expert opinion and a fine example of my client's allegation regarding Mr. Malfoy's alcohol addiction. I'm curious. One last thing, Master Healer…" He turned towards House and cocked his head in mock curiosity, "how long would you say Mr. Malfoy has been addicted to alcohol?"

The Master Healer sighed and flipped through the pages of the medical file in her hands, scanning each page with only a modicum of interest. "I would stay fourteen. Give or take three months."

"Since he was fourteen years of age?"

House grunted in affirmation. "That's when we start seeing dangerous numbers for his liver, according to this report." The healer slammed the folder shut and threw it back at Sirius, who nearly tripped over himself in his effort to catch it. "You know, if that kid doesn't find someone to help him soon, he'll be addicted for life, and watch how quickly he'll kill himself and everyone around him then."

The animagus cleared his throat and nodded. "Right. Thank you, my lady." After adjusting his suit, he turned back to Dumbledore. "No further questions, My Lord." He gestured at Smith on his way back to his seat. "Your witness."

The supposedly experienced lawyer actually looked a bit nervous as he approached the witness stand. "Healer House, would you please state for the Wizengamot how long you have spent as Master Healer—"

House immediately took offense, "Look, bub!" She pointed an angry finger at Smith, "If you are about to question my competency, you better shut your mouth! Do you know how many years I've worked for St. Mungo's? Do you know how many years, in general, I've been a healer? MY ENTIRE LIFE! Have you ever heard of the Curse of the Damned? Have you? Huh? Do you know how fast my team and I had to work to save those people from that confounded curse? Around the clock! We came up with a counter-curse in _half-a-day_! That is _record_ time, mind you! And we managed to keep a lot of them alive for _five months_ until Mr. Potter walked in with the second half of the cure. I'd pay to see _you_ do that, bub!" Her upper lip turned in disgust as she studied him up and down, "You and your fancy suit and blinding smile. You call yourself a lawyer? You better ask your law school for a refund because they did a piss-poor job of training you. Only _one_ witness? Really? Mr. Black over there's got an entire lineup of witnesses and you come up with one." She made a noise of disapproval, "Anyone who knows what to look for can diagnose that kid. I had him pegged as an alkie the moment I caught sight of him. It's the _details_, Mr. Smith, that are what give one away." She paused as she narrowed her eyes at him, "Like you, for example. _You_ like to bet, and you like to bet _big_. And I don't need to ask if I'm right because I can tell by the look on your face that I am. How do I know that? Because I can see all your little details, Mr. Smith—the ones you're trying to hide from everyone else—and they tell me a story. So you better think twice about calling _my_ competency into question!"

It was a whole sixty seconds before Smith could even begin to stutter a reply to that particular dressing down. The entire room watched in shocked silence as he loosened the top of his tie and cleared his throat shakily. "Right. Ahem!" Smith gave the healer a token smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, before turning that same smile on Dumbledore. "No further questions, My Lord."

Malfoy glared daggers at him as he found his seat once more, but Smith pretended to not notice it at all.

"Right. Thank you, Master Healer House." Dumbledore gave the woman a nod of gratitude. "You may step down now."

The healer grunted in annoyance and wasted no time in leaving both the witness stand and the courtroom altogether.

"Mr. Black, the floor's all yours."

Sirius snorted under his breath and smiled internally. "Thank you, My Lord."

_**

* * *

**_

"Come now, Severus. Everything's going to turn out just fine. You'll see!" Hestia sat the baby down on the carpet and showed him the assortment of toys Harry and Ginny brought for him that morning. "All will be well."

Sev whimpered and completely ignored all his other toys in favor of the one toy he loved the most. Reaching up to Hestia, he opened and closed his hands in plea. "Simba…" he cried in a teary voice.

Hestia sighed. "Here we are." She replied with a gentle smile as she handed him his stuffed lion cub. The infant immediately cradled it against his chest.

All of a sudden, the door to the courtroom creaked open and Severus looked towards the noise with hope-filled eyes. However, when he saw a strange balding man enter the room, he frowned in disappointment and went back to cuddling his lion.

"Come on, Sev, cheer up!" Hestia crooned, rubbing smooth circles into his back.

"Hello there!" The balding man greeted with a cheerful smile and an even more cheerful voice. "My name is Dr. Christopher Pendleton. I am a mind healer for St. Mungo's and I have a muggle doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis on Child Psychology." He and Hestia immediately shook hands. "I have been assigned to this case as the assessing mind healer."

"Oh! Nice to meet you! I'm Hestia Jones, and this handsome young man," she ran her fingers through Sev's baby hair, which didn't appear to bother the infant at all, "is Severus Snape."

Sev instantly looked up to meet the mind healer's eyes, "Wamp mummy amp daddy!" he snapped.

"Severus, please? Harry and Ginny wouldn't want you to be rude to the nice mind healer, would they?" Hestia rebuked softly.

The infant scowled at her for a second before turning back to face the mind healer. "Hi!" He barked and then promptly turned back to his toys. _Stupid mind healer!_

Pendleton chuckled. "It's alright, Hestia. I get that reaction a lot in my line of work." The middle aged man crouched down next to Severus and made sure to keep the friendly smile on his face. "May I join you?"

The infant shrugged, preferring to reach for his letter puzzle rather than provide a verbal answer.

"So…Hestia tells me you're in full possession of all your faculties."

Sev gave the mind healer a funny look. The man had just used a _big_ word with him. _Several_ big words, actually! "Hmm…" he grunted curiously. Perhaps this particular mind healer was already on his side and he just needed to convince the man to _stay_ on his side! Maybe this interview wasn't going to be as irritating as he thought it would be. "Hab mem-wies oh BICK Seb." He babbled, pointing to the back of his head. "BICK Seb _hewe_!" He then pointed to his forehead. "Hewe…me." The finger returned to the back of his head once again. "But hewe…BICK Seb…but…_mem-wies_ owy."

Pendleton looked awed. He nodded and then turned to Hestia with a big smile. "Well! I take that as a complete yes!"

Hestia squealed in delight and Severus grinned. He _liked_ this mind healer!

_**

* * *

**_

"Please state your name and profession for the record, sir." Sirius said, approaching the witness stand with a folder in hand.

"Ehm… Anthony Lawson, Mind Healer, private practice." A plump, nicely-dressed, balding man replied into the microphone.

Lucius looked confused.

"And how long have you been working with young Mr. Malfoy, sir?"

"I beg your pardon?" Malfoy snapped, insulted at their implication that _his_ son was seeing a mind healer.

Dumbledore pursed his lips together in annoyance and turned towards the Malfoy table. "Mr. Smith!"

"Yes, My Lord. Apologies!" The barrister immediately began whispering in Malfoy's ear.

Sirius took it upon himself to elaborate. "For the record, Mr. Lawson has been young Draco Malfoy's mind healer for the last…"

"Five to six years, sir."

Lucius looked like he was barely keeping himself in check.

"Would you please tell the Wizengamot why Mrs. Malfoy hired you in the first place?"

"She was worried for her son. She thought his father's influence was damaging him. He wasn't turning out to be the young man she would have liked him to be. Namely, she was worried about how he tended to treat young women."

Sirius cocked an eyebrow at him. "How is that, sir?"

The mind healer sighed. "Well…he saw them more as objects rather than individuals. He sought to control them rather than treat them with equality and respect. She claimed his father acted that way, and she didn't want him to turn out like his father."

"I see…And…Has young Draco progressed over the course of the five or six years you have treated him? In your opinion?"

Lawson's sigh, this time, was a sad one. His head hung slightly and his shoulders sagged. He looked disappointed with himself. "Unfortunately not. Everything I try to do to help him gets undone the moment he leaves my office and is once again within his father's sphere of influence."

Lucius looked murderous.

_**

* * *

**_

"Alright, Severus, bear with me for a few minutes. I want to assess your state-of-mind." Pendleton pulled a clipboard and quill out of his satchel and immediately began scribbling. "Alright. First of all, let me explain what I'm doing." He made sure to meet both Hestia's and Severus' eyes before he began his explanation. "It is my belief that what has affected you, aside from the obvious…ehm…reduction in height, is a form of amnesia. Now, there are three types of memory—the first is semantic memory, associated with general knowledge and facts. That's the first thing I'm going to test, if you will allow me."

Severus stared at the mind healer for a long while, assessing him internally, before turning to Hestia. His social worker nodded at him encouragingly and Sev gave in with a sigh. He nodded at Pendleton.

"Thank you." The balding man replied. "Now, I fear this may be the most difficult of the three to pin down precisely. It appears you can understand us perfectly well, so that's a good sign. Ehm…now for…the rest…" Pendleton spied Sev's letter puzzle amongst his toys and his eyes lit up in inspiration. "Ah! Okay…" Pulling the letter puzzle over to him, he methodically picked out three letters and spelled out a word for Severus. "Can you read this word for me, please?"

The infant furrowed his eyebrows in confusion as he peered down at the grouping of letters. "Cat" he replied dully.

Pendleton beamed at him. "Excellent! " Turning back to the puzzle, he took each of the letters from the word and scrambled them up with the rest of the puzzle. "Now…can you spell 'cat' for me?"

Severus grinned. He had played this game before! Peering at the mass of letters before him, he immediately began reaching for the first letter of the word.

"Out loud, please." The good doctor clarified.

The infant froze. Looking up at the mind healer with wide eyes, he opened his mouth to reply, but found, to his surprise, that he couldn't. "Um…"

Pendleton waited patiently for a minute or two. "It's alright if you can't at the moment." He reassured Sev with a kind smile. Picking a single letter out of the pile, he held it up for Sev to see. "What sound does this letter make?"

"ttttt!" The infant replied with a proud grin.

"Very good!" Pendleton chuckled, "And…what's its name?"

Sev thought about it for a second. He knew this, didn't he? He usually played the letter game with Harry and Ginny. He was _sure_ he knew the name of this letter! "Uh…fowgop."

Pendleton decided to try to help him out. "Could it be 'See'?" Sev shook his head. He was sure it wasn't that. "How about 'Ehn'?" Sev shook his head again "Is it 'Tee'?"

The infant's eyes immediately brightened up. "Yeah!" He cheered, "'Tee'!"

The mind healer exchanged a laugh with Hestia. "Very good." He jotted something down in his notepad. "I'm curious. Can you recite your alphabet for me?"

Sev nodded. "Ah…uh…Buh…" The infant's face slowly fell as the seconds ticked by and his brain refused to come up with the next letter in the sequence.

"Is there something wrong, Doctor?" Hestia questioned worriedly. Seeing Severus struggle with the alphabet was a bit disconcerting for her.

"Hmm? Oh no, I was actually expecting this." Pendleton replied, scribbling away on his clipboard as he went on. "Well…in truth, I was expecting him to be a little less advanced than he is right now, actually. Severus?" The infant's eyes focused on him. "It's alright if you can't recite it, child. You were only able to partially retain your semantic memory from before, which is perfectly fine. I'm wondering…do Harry and Ginny read to you regularly, my boy?"

Sev grinned. "Ah migh."

"At night?"

"Harry and Ginny read him stories every night before they put him to bed." Hestia clarified.

"Hmm…" The mind healer nodded. "Interesting! Severus, tell me—do they point to the words while they read?"

"Uh-huh!" The infant nodded with enthusiasm. Oh, how he missed storytime!

"That explains it." The balding man chuckled as he returned to his clipboard. "Excellent!"

"Um…" Hestia interrupted hesitantly, "I'm afraid I don't quite understand, healer. He can read but he can't spell?"

Pendleton gave her an understanding smile. "Sort of. It's a lot like recognizing logos, you see." He began gesturing with his hands. "Severus recognizes a particular formation of letters and his brain associates that particular formation with a specific sound. For example, if I was to show you the logo for Gladrags Wizardwear, you would be able to name the company, would you not?" Hestia nodded. "Right. Now tell me—can you name the specific sections of their logo?"

The social worker looked confused. "How do you mean?"

"Exactly that. If I pointed to a formation on the right side of the logo, would you be able to put a name to it?"

"Well…no." She shook her head. "It's just a logo. As a whole, it stands for a particular company."

"Exactly!" Pendleton pointed at her with an excited smile. "And it's the same principle here. Severus recognizes the formation of letters—C-A-T, for example— as a whole, and his mind associates that with the sound, 'cat'." He explained. "His mind associates the letter C with the sound that it makes when pronounced. And it is my belief that his current semantic memory is the byproduct of two phenomena—first," he ticked them off on his fingers, "some left-over semantic memory from his former life, and second, and most important, the things he has picked up from his nightly readings with Harry and Ginny."

"So…Harry and Ginny's reading to him every night has, essentially, taught him how to read again?"

The mind healer nodded, looking proud of her comprehension of the subject-matter. "Exactly!" His gaze returned to the curious infant. "Exactly. Now…the second type of memory is called Procedural Memory, also known as Muscle Memory." He explained, garnering Sev's full attention. "It pertains to the behaviors we've repeated so often that we've formed neural pathways for them in our minds. This should be quick to assess. Tell me…were you able to walk directly after the aging incident?" The infant shook his head with wide eyes. "You've had to relearn it, didn't you?" The middle-aged man asked knowingly. Severus nodded this time. "How was that, by the way?" He asked as he scribbled something on his clipboard.

The baby immediately scowled and stuck out his tongue in disgust. _Bffffffft!_

"Oh, come on! I'm sure it was fun at some points, eh?" The tongue made its way back inside his mouth, but the disgusted look never quite went away. Pendleton chuckled. "Alright. One final question, Severus. The third type of memory is called Episodic Memory. This is what we normally associate with memory. It's the things that happened to us in our lives and—" The infant began nodding before he could even finish his sentence. "…obviously that's very much intact." Pendleton finished, slightly amused.

Sev pointed to the back of his head. "BICK Seb!"

Both Pendleton and Hestia cracked a smile as the former scribbled on his clipboard. "Big Sev! Alright!"

_**

* * *

**_

"Lucius Malfoy claims to have no knowledge of you or recollection of you ever working with his son before." Smith argued, fixing the mind healer on the stand with a penetrating stare.

"His mother hired me." The man answered coolly. "Our sessions were supposed to remain secret from his father."

"Did young Mr. Malfoy ever appear to consent to these alleged sessions?"

"No, he never wanted them."

"Then why hadn't he just complained to his father about them?" Smith pushed, determined to trap this witness and not be undone by an ex-convict who had not even attended law school. "Why had he never mentioned them to him before? You claim to have worked with him for years."

"You'll have to understand his mindset, sir." Lawson argued in return. "Revealing to his father that he was seeing a mind healer would have been perceived as weak, and thus for him, humiliating."

Smith growled under his breath and took a step back to calm himself. "I see. And…when did these alleged sessions take place?"

"They usually occurred on Saturday evenings." Draco's mind healer explained. "Lucius Malfoy would regularly drink at a colleague's house around five in the evening and wouldn't return until late. It was rare that he ever cancelled, thus his mother had me come over and conduct sessions in his room. When Mr. Malfoy was at Hogwarts during the school year, she arranged for him to come home for a few hours every Saturday. That was when we would have the sessions."

"And Lucius Malfoy never suspected any of this?" Smith raised a dubious eyebrow at the man.

Lawson shook his head and shrugged. "Not to my knowledge, no."

Smith scoffed and gave the mind healer a brief, fake-sounding laugh. "You'll forgive me, sir, but it's a bit hard to believe these 'secret'," he drew quotation marks in the air, "sessions actually existed. I mean—"

"Well…you can ask Mr. Black, if you want proof." Lawson replied with mild defensiveness, not seeing the humor in this situation. "He subpoenaed our copies of the receipts for the sessions, which his mother paid for, as well as copies of my notes from Draco's patient file, dating back five years or so."

The smile on Smith's face immediately melted off.

There was a low shuffling noise as everyone in the room turned towards Sirius. The animagus climbed to his feet, managing to look both bashful and smug at the same time. "Exhibit E, My Lords and Ladies." As he retook his seat, the smug smile won over the bashful blush.

Smith cringed.

_**

* * *

**_

"Now I want to assess your magical abilities," Pendleton started, after having finished a long bout of scribbling on his assessment sheet, "just to see if I actually have to take them into consideration when making my final—"

Before the mind healer could even finish his sentence, Severus began levitating some of the letters from his puzzle, managing to keep them all hovering around the vicinity of the good doctor's face.

Pendleton was shocked speechless. He simply stared at the floating letters, wide-eyed, before his gaze moved onto Sev's pointed finger. The infant simply stared back at him innocently.

Hestia didn't know what to make of the situation. Her gaze moved from Pendleton to Severus and back.

The mind healer cleared his throat. "Well…obviously I _do_!" He scrambled for his clipboard and quill. "Well…I…wow…I didn't expect that." He looked astounded as he began scribbling furiously on his clipboard.

"What's wrong, Doctor?" Hestia asked upon catching Sev's worried look.

Pendleton shook his head. "No! Ahem!" He gave them a reassuring smile in order to calm them. "No, no, nothing's wrong!" The mind healer grinned goofily at the parchment. "This is quite incredible, actually!"

Sev, worried about the balding man's reaction, attempted to defend himself. "Daddy teets me!"

Pendleton's eyes grew to the widths of saucers and he fixed the infant with look of surprise over the edge of his clipboard. "_Harry_ taught you that?"

"Daddy teets me see auwa!" Sev explained.

"See…what? I'm sorry?" Pendleton turned to Hestia in confusion.

"Both Harry and Ginny have the ability to sense magical auras, and—"

Pendleton nodded and grinned. "Ah! Okay, okay! I see…So…alright…" He went back to his scribbling, addressing Severus as he wrote. "Tell me, Severus…What do you think of anything with a dark aura?"

_**Bffffffffffffffft!**_

Severus replied with a scowl.

Pendleton imitated the raspberries with a smirk. "Indeed."

"Doctor?" Hestia asked in confusion.

"He's _very_ far advanced in magical ability!" The mind healer replied. "_Very_ far!"

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" The social worker asked, not sure what to make of it.

For the first time in a while, Pendleton paused in his writing and turned towards Hestia. He wasn't grinning so much this time. "Well…that really depends on who raises him, doesn't it?"

_**

* * *

**_

"Could you explain to the court just why your services were needed, Mr. Moody?" Sirius opened, slowly pacing before the witness stand.

"When Mr. Potter invoked the right of _certus_, he made a counter-claim stating that Draco Malfoy was an alcoholic and that the kid would not be safe with him." The auror explained. "However, because Mr. Potter did not have definitive proof with him at the time, and the child had no guardian, Miss Jones awarded Mr. Malfoy custody but with the condition that I come along and observe Mr. Malfoy with the child."

"And what was it that you actually observed, sir?" The animagus asked, faking mild curiosity.

"I'll tell you what I observed—" Moody exclaimed, suddenly agitated, "NOTHING!"

"Could you…elaborate on that a little more, please?" Sirius replied coolly.

"Malfoy never _once_ stepped foot inside that room." The auror explained with a scowl. "The kid was left in his crib the entire week! Draco Malfoy never once stepped in to change him or feed him or…talk to him. There was NO interaction with him whatsoever! If it wasn't for the two house elves I brought with me during my stay, that kid would not have been feed nor had his nappy changed the entire week!"

Murmurs instantly circulated around the room. Dumbledore banged his gavel to try to quiet them, while Malfoy looked like he could care less about any of the hearsay.

"So…Draco Malfoy made no interactions with Severus _at all_?" Sirius continued, faking surprise.

Moody began to shake his head, but then stopped suddenly. "Well there was _once_…" The room suddenly fell silent at the new revelation, with more than a few faces expressing surprise. "I had stepped out of the room to stop Lucius Malfoy from beating his wife—"

"That is preposterous!" Lucius exclaimed, jumping to his feet in anger.

_BANG! _

"Mr. Smith, I have warned you and your clients several times now. My patience has run out. Aurors!" Dumbledore boomed, putting his foot down on all the unnecessary interruptions.

"I am _not_ leaving this room!" Lucius snapped in return, his nostrils flaring.

"Would you prefer a holding cell then, sir?" Dumbledore shot back.

More than a few people—Harry's table included—widened their eyes at the normally level-headed headmaster's response.

The elder Malfoy glared daggers at Dumbledore. The look on his face became positively murderous and Harry was sure that he would've attacked the Chief Warlock by then if he only had possession of his wand. Yet the showdown was never meant to be, and after a short eternity of glaring, Lucius Malfoy straightened his robes, pulled himself up to full height, turned on his heel and, in usual Malfoy style, led the aurors out of the courtroom as opposed to the other way around.

"Thank you." Dumbledore murmured under his breath as soon as the courtroom doors slammed behind Malfoy. "Mr. Moody, you may continue." He nodded at the auror.

"Like I was saying," Moody growled, highly annoyed at being interrupted by an adult-sized infant, "I had run out of the room to stop Lucius Malfoy from beating his wife. When I returned, I found the room locked. Apparently, from what my two house elves told me, Draco Malfoy had tried to come in and hit Severus with his walking cane. He had also backhanded that lady friend of his seconds before as well." There was a low shuffling noise as audience members began whispering in each other's ears. "Anyway, he was clearly intoxicated so they expelled him from the room before he could hurt the kid and locked the door behind him."

"Let me get this straight." Sirius said, pausing before the witness stand. "Mr. Malfoy physically _attacked_ a twelve-month-old infant? With a cane?"

"Yes."

"And this attack…that _was_ the only time Draco Malfoy was in the room?"

"My Lord, Mr. Black is leading the witness!" Smith objected, jumping to his feet and pointing at his courtroom rival.

Moody growled and banged his fist against the bench. "Hey! _NO ONE_ leads _me_! I said it before and I'll say it again—that was the _only_ time Draco Malfoy stepped foot in that room. All the other times I interacted with him, they were in the midst of him beating his girlfriend Astoria Greengrass!"

The whispers immediately increased in volume and Dumbledore gave his sound block a few whacks with his gavel in an effort to douse the fire before it grew to a raging inferno. "Mr. Black, I would reword the rest of my questions if I were you!" He rebuked Sirius sharply.

"Understood, My Lord." The animagus nodded. "One more question, Mr. Moody. Was there any other reason Miss Jones selected you to be the representative for the Ministry of Magic in Malfoy Manor?"

"As a matter of fact, there is." The head of the Auror Department signaled to one of his men at the back of the room. A guard carrying a briefcase immediately began marching towards the front of the courtroom. "The Auror department had received multiple anonymous tips over the past few months that lead us to believe that Lucius Malfoy was harboring most, if not all, of the Death Eaters still-at-large in his residence. I had mentioned this to Miss Jones in passing, and it is my belief that when she appointed me as representative, she had that little fact at the back of her mind." The security auror placed the briefcase atop the clerk's desk and Martha quickly opened it to inspect its contents. Everyone watched as a large stack of file folders, filled with parchment, was pulled from the case. "She placed me in a unique position. My magical eye could see through walls. Thus, I had the ability to confirm or refute those claims of criminal activity."

"And what did you observe, sir?"

"Every single wanted Death Eater was in that very house!" He barked as he watched Martha pass the entire stack up to Dumbledore. "Can you imagine? What would have happened if you would have left the kid there by his lonesome?"

"_Every_ single wanted Death Eater, sir?" Sirius asked, genuinely surprised.

"When Malfoy lowered his wards to deliver Severus to Miss Jones this morning, I had a team of disillusioned aurors there hovering above her." Moody explained. "It was a strike team—my best and my quietest." He gave his trainee a smug smile. "Unbeknownst to the two Malfoys who are _no longer_ in this room, their house was raided this morning. The remaining twenty-three Death Eaters who were at large are now in custody, as is a large stack of contraband from the residence. All in all, compared to the rest of the week, I had a _great_ morning!"

Chuckles quickly circled the room and Sirius himself had to work really hard to maintain his professional front.

"Thank you, sir! No further questions, My Lord." The animagus gave both Dumbledore and his boss a short nod before turning on his heel and marching back to his seat.

"What she just handed you there, sir, are my daily reports on the care of the child." Mad-Eye explained, turning towards Dumbledore and lowering his voice somewhat. "They're documented proof of neglect, sir."

"Thank you, Mr. Moody." The Chief Warlock nodded, passing the excess folders around to his colleagues on the benches. "Mr. Smith, the floor is yours!"

_**

* * *

**_

"Alright, my boy…" Pendleton resumed, as soon as he had finished a particularly lengthy bout of writing, "here comes the question of the hour, and you can take as long to answer as you want: Whom do you want to live with and why?"

Before the man could even finish his question, Severus screamed at the top of his lungs, "**MUMMY AMP DADDY!**"

The mind healer chuckled and briefly scribbled something on his clipboard. "I guess I don't have to ask 'Mummy and Daddy' means Harry and Ginny, do I?"

"**UH-HUH!**" Sev screamed once again, accompanying his reply with enthusiastic nods.

Hestia laughed at her charge's excitement. "Oh, that's a definite 'yes'."

"Any particular reason you're choosing them, Severus?" Pendleton asked offhandedly.

"Me wub dem!" The infant replied with a grin.

Hestia gasped and clutched at her chest. When Pendleton looked at her for clarification, she repeated the words in awe, "I love them." It was the most beautiful thing she'd ever heard! And Severus had said it was such assuredness and joy. There was also a tiny bit of surprise on his little face, and the social worker knew this must've been the first time he'd ever said the words out loud.

Pendleton, however, didn't seem to notice, as he just kept on scribbling along on his clipboard. "Good! Good! Excellent! Any other reason?"

Sev graced the good mind healer with a look of confusion. "Wha uhber wee-som?" He asked with genuine curiosity.

For the second time that day, Pendleton froze in surprise and simply stared at the tip of his unmoving quill with wide eyes. The infant's reply had floored him. His gaze slowly moved upward, past the edges of his clipboard, to study Severus with nothing less than quiet awe. Out of the mouths of babes oft times come gems.

With a tiny smile on his lips, he replied, "What other reason, indeed?"

_**

* * *

**_

"Thank, My Lord." Smith nodded, standing from his seat and buttoning his jacket once again. "Mr. Moody…did you ever witness _first-hand_ Mr. Malfoy physically hit the child?"

"No, I sai—"

"Did you ever witness _first-hand_ Mr. Malfoy mistreat the child?"

"Other than the fact he never interacted with the kid _at all_? Which is clear evidence of _neglect_, mind you!" The auror snapped, irritated that the arrogant lawyer had interrupted him in the middle of his reply.

"So…just to be clear, _you_ never saw Mr. Malfoy with the child at all?"

"We clarified that three times already, thank you very much!" Moody growled.

Dumbledore, ever the diplomat, discreetly tried to calm his friend's temper. "Mr. Moody, please—"

"No, Albus, I'm not going to sit here and answer the same question ten times over!" The stubborn auror argued.

"I'm merely establishing that my client is clearly not abusive—"

"I just told you—"

"Your house elves, Mr. Moody?" Smith cut in, getting in Moody's face. "You never see Draco Malfoy _**first-hand**_ enter the room at all over the course of the week, and you merely reiterate this _**story**_ your two house elves told you that may or may not have taken place."

"Are you calling me a liar, sir?" The auror snapped, incensed by the implication.

"Not at all, sir. I am merely expressing a bit of doubt that the incident that allegedly took place involving my client actually…well…took place."

"Look, son!" Moody pointed an angry finger at Smith. "I stopped Draco Malfoy from beating his girlfriend _twice_ in seven days! I've got insurmountable evidence that he is guilty of rape, assault and battery. I can recount my story under Veritaserum, if need be. Or you can take my memories and view them in a pensieve, if you wish. That boy can't even take care of _himself_, as you clearly saw earlier, much less another human being! Thus, _regardless_ of whether that incident involving your client actually existed or not—AND I ASSURE YOU IT DID—I would strongly recommend _against_ placing that kid in Malfoy's care _**anyway**_, given the evidence against him!"

Smith cleared his throat and turned away from Moody with a scowl. "Of course, sir." He replied dubiously.

_**

* * *

**_

"Well…I think I made my final assessment." Pendleton declared, finally throwing down his quill and giving his hand a small shake.

"And…?" Hestia asked, looking for all the world like she was sitting on pins and needles.

The mind healer smiled warmly at her. "He'll be going back to Harry and Ginny."

Hestia sighed in relief as Severus squealed in delight. Pendleton, for his part, merely chuckled. "They're a happy couple, very stable. They have the right facilities to raise a child. And you, young man, show great potential for being just as good of a wizard as, if not better than, your father!" The mind healer poked the grinning infant in the belly, making him squeal in laughter. "It's very good that Harry has taught him some introductory magic." He said to Hestia. "_And_ there is discipline in the house, correct?"

A raised eyebrow at Severus and the infant's resulting scowl and groan told him everything he needed to know. Pendleton snorted at the typical childish reaction.

"There is discipline in the house, indeed." Hestia replied. "Corner times, groundings, an occasional pat on the butt with the hand, but nothing more extreme than that."

The mind healer nodded. "As long as there is discipline to balance out the amount of power Severus already exhibits with his magic. I would be concerned if there was nothing to keep him grounded while his power grows."

"I don't think you have to worry about that with Harry. He's…" she shook her head, "…a lot more powerful than any of us can possibly imagine. I'm convinced that the power he exhibited during his battle with Voldemort was only a tiny fraction of what he's actually capable of. But, as you can tell, Harry's a very grounded guy. I mean…" Hestia smirked, "Ginny keeps him grounded, he answers to his in-laws, Remus, and Sirius—they're his authority figures."

Pendleton nodded as he signed his final assessment. "That's good, because he's going to be a fine example for Severus." The balding man ripped two pieces of parchment from his clipboard and handed them to Hestia. "If you would please confirm that these two copies say the same thing, and then sign at the bottom there."

As the social worker double-checked the paperwork, Pendleton crouched down next to Severus and offered him his finger. "Master Snape, it's been a pleasure." The infant bit his lip and took it, giving it an enthusiastic shake. "Now all we need is for Mr. Black to convince the court to place you with Harry. Shouldn't be too difficult, I think." The middle-aged man let out a small groan as he struggled to climb to his feet.

"Here you go, sir." Hestia said, after signing both copies.

Pendleton smiled and took only one of them. "That copy is for you, should anything happen to me between now and when I present to court."

"Ah!" The social worker rolled the parchment up and stuck it in her pocket. "Yeah. That's a good idea."

"See? You never know in these custody cases." The balding man commented as he shook Hestia's hand one last time before heading towards the door. "When both sides are desperate for the child, mine becomes quite a dangerous job."

The social worker laughed and waved as the man turned to open the door. "Oh!" He exclaimed, surprised to find Mad-Eye Moody on the other side. "So sorry! I was just on my way out."

"And I was just on my way in!" Moody growled.

Pendleton seemed unfazed, offering the auror a cheerful smile. "Well…good morning, sir!"

Moody grunted a "Morning" as he squeezed past the middle-aged man and into the room.

_**

* * *

**_

"Alright…" Dumbledore exclaimed, glancing briefly at his watch, "…we've been here long enough, I think. Court will take a thirty-minute recess. We resume in half-an-hour." _BANG!_

There was a collective sigh of relief before everyone began scrambling out of their seat and through the huge double-doors of the courtroom.

"Harry, are you okay, love?" Ginny asked, studying her boyfriend worriedly.

"Things aren't looking as good as you said they would, Sirius!" Harry exclaimed, making an effort to calm his breathing.

"Relax, pup!" Sirius replied, unfazed. "They're all now completely reluctant at awarding Malfoy custody."

"Yeah, but they're also completely reluctant at awarding _me_ custody!" The teenager hissed angrily.

"Yeah, well, that's all going to change when our star witness takes the stand." The animagus squeezed his godson's shoulder reassuringly.

"Hasn't our star witness already taken the stand?" Harry asked, all of a sudden confused.

"What?" Sirius snorted. "Malfoy's mind healer? Heavens, no!"

"I thought these people always lead with their star witnesses. You know? First impressions and all that…"

"No, pup," Sirius turned from his notes to give his godson his full attention, "you have to think strategically, okay?" He discreetly gestured towards Malfoy's table. "Unlike Mr. Big Shot Lawyer over there with his head buried in his arse and is too dim-witted to tell the difference between his shit and his brains. No. Harry, let me ask you something. When do you want the Wizengamot to remember the witness' testimony the most? Huh? It's when they're about the make a vote on who gets awarded custody of the kid. Right? So, you see, it's not strategic to _start_ with your star witness, it's strategic to _end_ with them."

Harry nodded silently, yet he was still confused. "Yeah, but…who do we have left? I thought everyone who could possibly speak in my favor has already testified, and so far no one's proven to _them_ that I could make a good father."

"That's what the star witnesses are for, pup. Relax! We got this." Sirius gave Harry's shoulder one last squeeze before turning back to his stack of papers. "Now go on! Take a bathroom break, okay? Give me a minute to focus." Nanoseconds later, the animagus was busy scribbling all over his papers.

Harry chose to use the bathroom on Level 9, as opposed to the one everyone was scrambling for on Level 10. It was the first time he had actually ever seen a queue for the men's lavatory as long as the queue for the women's. This level was a lot quieter, in his opinion; for no one wanted to use _any_ of the facilities in the Department of Mysteries.

The teen could practically hear his thoughts bouncing off the walls, it was so quiet! The young man's mind was overflowing with "what if's", "could have's", "should have's", and "would have's". He was thinking about all the things he and Ginny had done with Severus, and all the things they had yet to do. They _couldn't_ lose that child! Not to the Malfoys. _Especially_ to the Malfoys! Harry was certain he would give in to his impulses and do something incredibly stupid if it came to that point.

The young wizard was so distracted, he didn't notice that the toilet in his stall had flooded until after the water had seeped through his shoe and soaked his sock. "Damn!" He cursed under his breath, hopping away from stall and shaking his other foot at the same time. Spotting a broom closet next to the sinks, he hopped over and threw the door open, trying to find a mop so that he could at least clean up some of his mess.

"You looked like a fool down there!" A voice hissed from somewhere behind him, making the teenager spin around in surprise.

"I'm sorry, sir!" Another voice replied. Harry soon realized that the voices were muffled, and were emanating from the other side of the lavatory door. "It's just that Black—"

"Shut up!" The first voice hissed. The young wizard immediately recognized it as belonging to none other than Lucius Malfoy. "Not out here!"

Harry just barely managed to step into the broom closet and close the door before the lavatory door swung open and Smith stumbled into room. Lucius slammed the door shut behind him. The teen watched through the shutters as the intimidating blonde backed his lawyer against the wall. "I need that child back in my custody before the end of today. Do you understand me?"

"Mr. Malfoy—" Smith's voice was shaky.

The angry wizard grabbed him by his lapels and lifted him off the ground, pinning him against the wall. "You are _losing_, you imbecile!" He growled furiously. "You assured me there was no way we could lose!"

"I didn't expect _Black_ to be as good as he's been!" Smith squeaked.

Harry smirked. Yes, his godfather was full of surprises.

"He's not a lawyer! He's had no experience in court before. It was only logical—"

"I don't want to hear any excuses!" Malfoy hissed, stopping the lawyer cold. "You make sure Severus Snape stays in my custody. I _need_ him to get Potter right where I want him." He pressed the head of his walking stick in Smith's face, making the younger man cringe in fear. Malfoy then lowered his voice to a dangerous snarl, "You deliver Severus Snape, he delivers Harry Potter, and _I_ make sure that price on your head with your bookmaker magically disappears."

"But, what about the mind—"

"Never you mind about that mind healer!" Malfoy snapped. "I'll take care of him. You just remember our arrangement."

Done with his threats, Malfoy dropped his lawyer back onto the wet floor with a splash, straightened his robes, turned on his heel, and marched out of the room without so much as a backwards glance.

Harry collapsed against the wall of the broom closet with a sigh. Why couldn't things ever go smoothly for him? There always had to be some kind of nefarious plot involved or something. What was he, cursed?

Closing his eyes, he wandered to the back of his mind, where his link with his son lay. He needed to talk to Severus.

* * *

**Well! That was a doozy, wasn't it? And, like the Dark Knight, it's only half over! Lol! :-) **

**Next up, two unexpected star witnesses take the stand, startling revelations leave Harry reeling, and although the hearing may be coming to an end, the show may just be getting started. Tune in next week! ;-P **

**NOTE: Hello all! Many, many apologies for the long wait I put you through for this chapter. The truth is, I had had it scripted for a while, but it took some time to make the script into an actual chapter. Plus, the fact that I caught World Cup fever halfway through the writing process didn't help either. Lol! :-P Sorry! Anyway! I hope this double-lengthed chapter satisfied some cravings, at least. The second, almost-equally-as-long half of it is coming next week. My website (and all the new media for this story) should be up and running very soon as well. I thank you all so very much for the wonderful reviews! I'm sorry that I was too distracted to reply to your questions, but I'd be glad to reply to them this week, if you still have any. Once again, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please don't hesitate to let me know what you think! :-)**


	44. Familiaris

"At this time, we would like to call to the stand the _former_…as of this morning…" Sirius felt like cringing, but he managed to remain professional, "…Narcissa Malfoy."

The whole Malfoy table instantly shot to their feet.

"What?" Draco exclaimed.

Lucius looked furious. "What is the meaning of this?"

_BANG! BANG! BANG!_ Dumbledore banged his gavel repeatedly in an effort to calm both the Malfoys and the rest of the crowd, which had become riled up from all the excitement. "Might I remind you, Mr. Malfoys, that I allowed you back into this courtroom with the condition that you will cause _no more_ outbursts or interruptions. If you both don't take your seats this _instant_, I will hold you both in _contempt_!"

There was a loud noise as the doors to the courtroom opened and in walked Narcissa, four aurors escorting her. She paused briefly by the Malfoys' table, but made a point to keep her eyes off either of the men. She merely slammed a stack of papers onto their desk and continued walking without a backwards glance. "Happy Christmas, Lucius." She murmured, her voice cold and emotionless.

"Do you consent to the administration of Veritaserum?" Sirius asked, his voice level and just as devoid of emotion as his cousin's. He merely watched, still as a statue, as Narcissa helped herself onto the witness stand.

"Yes" She answered, pointedly directing her gaze away from her former husband and son.

"This is outrageous!" Lucius exclaimed, slamming an angry finger against his table.

"Mr. Malfoy, retake your seat—" Dumbledore started.

"I demand this questioning by stopped immediately!"

"My Lord, Mr. Black failed to disclose this witness' identity to me prior to the trial." Smith argued, a lot calmer than his two clients.

"She only volunteered to testify for us as of last night." Sirius countered. "_AND_, may I point out, My Lord, Mr. Smith here failed to disclose the identity of his _only_ witness to _me_ over the course of the last week."

"I did too!" The arrogant lawyer shot back with a scowl. Sirius felt like rolling his eyes.

"Mother, what are you doing there? Step away immediately!" Draco added, directing his angry rebukes towards an indifferent Narcissa.

"You speak to your mother that way?" Sirius murmured, narrowing his eyes at his cousin. The animagus shook his head at the blonde teen's attitude. If _Harry_ had ever spoken to _him_ that way, his godson would have soon regretted it. He would never have tolerated such disrespect in _his_ house!

"Gentlemen!" Dumbledore boomed. "Let us all calm down, shall we? Mr. Smith, I will allow it. Mr. Malfoy—the _both_ of you—I have grown weary of repeating myself."

Draco growled. "Damn it, Dumbledore, she—"

"**MR. MALFOY**!" The Chief Warlock cried, incensed, "_THIS_ is a courtroom and not the Hogwarts school grounds. _I_ am a member of the Wizengamot and as such I am to be addressed in a certain manner—a fact I have reminded you of more than once today. Now I have asked the both of you to take your seats. You refused to do so. In this courtroom, I do not make threats, I make promises. Aurors!" He signaled to the guards at the back of the room. "Escort Mr. Malfoy and his father to a holding cell. I am holding them both in Contempt of Court."

"There is no way my son and I are going to be held in a prison cell! This is ridiculous!" Lucius replied, jerking his arm away from the grasp of a nearby security auror.

"Mr. Malfoy, I'll have you know that Contempt of Court is a crime punishable by time in Azkaban or a hefty fine." Dumbledore's nostrils flared and his eyes grew wide in anger. "Continue with this insolent behavior and I assure you it'll be _both_!"

Once again, the auror tried to place a hand on Lucius' shoulder, only to have the older man shrug him off violently. "Take your hand off me!" He snarled. With one final glare at Dumbledore, he turned on his heel and marched angrily out of the courtroom, Draco at his heels.

The Chief Warlock sighed wearily. "I should not have let them back in to begin with." He murmured under his breath as he tried to rub the wrinkles from his forehead. "_NOW_ that we have no more interruptions…Mr. Black, the floor is yours."

"Thank you, My Lord." Sirius nodded. He signaled for Narcissa to take a drink of water from the glass an auror had just handed her, and waited for her to comply before he began his questioning. "Now…can you please state you name and relation to the Malfoys, for the record?"

"Narcissa M…" The woman froze mid-sentence, having caught herself just in time. The courtroom watched as she shut her eyes and took a deep breath before clearing her throat and starting again. "…Narcissa _Black_. I _was_ married to Lucius Malfoy as of yesterday evening. As of this morning, I am no longer his wife."

"So…you divorced him?"

"Yes…well…" Narcissa shrugged, "…my lawyer informed me that in cases of confirmed domestic abuse, the husband's signature was not required for the divorce to take effect. Those papers," she gestured towards the stack of papers she had slammed onto the Malfoys' table earlier, "which he has _conveniently_ forgotten," she growled angrily, "are merely a formality."

Sirius steeled himself against all emotion as he pushed forward to his next question. "Just out of curiosity…Why did it take you so long to divorce him?"

Narcissa looked genuinely surprised by the question. It was obvious she had not been expecting Sirius to ask her something like that.

The witch turned away and sighed to herself. She opened her mouth to reply, but no words came out. And it stayed that way for a short while. She would look towards Sirius and open her mouth as if to answer, and then just as quickly close her lips and turn away. "I…I…" She managed to stutter, but never made it past her first word.

"I feel sorry for her." Ginny murmured, garnering strange looks from all the people around her, save for Hermione.

"For god's sake, _why_, Gin?" Ron whispered in disbelief.

"Well just _look_ at her, Ronald!" Ginny quietly rebuked her brother. "She's obviously in pain!"

"And she could just as obviously be faking it!" He shot back.

"If she's just faking it, why did she volunteer to testify for Harry's sake?"

"Because she's mental!"

"It was Astoria." Narcissa finally admitted. Her voice sounded nasal, as if she was on the verge of tears.

"Astoria Greengrass?" Sirius asked, though he already knew the answer.

"Draco's _former_ betrothed. She…" The middle-aged witch inhaled sharply and shifted in her seat, "…after Mr. Moody rescued the both of us from Draco and Lucius…and we barricaded ourselves in the room Severus was in…" The woman looked to be building up to something—something big. And it looked like whatever she was about to admit involved emotions beyond which Harry and the others had thought her capable. She looked _genuinely_ hurt.

"She called me pathetic!" Narcissa exclaimed, her bowed head suddenly shooting upward to reveal the tears in her eyes. "_ME_, Sirius! She called _me_ pathetic!"

Sirius grit his teeth as he struggled to remain stoic. He clasped his hands behind his back and gripped his wrists tightly, as if that simple act would stay the sympathy he knew he was feeling for his cousin.

Narcissa accepted the handkerchief Dumbledore passed down to her with a word of thanks, and dabbed at the corners of her leaky eyes. "And I realized I _was_!" She continued. "I had ended up…_just_ like my mother and I never said I would! I never…" she cleared her throat, "…I said I would never sit back and take it like she did. I said I would leave!" The middle-aged witch bit her lip and her gaze moved down to the handkerchief in her lap, which she was gripping like a lifeline. "But I didn't leave soon enough." She tried to swallow her emotions, control herself to the level she knew she was capable. "'Cause look at what he's done to Draco."

And Draco really _was_ the crux of the matter, wasn't he? That's why she didn't leave Lucius for all those years. She had had a child with him. And she wanted Draco to have a man in his life—someone to show him how to _be_ a man. Unfortunately, it also had to be someone who shared her belief in blood purity, and Sirius unfortunately didn't fit that bill. She had figured, somewhere along the line, that Lucius would change; that being a father would change him. She had hoped that he would be a better man, a sweeter man—a husband she had always dreamed of having. Yet her hopes were all for naught. Lucius had shown Draco how to be a man, alright; but not the kind of man Narcissa had hoped he would become. The first time Draco had hit her, the reality of her situation came crashing down.

Sirius swallowed and cleared his throat in an effort to refocus himself. He didn't have time to deal with this right now. Right now, he needed to prove that the Malfoys never wanted Severus for Severus. He needed to prove that they merely wanted the infant as a tool for their plans. His cousin and her situation could wait 'til after the hearing was over.

"Miss…Black…" Once again, the animagus felt like cringing, "you were within the Malfoys' inner circle. What did they _truly_ want with Severus Snape?"

Smith immediately jumped to his feet. "My Lord, Mr. Black is leading the witness!"

"My Lord, she herself came to us with this evidence for the Malfoys' ulterior motives early this morning." Sirius replied without missing a beat, "I am merely putting the question in context of the comments she herself came here to make."

Dumbledore's gaze quickly moved from one to the other and back. He looked like he was on the fence on how to call this particular shot. "It is my belief that it is the answer that's important here. Miss Black? You may answer the question."

Narcissa nodded silently. She was still trying to get a hold of herself. "They wanted Severus in order to lure Mr. Potter to them." Murmurs instantly began circulating about the room, but Dumbledore took care of that with a few forceful whacks of his gavel. "I know what you're thinking—why didn't they just kidnap him? But…the truth is they had tried that. And failed. Repeatedly. Severus was impossible to kidnap. Mr. Potter had…_extensive_ wards around both his property at Godric's Hollow and at Hogwarts, as well as around the Burrow. Every agent that Lucius sent returned half-mad."

For the first time since the start of the hearing, Harry grinned. It was good to know his wards actually worked from those who had actually tried to get past them!

Behind him, he heard Ron happily whispering to Remus. "See? I told you! It was ward layer one!"

"When Severus was out in public, he had extensive protections around his person, as did whomever he was with." Narcissa continued. "He was impossible to kidnap period." She cleared her throat. "The only reason Lucius never went out himself or sent Draco to do it was because he didn't want to be implicated in the crime. He said it would _ruin_," she rolled her eyes, "his name too much." The witch scoffed and shook her head, muttering with disdain, "As if that hasn't happened already."

"So they strove for legal custody of Severus."

"Yes." Narcissa nodded. "Well, they were doing that _while_ they tried kidnapping him. They were trying to obtain him both legally _and_ illegally at the same time."

"And they never actually wanted him as a child?" Sirius pushed. Now they were getting to business!

"Oh, heavens no!" The witch scoffed and shook her head. "They wanted him as bait. They knew Mr. Potter had the tendency to act on impulse and take matters into his own hands. Thus…if they got Severus into Malfoy Manor, they were absolutely sure that Mr. Potter would soon follow. That's why they've neglected him all week. They didn't really care about _him_. They cared about getting Mr. Potter."

"And what were they going to do to Mr. Potter once they got their hands on him?"

"Well, Lucius and Draco worked out that although Mr. Potter was quite powerful against the Dark Lord, it was a one-on-one fight. They figured that if they could get Mr. Potter to split his attention more than one way, then they would have the advantage. If they all went at him at once, they were certain he would fall."

"But obviously that never happened over the course of the last week."

"It almost did." Narcissa felt obligated to acknowledge. Sirius cocked his head in curiosity. "Lucius wanted Mr. Potter _within_ the wards of Malfoy Manor so he wouldn't have the ability to apparate out and escape. Over the course of the last week…Mr. Potter had apparated _to_ Malfoy Manor several times a day, but had remained _outside_ of its wards."

Everyone sitting around Harry gaped at him in surprise. The teen ignored them.

"He merely stared at the property." Narcissa went on to explain. "He never _fully_ stepped into the trap, which was what they had been expecting, and that's what infuriated Lucius and the others, causing them to lash out…" She left the sentence hanging, looked down at her body and sighed. The unspoken "at me" hung precariously in the air.

"So…" Sirius swooped in for the kill. "…they only obtained custody of Severus in order to use him as a tool to lure Mr. Potter to the property and kill him. Is that correct?"

His cousin nodded and whispered, "Yes."

"They never wanted him as a part of the family. Is that correct?"

"Without a doubt, yes."

"Thank you, Madame. No further questions, My Lord." The animagus turned and headed back to his seat, an air of muted triumph about him. "Your witness!" He sang, just before he sat down.

Yet Smith made absolutely no move to stand. The lawyer had his elbow against the table and was making a show of rubbing his temple. He released a loud, pointed sigh which, to Sirius, sounded more like a huff, and threw a funny look towards Malfoy's empty seat.

"Mr. Smith?" Dumbledore pushed, confused as to why the barrister had yet to approach the witness.

Smith held up a single finger. "One minute, m'Lord."

Reaching across the table, he trapped the divorce papers underneath a finger and made a show of dragging them over to his half of the table. After quickly scanning the top page, he daintily lifted up a corner to do a quick scan of the second and almost immediately made a sound of disgust. Dropping the page, he shooed the divorce papers back across the table like a revolting pest, leaned his forehead against his hand, and turned back to Dumbledore. "No questions, m'Lord."

Sirius turned to Harry with an excited smile on his face. "It's in the bag, pup!" He whispered.

Remus leaned over the divider between the first row and their table to whisper in Harry's ear. "A good law school does _not_ a good lawyer make!"

Harry placated them both with a tiny smile, still full of uncertainty, but now with a little bit of hope. He held up his fist and the three of them bumped knuckles in an almost-victory.

After exchanging a look of concern with the members next to him, Dumbledore sighed. "Very well." He turned to Narcissa. "You may step down now, Miss Black. Thank you." He signaled for an auror to help her down. "Mr. Black?"

Sirius shot to his feet. "One further witness, My Lord."

The sound of more than a few muted groans did not escape the animagus.

"Come on!" One of the Wizengamot members complained, softly, yet loud enough to be heard.

However, the enthusiastic wizard merely ignored them and kept on chugging. "I would like—"

"Mr. Black!" One of the members—a big, brutish-looking male—leaned impatiently over his desk to glare at the animagus.

Sirius quickly turned towards him. "Yes, My Lord?"

"You have done _WAY MORE_ than enough to convince me that the child should not be placed in Mr. Malfoy's custody. What you _HAVEN'T_ done is completely convinced me that he should be placed back in Mr. Potter's!"

Harry blindly reached for Ginny's hand.

"I am about to do that, My Lord."

"Be quick about it then!" The wizard snapped.

Sirius gave him a respectful nod. "Yes, My Lord." He turned back to Dumbledore. "On behalf of my party, I would like to call to the stand muggle Pastor Edward Kolson from the Second Chance Home for the Homeless."

Harry's shot up in his seat and his eyes widened in shock. "What?" He breathed. A loud noise at the back of the courtroom had his head spinning in that direction and, lo and behold, there he was—Pastor Ed! His graying hair was a bit shorter than usual, and he was dressed in business-casual wear rather than his usual shirt and shorts, but the friendly-looking man strolling up from his seat in the back was, in fact, the very same minister that had been Harry's lifeline for most of his life!

He was the last man Harry was expecting to show up at this custody hearing.

"Sirius' star witness, cub." Remus whispered in his ear. He could hear the smile in the werewolf's voice.

"Hello there, Harry!" Pastor Ed winked at Harry and smiled as he passed by his table. "Didn't see you last summer. Now I know why!" With a small laugh and a shake of his head, the minister made his way up to the stand, where Sirius was holding the small door open for him.

"Good Morning, sir!" The animagus greeted with a friendly smile. "Will you consent to the administration of Veritaserum?"

"Of course!"

Sirius gestured towards a nearby auror, who immediately brought a glass of water forward. The pastor quickly took a sip.

"Now…" The animagus began, excited to finally be questioning this witness, "will you please state your name and your profession for the Wizengamot, please?"

"Pastor Edward William James Kolson," The muggle minister replied, "I am a fully ordained Christian minister, founder and manager of the Second Chance Home for the Homeless on Whitechapel Road in London's East End, and I also have a doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology with a specialty in Child Psychology from the University of Oxford."

Sirius took a quick glance at his godson. Harry looked completely floored. His mouth was hanging slightly open in shock and he merely stared at the minister, as if not knowing what else to do.

"Ah, interesting…" The animagus played along, pretending like he hadn't actually asked all these questions already, "…so you would consider yourself a therapist, or, as we put it here in the Wizarding World, a mind healer?"

Pastor Ed smiled and gave him a small nod. "Absolutely!"

"Very interesting. So…I'm curious. How long have you known Mr. Potter?"

"Oh…let's see." The older man sighed and contemplated for a minute. "I definitely knew him by the time he was seven, because I distinctly remember there being a birthday party for him and a few other children that July at the shelter, so…" he paused for a moment, "…I would say since he was about five or six years old. Twelve…thirteen years."

"That's a long time." Sirius remarked casually.

Pastor Ed nodded in understanding. "It seems that way, but…in other ways, it seems like it was just yesterday he was no taller than my leg." The old man smiled wistfully. "He tried to bite my leg once, if I recall correctly. Thus, I'm very grateful he's no longer that height."

The audience chuckled, Harry blushed, and Sirius smiled to himself a bit. "Now…what would you say your relationship with Mr. Potter would be?"

"I would…" The man took a second to think, "…consider him…" He then suddenly backtracked and attempted to reword his sentence. "…I would consider _myself_, rather…his mentor." At Sirius' cocked head, he tried to elaborate. "I'd like to think that I'm the man he runs to when he has nowhere else to run. The man who's there to listen to him…give him advice, or anything he may need—be it a shoulder, a bed, a hot meal, a shower, or a safe haven. And, indeed…that's what my shelter and I were for him…as it is for many more children and adults like him who pass through our doors each day. "

"That's very admirable, sir." Sirius replied, his voice full of genuine awe. "So…would you also consider yourself _HIS_ therapist? Or…'mind healer'?"

"Oh, absolutely!" Pastor Ed nodded, "I consider myself the mind healer of every soul who walks through the doors of my shelter. I just don't tell them that."

This time, Sirius was genuinely confused. "What do you mean, sir?"

"Well, as you can probably guess by the perplexed look on Harry's face right now," Pastor Ed remarked, a small smirk on his face, "not many people are aware of the fact that I am a board-certified psychologist. If I told most of them that I am trained to help them solve some of the most pressing problems of their lives, many of them wouldn't say a word to me."

The animagus was intrigued. "Really?"

"You have to understand, sir, a lot of the people I deal with have negative reactions to seeing a psychologist. Case in point, the negative reaction Mr. Malfoy had, according to his mind healer, to seeing him." He explained, drawing on an earlier example. "A lot of people prefer to deal with their own problems themselves and are very reluctant to accept help. Um…" he paused, wanting to expand on a particular point, "…this is especially true of the children who come through my shelter. And, I assure you, there are _plenty_ of children who pass through my shelter. Now, you see…these kids, they're the product of the streets. Many of them wander the alleyways alone—they're either runaways, orphans, or have been abandoned or neglected by their parents or guardians. They learn how to fend for themselves at an incredibly young age. Harry, of course, was no exception. I had to resort to alternative means to get him to open up to me."

Ah! _Now_ they were back on course! "Would you elaborate on that point, sir?"

Harry, himself curious as to the pastor's statement, leaned forward attentively.

"Well…there are several methods I used. I find children are more inclined to reveal their stories to me if they don't know they're actually revealing them." The minister and therapist explained, "I used dolls, toys, story books, drawings, anything that can possibly coax the story out of the child in the most subtle way possible. With Harry, I remember the toys, story books, and drawings always worked best. Every time I used them, I was able to coax the story of how he ended up there through metaphor." He paused stroked his chin in thought. "The only thing that frustrated me about Harry was that the marks of abuse, suffered at the hands of various individuals, never stayed on his body long enough for me to collect the necessary evidence for it!" He exclaimed, sounding a bit frustrated at the fact. "All the bruising and whatnot always disappeared before I could convince him to allow me to photograph it. Thus, I was never able to press charges very much."

"Well…thank you for your efforts anyway, sir." Sirius nodded at him. He was grateful for the lengths this man went through to try and help his godson; and he didn't want the pastor to feel unappreciated in any way. They were also now getting to the most important part of questioning, and he needed the minister to be on top of his game. "Now…you've heard the opposing testimony so far. What would your response to the Malfoys' accusations be? In other words, are my colleagues correct in assuming that Mr. Potter's past makes him more likely to be a bad father?"

"On the contrary," Pastor Ed shook his head, "I would argue that he would make a very _good_ father."

"Really?" Sirius remarked, pretending to be a skeptic.

The minister snorted. "Oh, heavens…" he chuckled slightly and shook his head at Malfoy's table. "You all have your police reports and medical reports…" He gestured towards the papers on both Harry's and Malfoy's tables. "…but none of those documents give you any information on _Harry_!" The minister hid it well, but to those who knew him, the frustration was evident in his voice. "They give you times, dates, bruises, descriptions of weapons, crimes, trials and whatnot. I challenge any of you to read those documents and tell me what's going on inside that boy's mind." He pointed directly at Harry before eyeing everyone in the room, including the Wizengamot. "Harry spent most of his life in and out of my shelter. And every time he ended up there, it wasn't by choice. It was by necessity. He had nowhere else to go, he didn't know what to do, so I took him in and we talked…and played…and every time this process repeated itself, I got to know Harry more and more. I got to know his mindset…and not only did I get to know his values, but I'd like to think I helped to instill some of those very values in him. Harry has an _unbelievable_ capacity for love, and considers human life God's most precious gift."

Pastor Ed paused momentarily to survey his audience. To his relief, they were all captivated by his words. He took a deep breath before diving straight into his story. "Harry came to me that night—the night Mr. Smith claims was the night of his initiation. Apparated directly into my office!" The minister halted briefly and his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He turned to the court clerk and asked, "It's 'apparated', right?"

Martha gave the minister an understanding smile. "It is indeed."

Pastor Ed laughed and sent her a nod of thanks. "Thank you." He turned back to his audience and resumed his story. "Harry apparated directly into my office with two people in tow—the woman he was given to rape, not a hair on her head had been touched, and the man he was given to beat, not a scratch on him. Both were alive, well, confused, but very grateful nonetheless. Harry had saved their lives that night…but he had nearly lost his soul in the process." It almost pained Pastor Ed to think back to that night. That was the night Harry truly hit rock bottom. "And it was the most direct Harry had been with me his entire life. We stayed up the entire night talking and he told me about how he had nearly gotten his godfather killed, and that he was being plagued by nightmares, and how he was receiving extreme pressure from his peers in regards to a prophecy of some kind." The minister paused slightly, almost as if he was afraid to continue on with the story. "And then he told me about what he termed the Double T—the Taipan Tribe."

_FLASH!_

"_Come on!" The gang leader won him over with a friendly smile and a comforting grip on his shoulder. "You want to get away, don't you, kid? Be someone else for a change?" The nicely-dressed young man offered Harry his hand. "Just for a little while..."_

_Be someone else for a change._

_Just for a little while._

_Images of their completely unnecessary battle in the Department of Mysteries filled his mind. Voldemort had lured him there. He had almost gotten Sirius killed. Now he had some kind of prophesy hanging over his head. _

_Harry wanted to be someone else for MORE than a little while!_

_Without even thinking about it, he took the gang leader's hand. The snake tattoo on the man's wrist never even registered in his mind._

_FLASH!_

"_Welcome to our lair, Harry!" The gang leader—Horvath, he said his name was—lead the way into the dance club. Loud music, smoke, booze, girls in short dresses, and drugs littered the scene. "Max! Show our newest boy how we have a good time, huh?"_

_FLASH!_

_Harry threw back yet another shot amidst cheers from the guys and sexy words in his ear from the ladies. _

_FLASH!_

_Harry had lost track of how long he had been snogging with this girl. Who was she anyway? She was smokin' hot, whoever she was! Although…the girl he was snogging with before her was smokin' hot too. The teen decided it was a toss-up._

_FLASH!_

"_Hey! New kid!" Harry turned at the sound of his title to find Frankie, the gang's 'accountant', heading his way. "Hold out your hand."_

_Harry did so. Nanoseconds later, a roll of cash was slapped onto his palm._

"_That's Forty Thou, boy!" Frankie explained, slinging an arm around Harry's shoulders. "Just a taste of what we can give you, kid." He gestured towards the group of sexy ladies by the bar. "See those pretty little things over there?"_

_Harry raised an eyebrow and took one eye off the cash in his hand to follow Frankie's gaze. "Yeah?"_

_Frankie smacked him on the butt, propelling him in the direction of said 'pretty little things'. "Don't spend it all in one night, ya hear?"_

_Harry frowned in confusion. "What?"_

"_And remember!" Frankie continued, regardless. "A good whore is like a fine wine. You gotta be slow with it. If you think you're just going to be quick and dirty, find a cheaper ho." He shrugged. "My advice." And with a final wink and a click of his tongue, he turned away and left. _

"_Hey, Handsome!" The girls beckoned him over seductively. "Come over here! We'll show you how to spend that cash!"_

_Harry stayed frozen, his gaze moving between the money in his hand and the prostitutes in the corner._

_Temptation…Temptation…_

_FLASH!_

_50,000 pounds. If he won this race, 50,000 pounds would be waiting for him when he climbed out. Harry quickly glanced at the car on his right. He found that he was leading by just a fraction of an inch. It was anyone's game!_

"_Nos!" Harry exclaimed. Horvath told him this car was loaded with Nos! He just needed to find that bright blue button…"Got it!"_

_Harry felt like he was driving a jet as he overtook his competitor and crossed the finish line before he even realized what was going on. Cheers, beers, and pretty little things pulled him out of the car and threw themselves at his feet. Harry grinned._

_Drag races were FUN!_

_FLASH!_

"And Harry made a decision." Pastor Ed continued. "And the decision turned out to be a mistake. But, in my opinion, what defines Harry was not the mistake that he made; it was the choices that he made to correct it." Harry blushed and buried his face in his hands. He didn't deserve all this! "What tells me the most about him was that he openly acknowledged _to himself_, first and foremost, that he was getting in over his head, and he consciously decided to turn around and get back out before the Devil had the chance to claim his soul. Now I ask you…" the minister eyed everyone in the room firmly, "…what kind of fifteen or sixteen year-old boy would consciously choose to turn his back on this world of temptation and indulgence with absolutely no boundaries whatsoever…to set boundaries on _himself_, and deny _himself_ the privileges that every kid his age would kill for? He could have had _anything_ he wanted—women, money, cars, drugs, alcohol, mansions. Whatever he wanted! He had the world at his fingertips and yet he said 'no'. No one was stopping him and yet he said 'no'. A _single human life_ was too high of a price for him."

Harry flashed back to that fateful night a lifetime ago. It was well past midnight, and the storm had knocked out the power. He remembered him and the Minister, sitting in the dining room, talking by candlelight. The teen remembered crying. A lot.

"His soul was too high of a price." The minister murmured thoughtfully. He paused momentarily to take another look around. "And he cried that night. It was one of only a handful of times I had ever seen him cry. And that was the night something changed in him. He became more active in the goings-on at the shelter. He became a mentor, a big-brother to the younger children there. And, most especially, to the boys being tempted into the world of gangs and violence, he became the guy they talked to in order to convince themselves that it was not the way to go." The pastor chuckled to himself. "And when he left at the end of that month…to wherever he went to whenever he left…Harry dropped a note of gratitude on my desk, which I'm sure Mr. Black is about to declare Exhibit E or F or something," this time, the audience chuckled along with the minister, "but I'll never forget what he said at the end of that note: _'This patched up soul is mine all mine, devil be damned to hell.'_"

Harry remembered that note. He remembered writing it, he remembered dropping it off, and he remembered promising himself that from here on out, he would be a better person. He remembered swearing that no matter how dark the world seemed, he would never forget that there was light out there. There was always hope. There was always _something_ to live for. A wistful smile tugged at his lips.

"And I knew." The minister finished. "I knew from that point on, he was out completely. And everything that he would do would be in an effort to steer others away from the twisted path. He was a changed man. He'd grown up." The pastor almost looked sad to admit that last fact.

Sirius gave him a grateful smile. "Thank you, Pastor." He turned to the Wizengamot, "My Lords and Ladies, that very letter is indeed Exhibit F in your evidence packets. A young man, who had lived a hard life, changed forever by a single mistake and the decision to correct it. I ask you this—who would you rather have raise this child: a man who the child loves as his father, who's been presented with all the hard choices and has so far made the right ones OR…" the animagus looked around at all the members, lengthening the pause to maximize the dramatic effect, "would you put him with a man who, as you clearly have seen, has the tendency to make the wrong ones?"

With one final look, he nodded at the Wizengamot and then once again at Pastor Ed, "Thank you, sir."

The minister smiled and nodded at him in return.

"Your witness." The animagus took a seat and leaned in to whisper in his godson's ear. "Watch this!" He hissed excitedly.

Harry gave him a strange look.

"Mr. Kolson…" Smith began, looking a lot less sure of himself than he did at the beginning of the hearing, "…is it true that Mr. Potter had a very violent childhood?"

"Oh…'violent' doesn't even _begin_ to describe it." The minister replied sadly.

"He's lived through physical abuse, yes?"

"Yes."

"Emotional abuse?"

"Yes."

"Neglect?"

"That's an understatement. Yes."

Smith paused for a second, "Sexual abuse?"

Low murmurs began making their way across the room.

Pastor Ed looked pained. "Yes, that too." He replied after a short pause.

"Dr. Kolson," Smith picked up a file from his table, "I have some statistics with me from different studies by various agencies, and they state that around _FORTY PERCENT_ of abusers themselves came from abusive families. Now, in light of those statistics, can you tell us with _absolute certainty_ that Mr. Potter will not _eventually_ fall into that forty percent who continue the cycle of abuse?"

"I can tell you with _absolute certainty_ that he will NOT." The minister replied without missing a beat.

The barrister looked dubious. "Really? Come now, sir. How can you know that with _absolute certainty_?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at the pastor.

"Because I know Harry." Pastor Ed replied calmly. He pointed at Harry once again. "_That boy_ is not a statistic—never has been, never will be. And furthermore, I would question your sources as well as your interpretation of those statistics."

Smith furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "How do you mean, sir?"

"Well, first of all, how did you obtain them? Did you obtain them through British government agencies? Your own Wizarding Ministry agencies? Universities? Private agencies?"

The lawyer glanced down at his folder.

"How many years' worth of data did they use? How did they _take_ their data? How large was their sample? Are there any biases in their analysis? Forty percent is quite a large number. Does that mean forty percent of abusers _in general_ come from abusive families? If so, what were their statistics when they sampled _only_ the people who came from abusive backgrounds? Was the number the same? Forty percent? Because I would really expect it to be much smaller. Or did they neglect to sample only people who lived through abuse?"

Smith sighed and shut the folder with a snap, haphazardly flinging it onto his table before turning back towards the minister.

"I don't mean to discourage you, Mr. Smith, but I have testified as witness in a lot of cases of this sort and I have come to expect this question. And I must say—_every_ time it comes up, the percentages are radically different. Some are ridiculously large, some are too small to be believable, etc. I myself have looked up these statistics—with varying results as well—but I only use them as reference when I counsel my residents, because I have adopted the belief that every person is different. They live different lives, they must learn to deal with different obstacles in their lives, and they each deal with them in their own way. You cannot judge a man on statistics alone. Statistics tell you the probability, but the _person_ tells you the possibility." He paused momentarily to let that little gem sink in. "And I can tell you with absolute certainty that Henry James Potter will _not_ continue the cycle of abuse. It ends with him."

"Yes, sir, however—"

"If you need any more proof than that, I can show you his patient file." Pastor Ed argued. Both Smith and Sirius looked surprised by the offer. "It's about ye thick." He held his fingers about two inches apart. "I left it with that security guard back there." The minister pointed to a man standing at the back of the room. He was holding a black brief case and looked serious about guarding it.

"Security Auror, sir." Dumbledore corrected, all the while signaling for the auror to come forward with the evidence.

"Yes, of course, I apologize, sir." Pastor Ed nodded. "You see, Mr. Smith, I have worked with him extensively, from a very young age, in regards to helping him understand that what his uncle was subjecting him to was _not_ normal behavior for a young man. I tried my best to be the alternative male role model for him to emulate, and as far as I can tell, it worked rather well." The guard placed the briefcase on Martha's desk and the court clerk proceeded to open it and briefly inspect its contents before passing a rather thick file folder up to the Chief Warlock. "In there are my notes pertaining to his behavior and attitude over the years." The minister explained. "He's improved remarkably from when I first met him at the age of five or six."

Dumbledore opened the folder and glanced at the first few pages. The two Wizengamot members on either side of him crowded in to take a peek as well.

Smith began getting desperate. "I have his criminal record with me today—documented proof that Mr. Potter has anger issues, most especially in his teenage years. His Hogwarts records—"

"Yes, the anger issues." The pastor acknowledged with a sigh, "He's always had them, which is not unexpected for someone with his history. In fact, the anger he displayed as a teenager was nothing compared to the anger he displayed as a child. Yet, regardless, I expected them to spike during the teenage years, and thus I took care to give him extra counseling in that regard from the age of twelve up. I'm proud to say he's rather adept at several calming techniques now."

"What of this latest bout of gang activity? You're absolutely certain it won't happen again?"

Pastor Ed studied the lawyer with knowing eyes. "Haven't you ever made a mistake, sir?"

Smith froze for a fraction of a second and Harry was reminded of what Malfoy had said earlier.

"Haven't you ever been so emotional at some point in your life that you do something completely out of character and soon you find yourself totally over your head?"

The lawyer frowned and looked away, clearly uncomfortable with what the minister was saying. Then, almost absentmindedly, he began rubbing his upper arm.

"And you tell yourself, 'I just need to get myself out of this mess. That's all. If I can just get out, I'm done with this!' Well…that's Harry." Pastor Ed paused for a moment and then added, very softly, "And that's you, from the looks of things as well." He gave the lawyer his warmest smile, but Smith seemed too lost in his thoughts to notice.

The barrister looked dazed. He studied the minster with unseeing eyes as he continued to idly rub his arm. After a short while, he conceded, murmuring in a robotic voice, "Thank you, minister, no further questions."

All eyes in the room followed him as he retook his seat. The man looked lost, as if he was stuck in a hopeless situation.

"The poor man…" Ginny sighed, a long look on her face.

"He's _still_ in over his head, from the looks of things." Harry remarked.

"And he probably has no idea how to get out." His girlfriend nodded.

"They gave him a beating, I suspect." The teen deduced. He himself was no stranger to bookies and their methods of persuasion. "Illegal gambling is super high stakes, and if you can't pay when you lose, their first warning is a bad beating. And there is no second warning."

"Thank you, Dr. Kolson! That was very enlightening." Dumbledore smiled at him before signaling for the man to step down. "Now...Mr. Black, do you have any more lovely folks to enlighten us or can we finally go about making our decision?" The courtroom audience chuckled at the Chief Warlock's exasperated yet indulging tone.

"No further witnesses, My Lord." Sirius declared with a smile.

"Okay!" Dumbledore exclaimed. Under his breath, he muttered, "Finally…"

Ron snorted and shoved Sirius' shoulder playfully.

"Unless any of my fellow members have objections, I move we skip the closing arguments, have Dr. Pendleton's recommendation, and make a ruling. Do I hear any objections?" Dumbledore looked around at his fellow Wizengamot members. Everyone either shook their heads at him or looked indifferent. The Chief Warlock then turned to the two parties. "Mr. Black, do you have an objection?"

"May I have a minute, My Lord, to consult with my client?" Sirius asked. Dumbledore gestured for him to do so. The animagus leaned in to whisper with Harry and Ginny. "Do you want me to make a closing argument?"

"How sure are you that we have this?" Harry asked, sounding a bit uncertain.

"Ninety percent sure. Did you talk to Severus? Does he know whom Pendleton recommended?"

"Us, of course." Harry replied, but he felt compelled to reiterate what he learned earlier. "But he said to watch out for any funny business. He told Moody to keep an eye out."

Sirius rolled his eyes, "As if he doesn't already. So…no closing arguments?"

Harry and Ginny exchanged a quick glance. "I think we're fine." He answered.

"Mr. Black?" Dumbledore pushed, getting impatient.

"No objections, My Lord."

"Mr. Smith, any objections?"

The barrister shook his head. He looked defeated and very, very tired. "No objections, My Lord."

"Excellent!" The Chief Warlock gestured to the aurors by the doors. "Bring in Dr. Pendleton!"

The doors boomed as they opened and in strolled the nice mind healer from the start of the hearing. Harry immediately sensed a shift in the room's aura.

He frowned.

_**

* * *

**_

Meanwhile, outside the courtroom, Moody approached the security stand just outside the courtroom doors. He was told by a runner that both Malfoys were to be kept in a holding cell for Contempt of Court. That was more than half an hour ago. He had, as of yet, precisely _no_ Malfoys in his custody.

"Stegner?" He snapped, just before he reached the booth. His trainees had told him some degree of fair warning was appreciated before he popped out of nowhere and began yelling in their faces. The grumpy auror was just barely beginning to oblige them.

To his dismay, once he got to the booth, there was no auror for him to yell at.

"Stegner?" Moody looked left and right. Not an auror in sight. Finally, he looked down.

His magical eye afforded him the ability to see through the wood of the booth and find his employee under the desk, bound by a _Petrificus Totalus._

"Stegner!" Ignoring the door, Moody jumped over the desk and into the booth. "_Finite Incantatem!_" he snapped

Stegner shuddered and began gasping for breath. "Malfoy!" He cried.

"What?" Moody pulled him into a seating position to help him breathe.

"He took his wand!" The younger auror pointed towards the courtroom doors.

"Son of a bitch!" Moody growled and pulled himself to his feet as quickly as he could.

_**

* * *

**_

Pendleton sat in the witness stand. The giant smile on his face looked a little too forced for Harry's taste.

"My Lords and Ladies, after careful analysis of the child and the parties involved, it is in my expert opinion that Mr. Malf—"

_BOOM!_

Everyone gasped and turned at the sound of the courtroom doors bursting open. Before anyone could react, there was a loud scream.

"_**FINITE INCANTATEM!**_"

Moody banged his staff against the ground and a wave of blue energy coursed through the room. Then, two things happened at once: Pendleton collapsed on the stand, unconscious, and Lucius Malfoy suddenly appeared in the middle of the courtroom, pointing his wand at the now-unconscious mind healer.

Dumbledore was livid. "Mr. Moody, arrest that man!" He boomed, pointing at Malfoy.

The blonde immediately attempted to flee. Aurors sealed the courtroom doors and tackled him to the ground before he could get very far. Yet they weren't able to get his wand fast enough. A green flash of light all of a sudden flew through the room, heading directly towards Dumbledore.

"NO!" Harry jumped into the line of fire and caught the curse ball in his custom shield before it could even come close to the old man.

The audience lost it.

"An unforgivable! Can you imagine?"  
"The Imperius Curse!"  
"The _Killing_ Curse!"  
"What a dumbass!"  
"WHOA! Did you see him block that curse?"  
"Thank you, Harry."  
"That man does _not_ take humiliation well."  
"Someone get a healer in here on the double!"  
"Who does?"  
"I'm right here, Albus!"  
"Someone get Madame Pomfrey her wand!"  
"On its way, sir!"  
"So I take it it _wasn't_ Mr. Malfoy he was going to recommend?"  
"Find the copy of his final assessment. He always has two floating around. Miss Jones would likely have the copy."  
"No doubt that one is a forgery."  
_BANG! BANG! BANG!_  
"Order! Ladies and Gentlemen! Calm down!"  
"This hearing has been a circus from the very beginning."  
"Tsk! Tsk! Tsk! All show! Who called this anyway? WE don't normally handle custody cases!"  
"It was that Malfoy boy who demanded the Wizengamot. If a citizen requests, we deliver."  
"We don't do small claims, though. Definitely not!"  
"A child is no small claim."  
"It was a poorly set trap and a bad strategy, let me tell you!"  
"Obviously the child's doing well with Mr. Potter."  
_**BANG! BANG! BANG!**_**  
**"QUIET DOWN OR I WILL EMPTY THIS COURTROOM!"

It was the threat that finally managed to get everyone's attention. The crowd immediately began winding itself down. "Thank you!" A messenger returned from the back room and handed the Chief Warlock Hestia's copy of the mind healer's recommendation. "Thank you, sir." He quickly opened it to establish Pendleton's true recommendation.

"**HARRY POTTER**!" Dr. Pendleton suddenly jerked awake on the witness stand, much to Madame Pomfrey's surprise, and screamed at the top of his lungs. The unexpected bellow worked better than any number of bangs from Dumbledore's gavel. Dead silence instantly reigned in the courtroom.

"HARRY POTTER IS TO GET CUSTODY!" Pendleton yelled once again.

"A little louder. They couldn't hear you in China." Ron muttered under his breath.

"Yes, yes, Mr. Pendleton." Madame Pomfrey reassured him in a calming voice. "We got that."

The mind healer's head suddenly jerked towards her in surprise. He looked dazed, like a drunk man just becoming aware of her presence. "HARRY POTTER IS TO GET CUSTODY!" Pomfrey, not expecting the bellow, once again, jumped out of her shoes.

Yet she quickly got a hold of herself, nodding as she rubbed her patient's back. "We can hear you quite fine, Dr. Pendleton!" She turned to Dumbledore. "It's some of the side effects of the Imperious Curse. I'll just get him out of here."

"Of course." The Chief Warlock signaled for some of the aurors to help her out with the patient.

As Pomfrey helped Pendleton limp out of the room, the mind healer continued to yell in her ear, like a drunk with a hearing problem, trying to communicate with someone who didn't speak English.

"Harry Potter it is!"  
"Yes, Mr. Pendleton. We heard you quite plainly the first time."  
"I said HARRY POTTER!"  
"Yes, yes, yes!"  
"Did I say Harry Potter?"  
"Yes, you did."  
"Severus loves him and Ginny."  
"We know."  
"He calls them 'mummy' and 'daddy'."  
"Yes, yes, yes…"  
"HARRY POTTER, I SAID!"  
"I heard you, Dr. Pendleton!"

Dumbledore let out a huge sigh as the courtroom doors closed behind the two healers. "Well?" He studied everyone in the room with a look that radiated both frustration and impatience. "Anything else? Questions? Comments? _Theatrics_? Or can we _finally_ put this to a vote?"

"_I_ would like to make a comment, Albus!" A high-pitched voice chimed in out of nowhere.

A very, very, very, _VERY_ old, cheerful-looking lady amongst the Wizengamot members raised her hand and almost everyone in the courtroom turned to her in shock.

Dumbledore himself stuttered in disbelief, "L—La—Lady Palimore?"

"She's the oldest member of the Wizengamot." Harry heard Remus whisper to Ron. "232 years old! She's been on it the longest as well."

"What is it you wish to say, My Lady?" Dumbledore asked. Harry thought he sounded almost reverent, as if he were speaking to a deity of some kind.

The old lady gave him a friendly smile and pointed a crooked finger towards Harry and Ginny. "There is a bond between them, did you know that, Albus? All three of them!"

Once again, whispers began circulating about the room.

"A bond, My Lady?"

"Did you mean a mental bond, Lady Palimore?" One of the other members of the Wizengamot asked. "Mr. Black might have mentioned—"

Lady Palimore slowly shook her head, turning towards the member, the smile still glued onto her face. "No, no, Edvard. I mean a…" she then turned the smile towards Harry, "…_Familiaris_ Bond."

This time, the whispers were an equal mix of confused and stunned. Harry, Ginny and Sirius exchanged baffled looks with their companions behind them in the first row.

Dumbledore shook his hand at the crowd to quiet them. He seemed reluctant to bang his gavel this time. "What is a _Familiaris_ Bond, My Lady?"

"I haven't come across one in many, many years." The smiling old woman babbled. "The last time I knew a child bound by _Familiaris_, I was but a little girl."

The Chief Warlock tried again, "My Lady, would you please tell us what it does?"

The way Lady Palimore looked at Dumbledore reminded Harry of a nice lady schoolteacher, smiling down at her pupil. "It is a bond that can only be created naturally…by Old Magic." She explained, her voice oozing with patience. "And it is the _child_ that initiates the bond with his chosen parents and not the other way around. Our adoption process today is reversed, and it can only _attempt_ to recreate the _Familiaris_ bond…but like other forms of modern magic, the old ways are the best ways." Lady Palimore's short pause turned into a lengthy coughing fit, which worried more than a few people on the panel. "Severus has adopted his parents…" she continued, after having caught her breath, "…and neither distance nor modern magic can break what has formed between them. And in the eyes of the old laws…" she sat back in her seat and once again smiled at the nice young couple below, "…that child is no less theirs than if they had conceived him themselves and brought him into the world."

Murmurs instantly overtook the audience.

_BANG! BANG! BANG!_

Dumbledore's gavel-shyness seemed to have had gone away, however. "Thank you, Lady Palimore. That was highly informative!" He nodded politely at the ancient lady and then waited patiently as she smiled and nodded in return. "Now…shall we put it to a vote?" He looked around at his fellow Wizengamot members and saw no objections. "Very good!"

Harry's heart began beating rapidly. Out of instinct, he reached over, grabbed Ginny's hand and squeezed hard.

Dumbledore picked up Pendleton's report once again. "Now…as per custom, I will start with Dr. Pendleton's recommendation." A quick glance at the report confirmed that the mind healer did indeed recommend Harry and Ginny. "All in favor of awarding full and unquestionable custody to the Potters?"

"Aye!" Hands went up by the drove and, judging by the sheer multitude, Dumbledore figured he didn't need to count them.

"All oppose?"

No hands went up that time.

"It's settled then." The Chief Warlock gestured towards a nearby auror. "Tell Miss Jones to bring the child forward. Full and unquestionable custody awarded to the Potters." _BANG!_ "Case Resolved!" Dumbledore threw the gavel over his shoulder and immediately shot out of his chair, grumbling under his breath. "I need to use the loo!"

Amidst cheers and whoops from the crowd, Harry breathed a huge sigh of relief and collapsed back against his seat, closing his eyes and whispering under his breath. Ginny, on the other hand, squealed in delight and jumped onto her boyfriend's lap, giving him a big hug.

"Congratulations, guys!" Sirius cried.

Ginny immediately leaped off Harry's lap and jumped into Sirius' arms, giving him the biggest hug she had given anyone in her life! "Thank you so much, Padfoot!" She whispered into his ear. "We owe you everything!"

The animagus merely laughed. "You're welcome."

"We won! Oh, Arthur! We won!"  
"Yes, I know, sweetheart."  
"I knew it all along."  
"You were amazing out there, Sirius."  
"Ditto, Padfoot."

"Daddy! Mummy!" Severus exclaimed as soon as he emerged from the judges' chambers in Hestia's arms. Harry shot to his feet immediately and Ginny turned her attention away from everyone else. "_Daddy_! _Mummy_! _**Daddy**_! _**Mummy**_! _**DADDY**_! _**MUMMY**_!"

Cameras were flashing like crazy. People were cheering like mad. Security was having trouble keeping the audience on their side of the barriers. The scene was utter and complete chaos. Yet none of that registered in either Harry's or Ginny's minds. Their baby was theirs again and they were taking him home!

As soon as Harry was within arm's length of Hestia, Severus jumped out of the social worker's arms and into his father's. "DADDY!"

"Oh, I missed you, cub!" Harry wrapped his son in his embrace and hugged him for all he was worth.

"MY BABY!" Ginny ran straight into them and hugged them both as tightly as she could. Almost immediately, she began planting kisses all over Severus' face.

"Mummy!" Sev giggled and began wiggling to and fro. His mum's kisses tickled!

"Oh! Listen to that laugh! I missed that laugh!" Ginny sounded on the verge of tears. "Oh! Haven't we missed that laugh, daddy?"

"Like you wouldn't believe!" Harry grinned, himself planting a kiss atop his son's head.

"Me wub ooo, Daddy! Me wub ooo, Mummy!" Severus cried, telling them all about the epiphany he had had earlier with the nice mind healer doctor.

"Oh, sweetheart…" "Oh, cub…" Once again, the three bodies latched onto each other and became one as Harry and Ginny wrapped their infant in a big cocoon-like hug.

"Harry?" Hestia cleared her throat, reluctant to break up the joyous reunion, but anxious to share the good news with them. "Ginny?"

"Oh, Hestia!" Ginny tried her best to wipe away her tears of joy. "Thank you so much!"

The social worker smiled. "Whatever I did, you're welcome. And I have good news!"

"Well!" Harry snorted, nudging the grinning baby in his arms, "This day just keeps getting better and better then!"

"Lady Palimore—"

"That really old lady that spoke up earlier about a bond?" Harry raised an eyebrow.

"That would be her, yes." Hestia snorted. "She approached the Wizarding Department of Social Services during the recess earlier and told them everything she apparently told you all here in court just now. Long story short, Social Services knows they've got nothing on Old Magic, and they offered to bump up the official adoption date to today." If at all possible, Harry's, Ginny's, and Severus' grins grew exponentially bigger. "All you need to do is walk up to Social Services and fill out a birth certificate."

Harry and Ginny looked at each other in amazement.

Hestia chuckled in amusement. "Congratulations! It's a boy!"

"Oh, baby!" "Oh, sweetheart!" Harry and Ginny exchanged a quick kiss before planting a kiss on their infant's cheeks.

"Hey! What about me? Don't I get a hug and a kiss?" Sirius cried jokingly, heading towards the group with open arms. "After all, _I'm_ the one who's been talkin' for three hours!"

"Papoo!" Sev exclaimed, diving into Sirius' arms.

"There he is!" The animagus chuckled as he wrapped the infant in his embrace. "The house has been too quiet without your annoying presence, ya know!"

Severus blew raspberries in his face before uncharacteristically planting a kiss on his cheek.

If Sirius was surprised, he hid it well. "Thank you! _Now_ I know I'm appreciated."

As the others each took their turns welcoming Severus back into the family, Harry took a moment to give his attention to the man who had been patiently waiting on the sidelines.

"Pastor Ed." Harry greeted, the smile on his face displaying a multitude of emotions, ranging from gratitude to euphoria.

"Harry, my boy!" The two embraced like long lost friends; only they knew their bond ran a lot deeper than that.

"I can't tell you how much this…" Harry babbled into his shoulder. All the emotions of the day were finally coming out. "You were here. You—You spoke for me! I—"

"Shhh, my boy!" Pastor Ed rubbed his back and rocked him slightly, just as he did that night, not so long ago, that Harry had left the gang.

The teen took a deep, shuddery breath and reluctantly pulled out of the hug. His eyes were red and puffy and more than a few errant tears had managed to escape. "I can't thank you eno—"

"I'm proud of you." Pastor Ed blurted out before the teen could get any further.

Harry looked momentarily stunned, but the minister soon spotted the tell-tale twitching of his lips, "Wha—"

"I look at you…and I try to picture the boy you used to be." Pastor Ed explained. He had a wistful look on his face and his voice was filled with melancholy. "But all I can see is the man you have become."

Despite the fact that Harry had received his fair share of compliments from this man, he still couldn't help the blush that crept up whenever he received one more. Nor could he control his typical reaction. "No, Pastor Ed, just—"

"Ah! Ah! Ah!" Well used to this boy's responses to compliments, the minister held up a stern finger to stop him before he could continue. "None of that! You got a beautiful family!" He gestured towards Ginny and Severus and everyone around them. "And that was all you, boy!" He finished proudly, a pleased grin on his face. "All you!"

"Hey! Excuse me! Pastor Kolson?" One of the aurors called out to them shakily. "Um…did you request to see Malfoy Jr., sir? 'Cause…well, we just caught him and…well, if you wanted to talk to him…? I—I could—"

"Yes, yes, thank you!" The minister smiled at the boy, "Would you give me a few minutes, please?"

"I'll wait outside, sir." Pastor Ed nodded in gratitude.

Harry's mouth dropped open and he turned back towards the minister in confusion. "Pastor—"

"You know me, Harry." Pastor Ed cut in before he could even get a word out. The man knew what Harry was about to say. "Regardless of whose side they're on, if a person needs help, I'll be there to help them."

"The guy's a lunatic!" The teen argued.

"He's sick."

"Well he got himself sick in the first place!"

"Henry!" Pastor Ed's signature stern yet gentle look was always Harry's undoing. This time was no exception. "You have a family now. You are a father. You have a son."

"Hello there!" Ginny greeted as she approached the duo, Severus in her arms. "Pastor Ed, right? It's so great to finally meet you!"

"And I am no stranger to the amazing Ginny Weasley either." The minister returned with a smile.

As the two talked, Harry once again found himself lost in thought. Pastor Ed had always advocated forgiveness. He once joked that it was in his job description. And for as long as Harry could remember, the minister never once failed to back up his word with his deed. He forgave _everyone_—no matter if he felt they deserved it or not. The pastor had attributed the unusual habit to some quote in the Bible. Harry had always attributed it to the minister's inability to stay mad at someone for lengthy periods of time. Regardless, whereas Pastor Ed found the strength to forgive even his attempted murderers, Harry felt he wasn't capable of such a feat. It was _Malfoy_, for crying out loud!

"By the way, Pastor, it's Severus' first birthday tomorrow—his grandmother is planning everything—but I also had the idea of combining it with his naming ceremony. Harry…" she nudged her daydreaming boyfriend on the arm, thrusting him back into the real world, "…and I would very much appreciate if you would officiate his naming."

"Who he?" Severus squeaked, barely coming to the realization that he didn't know this man.

"This is the man who made a difficult childhood a little less difficult." Harry explained, taking Severus from Ginny's arms and giving him a peck on the forehead.

"I would be honored to help you name him." Pastor Ed replied with a smile. "Severus! It is very nice to meet you!" He held out a hand and Severus took a finger, shaking it with a shy smile. "You are very lucky to have such wonderful parents in your life, and they are very lucky to have you!"

"Uh-huh!" Sev commented, diving into Harry's chest to muffle his giggles.

"And it is my hope…" the pastor continued, fixing Harry with an expectant stare, "…that your father instills in you the same principles I would _hope_ I instilled in him…" The minister left the sentence hanging, leaving it up to Harry to make the next move.

Both Ginny and Severus turned to Harry in confusion.

"Wha happ, daddy?" Sev babbled, patting Harry on the chest as if trying to get his attention. "Daddy? Daddy, wha happ?"

"Your daddy is about to prove just how strong a man he really is." Pastor Ed calmly replied.

Harry met the minister's expectant look with a glare of annoyance. The man always seemed to know how to put Harry between a rock and a hard place. And the most annoying part was that he knew precisely that Harry was going to rise to the occasion.

"Daddy stwong!" The infant exclaimed with conviction. He already _knew_ his daddy was strong! Daddy was the strongest man in the world! "Daddy stwong mam ah WHOA!" Severus even screamed it out loud, much to Ginny's and Pastor Ed's amusement.

To Harry, though, hearing the strength of Severus' convictions was the final nail in his coffin. He knew that if he was to live up to his son's expectations, he would have to muster up the strength to do the impossible.

"Fine." He murmured, taking care to keep his voice soft and calm.

"This has to be all you, Harry—"

"It _is_ all me, sir!" The teen returned, fixing the minister with a steady look. "You tell that sorry excuse for a man, when he's all sobered up, to come find me. Because the only way he's going to keep _me_ from pressing charges and keep _himself_ out of jail is if he makes me a promise worth his _life_!"

"Harry!" Ginny frowned at her boyfriend.

"No! I got this, Gin." Harry insisted. "He tried to take my son away from me. I already made him promise to leave my family alone _before_, in exchange for me not pressing charges against him. And _this_ is how he repays me? Kidnapping my son and trying to destroy my family? I'm not letting him off the hook so lightly this time, Pastor."

"Mawmoy mo go Asbam?" Severus asked in confusion.

"If Malfoy wants any semblance of _a_ life back, he's going to have to choose between his life and protecting my family. Because I can sure as heck tell you that my godfather," he gestured towards the man across the room, whom Narcissa was approaching rather hesitantly, "is going to take away most of the things that he used to have. So…a different kind of life, full of hard work, sacrifice, and protecting my family, or…life in prison—that is my _final_ offer, Pastor Ed, he can take it or leave it."

The minister actually grinned at him and offered him his hand. "You drive a hard bargain, Harry. You always have and I'm sure you always will." Harry shifted Severus to one arm and then took the man's hand. "But that's your kind of forgiveness," he shrugged, "and it's forgiveness none-the-less."

"If you say so, Minister."

Pastor Ed chuckled, "Harry…you're challenging him to be a better man in order to stay out of jail. _I_ take that as forgiveness…kind of."

The group actually laughed at that before turning to arrangements for Severus' naming ceremony.

Meanwhile, across the room, Sirius crossed his arms against his chest and glared at the woman approaching him. She, along with most of her family, had humiliated and belittled him for years; made him seem a stranger in his own home; made him yearn for a real family the likes of James' or Remus'. _Now_ look at who was relying on whom!

_Payback sure is a bitch, isn't it?_ Sirius cackled internally.

"Sirius…" Narcissa cried, sounding every bit the groveling aristocrat, desperate to keep her money.

"Narcissa." The animagus had no intention of making this easy for her.

The disgraced witch went so far as to give him her teary-eyed look. "I have no home, Sirius." Her voice was pleading and thick with emotion. As were her eyes. She looked and sounded almost genuine.

Sirius felt like simply staring at her until she curled up into a ball and rolled away. Yet one glance at his godson made him brush aside his childish fancies in favor of taking the high road.

"_Correction_, Narcissa…" The woman actually looked surprised that he was responding to her at all, "…_they_ have no home. _You_ have an entire fully-staffed mansion at your disposal." Narcissa frowned at him in confusion. "As of right now, Malfoy Manor is rightfully _Black_ Manor once again." The animagus peered past the rambunctious crowd to the back of the room, where Moody stood by the courtroom doors. The auror nodded at him once and then gestured over his shoulder. Sirius returned the nod before addressing his cousin once again, "Now…if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go take your dowry back." An evil smirk overtook his face then.

As the head of the Black family, it was Sirius' duty, upon the termination of Narcissa's marriage contract, to take back the dowry his family paid to her husband, Lucius Malfoy. It was a duty he would now carry out with never-ending pleasure.

"I'm off to strip Lucius Malfoy and his son of their fortune." Sirius gleefully informed his godson. "I'll meet you at the adoption office, yes?"

Harry gave his godfather a strange look as Pastor Ed proposed to join him. "You're going to let Narcissa stay in the mansion?" The teen asked, confused. He was sure his godfather was going to take everything away from his cousin as well.

"Yeah." Sirius shrugged.

"Why?"

The animagus paused for a moment, looking like he was trying to justify it to himself, before meeting his godson's eye with another shrug. "Why did you just offer Draco a deal?"

Harry opened his mouth, paused, and then slowly closed it again. _That_ was a little hard to explain.

"Sons." Pastor Ed answered, smiling at both Harry and Sirius. "They're there for the betterment of their fathers."

It was all the explanation either of the men needed.

_**

* * *

**_

"This is madness!" Ron yelled as he was forced to shove the millionth person out of the way. He, Remus, Arthur, a few members of Dumbledore's Army, and a couple of their auror friends had the unfortunate task of being the family's bodyguards for the day. In between them, Ginny was clutching Severus to her chest, trying to shield him from the endless flashing lights and reporters, Harry was covering them as best he could with his own body, Tonks was holding Teddy close and huddling against Harry, Molly was chastising all the reporters she came across for hounding the poor dears and shoving away all the microphones that managed to make it past their initial set of bodyguards, and Hermione took up the rear, apologizing to anyone who looked even remotely offended for having shoved them out of the way.

"This is the price of fame!" Remus screamed in reply. "What do you expect?"

"Where are we going anyway?" Ron asked, trying to make himself heard above the yells of reporters and the sounds of flash bulbs and camera shutters.

"To the adoption agency! It's in the Department of Social Services!"

"Are we there yet?" Seamus squeaked, just as annoyed at having to shove people out of the way as Ron was.

"Here!" Remus threw open the door and the others doubled their efforts to keep the crowd from entering the office. As soon as all the relevant people were inside, he instructed the DA members and the aurors to maintain control of the crowd outside, before shutting and locking the door behind him.

Harry breathed a sigh of relief and then froze in surprise when he looked up to find all the members of the department gaping at him from their cubicles.

"Hello…?" A woman behind the front desk greeted them with caution and just a bit of confusion. "Can I help you?"

"Yes, um…" Harry cleared his throat, "I'm Harry Potter. I believe Lady Palimore came in here a while ago and—"

"Ah!" Now the woman seemed less confused, "Yes. You're the bump-up!" She and her rolling chair rolled to a side table where she retrieved a rather large folder full of papers. She then slammed it down in front of Harry. "Read, sign, date."

Ginny's mouth dropped open in shock. "_All_ of these?" She asked in disbelief.

"Our social worker said we just had to fill out a birth certificate." Harry clarified.

"Yes, but in order to get a birth certificate, you need to finish the adoption process. And in order to finish the adoption process, you need to read, sign, and date all of these." She offered them a quill and a fake smile. "Let me know if you have any questions."

"Well…I sort of have one quick one right now, if you don't mind." Harry replied as he took the quill. The woman merely raised an eyebrow at him. "Why is it that we need a _birth_ certificate, as opposed to an adoption certificate?"

The woman sighed, as if she had answered this question half a million times already. "The Ministry views adoptions as transference of a child's parentage from its biological parents' to its adoptive parents'. Any claim the biological family has to the child will be severed and the adoptive parents will have all the rights and privileges the biological family had given up. Of course, the easiest way to _magically_ represent all of this complicated junk is to invalidate the kid's original birth certificate and replace it with a new one containing the adoptive parents' information. No need to imbue an adoption certificate with complex magical spells and exceptions and such and such. Just issue a new birth certificate and have done with it! Simple. Now…are you going to fill those things out or not?"

Harry and Ginny exchanged a look with the rest of their group.

It was a full hour before the two of them finished the paperwork, with Molly and Arthur's help. Severus and Teddy were on the floor with Sirius, who had arrived halfway through the paperwork, and Dora, playing with some stuffed animals, Ron had fallen asleep, Hermione was reading a gossip magazine, and Remus was finishing up the latest edition of _The Cutting Edge—Strategies for Defense Masters by Defense Masters_.

"All done?" The woman at the front desk asked.

Harry nodded as he handed her back the heavy folder. "Does this mean he's fully adopted now? That we can call him our son?"

"Actually, according to Lady Palimore and the old laws, he officially became your son the moment the _Familiaris_ bond kicked in. Chances are, the two of you didn't notice that particular moment, but the kid did." She explained as she stamped every single page with a Ministry seal. "All this is just for formality's sake, in other words." Once she was done, she handed the folder to a nearby worker and then pulled another piece of paper from a folder on her desk. "Likewise, after we fill out this birth certificate, he will _formally_ be your son. So…are we ready?"

Ginny, Severus, and the others joined him at the front desk as the woman pulled out a special quill.

"Full name?"

Harry and Ginny exchanged a look. "What would you like it to be, cub?"

Severus grinned at him. "Haweh!" He replied excitedly from his perch Ginny's arms.

"Wow." Sirius remarked, genuinely surprised.

"I want him to keep his first name," Ginny added, "so that he can remember where he came from."

Harry nodded at her sensibility and then decided to satisfy them both. "Severus Henry Potter."

"Male or female?"

Harry frowned. Shouldn't it be obvious? "Male!"

"Date of birth?"

"9 January 1998." Harry shot a wary glance at Severus. Yet the infant merely kept waving his stuffed lion at a laughing Teddy, seemingly unbothered by the fact that they had just moved his birthday up by thirty-eight years.

"He doesn't care, love." Ginny shook her head.

"Parents?"

"Henry James Potter and Ginevra M—Molly…" Harry stumbled and cleared his throat. He had almost said 'Potter' at the end of Ginny's name! He had to watch himself, as the rest of the family had yet to find out they were engaged, and this was neither the time nor the place for such an announcement. "Weasley."

"Mm-hmm." The woman behind the desk raised an eyebrow at him. "Place of birth?"

"Uh…" Harry and Ginny met each other's blank gaze.

"Hogwarts!" Sirius blurted out, startling the lot of them. "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Hospital Wing, of course!" The animagus grinned.

"Which is in Scotland." The woman finished in a bored voice. "Where were you born, Mr. Potter? You and your partner."

"I was born in Godric's Hollow, West Country, England, and Ginny in Ottery St. Catchpole, Devon, England."

"Present address?"

"Number 20 Haven Place, Godric's Hollow…West Country…England." Harry didn't know if he was getting on this woman's nerves or if she was just bored.

"Do you wish to appoint godparents at this time?"

"Yes!" Harry looked over his shoulder to exchange a smile with Remus. "I would like to _officially_ name Remus John Lupin as his godfather and Nymphadora Tonks Lupin as his godmother."

Tonks gasped and clutched her chest in surprise, "Oh! I'm _HONORED_!" She squealed, genuinely delighted by her new title.

Harry suddenly turned to his two best friends, "Ron, Hermione, I hope you're not offended—"

"Me?" Ron squeaked, "No! No, no, no, no. Uh-uh. Never!" Harry thought he actually looked quite relieved.

"Perfectly understandable, Harry." Hermione replied with a reassuring smile.

"Right! Okay…" The secretary, as Harry now thought of the woman, slapped the birth certificate on the table in front of Harry and Ginny before thrusting the quill in Harry's face. "Sign where my finger is pointing." The teen did so. She then thrust the quill in Ginny's face and then moved her finger. "If you please."

The woman then pulled the paper back onto her desk and read out in a monotonic voice, "I, Samantha Jean Kolt, Superintendant Registrar for the Registration District of London do hereby certify that this child, Severus Henry Potter, was born to the parents of Henry James Potter and Ginevra Molly Weasley on this date of 9 January 1998. With this signature, before these witnesses, I certify that all the above information is correct to the best of my knowledge." She then signed and dated the bottom of the paper and then stamped it with a Ministry seal.

A strange tingling sensation sudden flashed through Harry's and Ginny's bodies, causing them to exchange a worried look.

"Don't fret about the tingling." The secretary explained as she placed the birth certificate in a protective folder. "That means the adoption just kicked in." She handed them the folder and finally gave them a genuine smile. "Congratulations! It's a boy!"

"Whoo!" A cheer rang out of nowhere and everyone in the department suddenly rose from their cubicles to give the little group a standing ovation.

Severus squealed in delight and began clapping his hands along with them, causing everyone in the room to crack up.

"Mummy?"

"Yes, baby?"

"Ooo meh _weaw_ mummy mow!" Severus declared, giving her a kiss on the cheek. Ginny felt like squealing too, she was so happy.

"Daddy?"

"Yeah, cub?"

"Ooo meh _weaw_ daddy mow!" He said, reaching for Harry.

"Always, kiddo." The teen replied, taking him in his arms and planting a kiss on his forehead.

It was official. Severus had parents. Parents who cared for him! _Actually __**cared**_ for him! Heck, they more than cared for him, they _loved_ him! And he loved them! And now they called him 'son'. To say this was the happiest day of Severus' life was an understatement. He was so happy, he didn't know how to adequately express himself! What he did know, though, was that although everything was now official, it didn't change what already existed among the three of them. They had _already_ been a family these last few months. Severus had _already_ been their son. Harry had _already_ been his father. Ginny had _already_ been his mother. Remus and Dora had _already_ been his godparents. To have the rest of the world acknowledge that was just the icing on the cake!

_You must admit, though—protection against legal kidnapping the likes of what Malfoy just attempted is worth the hassle of the adoption process._ His big voice reasoned.

_And I get to have Daddy's name now!_ His little voice added enthusiastically.

_I suppose it's just as well we rid of that bastard's atrocious name…_ The big voice begrudgingly agreed with a sigh. _Yet this new one is going to take some acclimatization._

"Severus Henry Potter." Sirius ruffled Sev's hair with a laugh. "Oh, James would be rolling in his grave if he found out just who his first grandchild was."

_Bfffffft!_

"But it has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?" The animagus finished, wiping his drool-soaked hand/shield off on his trousers. "Severus Henry Potter."

"Me!" Sev declared proudly, pointing a finger at his chest.

"You, cub."

A slew of congratulations, hugs, and kisses soon followed. Molly kept going on and on and on about her new grandson and how this was one of the happiest days of her life. Arthur merely had a goofy smile on his face that never quite went away. The look on Ron's face was an awkward mix of happy and uncomfortable, yet Hermione wore a genuine smile. Aside from Harry and Ginny, the two happiest people in the room looked to be Remus and Dora. There was a look in the werewolf's eyes, as he stared at his new godson, which conveyed a multitude of emotions—all positive, of course.

"May I, Harry?" He asked, reaching for Severus.

"Want to go to your godfather, cub?"

In response, Severus dove into Remus' arms and gave him a tight hug around the neck. Harry could see that they now had a special bond between them—one he himself shared with Sirius, and one he hoped to share with Teddy in the future. It was the culmination of a long journey for the two of them. When Severus was first deaged last June, he didn't even want to be in the same room as Remus. _Now_ look at the two of them! After seven months and countless baby steps, they had become godfather and godson.

"Come now! Let's go home!" Molly commanded with a clap of her hands, "I have plenty of stuff to plan before tomorrow. I assume you'll want to invite your whole Army gang?"

"It's not a gang, mum!" Ron argued.

"That sounds good, doesn't it, cub?" Harry murmured in Sev's ear after Remus passed him back his son. "Home."

_Home_

It had been Severus' wish all week—to go back home. Now he had gotten his wish and then some. He was now, officially, _in_ this crazy family and he was never getting out ever again! The realization made the smile on Sev's face grow exponentially larger.

"_See? I told you, Severus…" The Lady's voice echoed in his head. She, too, was smiling. He could hear it in her tone. "Want it and it's yours!"_

"We go home, daddy?" Sev asked, sticking his thumb in his mouth and settling into a comfortable position in Harry's arms.

"Let's go home, son." Harry replied, tightening his arms around his boy.

"Ready?" Sirius asked, a twinkle in his eye. Without even waiting for a reply, he threw open the door, transformed into his dog form, and charged at the crowd of reporters, barking like a rabid canine. There was a panicked scream and the gathered crowd immediately dispersed in fear. Cameras flashed in random directions, microphones were dropped in the middle of the hallway, and reporters jumped on top of statues in the hall in order to get out of the crazy dog's path.

Severus laughed so hard, his face began to turn red.

"Just another typical day in the Potter household, I assume?" The secretary asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Madame, you have absolutely no idea!" And with that, Harry readjusted his laughing son in his arms and then turned on his heel, following his barking mad godfather out the door.

Severus _loved_ his life!

* * *

**And what a crazy, funny, happy life it is! :-) **

**Next up, Severus' naming ceremony/first birthday! Molly goes into party-planning/preparing mode, Pastor Ed shows up to help with the celebration, Ginny has a surprise for Harry, Harry and Ginny have a surprise for everyone else, and Sirius and Arthur have a surprise for Harry and Ginny! Oh! And Harry and Ginny get some new neighbors. I wonder who they could be... :-) **

**NOTE: I want to thank all of you for all the wonderful reviews you left last week. You guys are the best! :-) As promised, here is the concluding chapter, one week later. I hope you all enjoyed it very much. I'm still working on next week's chapter, but hopefully it'll be done before the end of the day today. Fingers crossed! Still working on the new media for this story. I think my website should be up by the time this story is finished, really. Anyway, once again, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and please don't hesitate to drop a line and tell me what you think! :-)**


	45. Home

"Happy Birthday to you…" An angel sang in his ear. She had a heavenly voice and a smile in her song.

Sev's eyes remained closed, yet he sighed happily as he snuggled deeper into the sheets and gave all his attention to singing mother next to him.

"Happy Birthday to you…"

Squeals of laughter echoed in his ears, and as the morning light poked through the window curtains to caress his cheek, faces and voices from somewhere amongst eternity resonated towards him through the halls of time.

"_Come along, Sirius! It's not much farther. You're going to like it, I promise!"_

"_Come on, Teddy! Let's go!"_

"_Our dads are going to kill us!" _

_Childish giggles filled with the promise of mischief._

"_Sing a song of sixpence,  
A pocket full of rye;  
Four and twenty blackbirds  
Baked in a pie…"_

"_I'm gonna marry you someday."_

"Happy Birthday, dear Severus!" His mother nuzzled his ear, making him snort and giggle into the comforter.

"_Look at him making googly eyes at her."_

"_This is your new baby brother…James…"_

"_Kiss me, Sev…"_

"_I now pronounce you…"_

"_You're going to help me barbeque, cub."_

"_You dropped a dung bomb on your Uncle Sirius' girlfriend? Are you two MENTAL?"_

_A group of children bursting into joyous laughter._

"_I love you…"_

"Happy Birthday to you!" This time, Harry had joined in and the short song ended in a harmony.

Sev opened his eyes to find himself nestled among the cloud-like comforters and pillows on the big white bed, his parents on either side of him. It was a dream that happened to be his reality and Severus couldn't be happier or more grateful that it was all his.

"Welcome to the family, cub." His father greeted with a smile. Sev glanced up just in time to see his sparkling eyes peer at him from behind the morning paper.

"Sirius!" Molly's voice bellowed from beyond the bedroom door. "Wake up, for heaven's sake! I need you to help me set something up! And then you need to get the pastor from the shelter!"

"Molly! It's eight o'clock in the bloody morning, woman!" Sirius' grumpy voice croaked in reply.

"I'm busy baking his birthday cake!" This time, Molly's voice was retreating down the stairs. "Snap to it, Padfoot!"

Severus giggled and then pulled his tiny blanket over his head to giggle some more. Several months ago, he would have never pictured himself where he was right now—having parents once again, having a crazy but loving family, and having to do the whole growing up thing once more. If someone had approached him last May and told him that, eight months later, he was going to be calling _Harry Potter_ "daddy" and Ginny Weasley "mummy", that he was going to think of Sirius _Bloody_ Black as his fun uncle and the stupid werewolf as his godfather, that his best friend was going to be said stupid werewolf's nine-month-old son and that he was going to consider the highly-irritating Molly Weasley his "nana"…If someone had tried to tell him all of that rubbish eight months ago, Severus would not have stopped until that person was institutionalized!

Yet here he was—it was the ninth of January, 1999, and he was celebrating his _first_ birthday rather than his thirty-ninth; he had just woken up in the Potter household in between his mummy and daddy; his uncle/pet dog was doing his nana's bidding in the kitchen; his best friend and his godparents were coming over shortly; the rest of the extended family was expected later in the day; and his most-hated second and surname were soon going to be disposed of forever. Over the course of the last seven months, Severus Tobias Snape had become Severus Henry Potter, and the infant wouldn't have had it any other way!

_This_ was the life he was always meant to have. _These_ were the parents and _this_ was the family that he should have been born into the first time! These were the parents and this was the family _everyone_ should have been born into the first time. Heck, even _Voldemort_ deserved that much!

Why was it that the world didn't work that way?

Why was it that not every baby got to have a mummy and daddy like his?

It just wasn't fair!

"Life's not always fair, cub." Harry replied, having caught wind of his thoughts. The sound of a crinkling newspaper caught his attention and Sev glanced up just in time to see his father throw the morning paper onto his side table before turning a smile towards him. "All we can do is make the best of what we're given." He shrugged.

Severus frowned. That answer didn't quite satisfy him enough. "But…whay mo faew-ew?"

"I don't know, son." Harry sighed, scooting downward and wrapping an arm around his baby boy. Severus immediately burrowed into his side. "I wish I did."

"Think of it another way, baby." Ginny interjected. "What is the opposite of light?"

"Dawk." Sev replied, turning his attention towards his mother.

"And what is the opposite of hot?"

"Cowd." The infant pretended to shiver, causing Harry to instinctively tighten his hold.

"And what is the opposite of fair?" The redhead raised an eyebrow at her son.

Severus instantly scowled and buried his face in his father's side. Somehow, his thumb also managed to work its way in there, further muffling his reply. "Mmphoph phaew-ew!"

"Not fair." Ginny nodded. "The world is made of opposites, my love." She lectured softly.

"Without one, the other cannot exist." Harry continued. He sounded resigned to that fact. "To every man, there are two sides—a light and a dark."

"Without unfair, there cannot be fair."

"Without evil, there can be no good."

"Without darkness, there can be no light."

"And without despair, there can be no joy." Harry peered down at his son's dark locks and couldn't help but run his fingers through the soft baby hair. "You cannot know one without knowing the other."

"That's life's definition of fairness, I suppose." Ginny mused.

It was then that Harry decided to switch the topic to something a little less philosophical and depressing. "Hey!" He nudged the little ball attached to his side, "So what do you want to do today, cub?" He asked, trying to build up Sev's excitement for his upcoming birthday party. "Huh? It's your first birthday!"

Severus popped his thumb out and peered up at Harry, wide-eyed. "Stay mummy ah daddy!"

"Of course you're staying with us, cub!" Harry snorted.

"Aw deh! Aw deh! AW DEH!" The infant emphasized, slapping his father's chest with each repeat.

"Love, I think he means he doesn't want to leave our sides." Ginny pointed out. "Remember how he was yesterday? It took some convincing just to get him off your lap!"

"Aw deh, mummy." Sev nodded, glad that someone, at least, understood him.

"Honey…" Ginny sighed and took her baby in her arms, cradling him against her chest, "…it's your birthday! Is that all you want to do? Stay with mummy and daddy all day?" As much as she liked this clingy side to Severus, she also wanted him to assert his independence as much as he did before Malfoy took him away. She wanted him to be curious, look around, explore! After all, he had just been cooped up in a crib all week, abandoned in a room with absolutely no sunlight. Staying in her and Harry's arms all day was the last thing he needed right now. "Don't you want to go play with Teddy? We could put some pretend gnomes in the garden?"

"MO!" Sev snapped, sticking his thumb in his mouth and making himself comfortable in her arms.

"Severus…" Harry warned as he opened the morning paper once again, "…watch the attitude, kid!"

"Aw deh, daddy!" Sev whined in his defense.

"That wasn't what I was talking about and you know it." Harry replied, turning the page. "Don't you snap at your mother like that!"

"Me steh woo _aw deh_!" The infant repeated. This time, he made sure to keep his voice even yet assertive.

"Alright!" The teen replied nonchalantly, turning the page yet again.

"Harry!" Ginny frowned. They were just trying to convince him to do the total opposite!

"Gin, he'll be back to his old self in no time." Harry reasoned, "Let him come about on his own terms."

"Uh-huh!" Sev pointed at Harry and nodded. "Me wub ooo, mummy!" The infant continued. Crawling up to Ginny's neck, he gave her the biggest hug he could possibly give her at the moment. When he finally felt his mother sigh and return the hug, Sev knew Ginny had melted.

"Fine." She kissed him on the cheek. "On your own terms, then."

The infant grinned.

_You're never going to stop this clingy business, are you?_ His big voice drawled, sounding partially disgusted.

Sev's little voice blew raspberries in return.

"Sirius!" Molly snapped, just outside their bedroom door, "Honestly! All you do is sleep!"

"Stop _hounding_ me, woman! I'M UP!"

All of a sudden, there were three soft knocks on the door before it slowly creaked open and Molly's head poked through. "Hello!" She greeted in an altogether different tone of voice.

"Good morning, mum!" Ginny replied. Harry merely smiled at her.

Upon spotting her new grandson, the new grandmother began tiptoeing into the room. "Is he awake?" She whispered, taking care to keep her voice low and soft.

_It is rather difficult to remain asleep with all that racket outside the door!_ His cynical voice replied, sounding completely disgusted this time.

On the outside, however, Severus merely pushed up against Ginny's chest and blinked slowly at his now-official grandmother.

"Good morning, handsome!" She greeted, the smile on her face stretching all the way up to her shining eyes.

Sev couldn't help it. He grinned at her. "Mahmah!"

"Aw!" Both Ginny and her mother smiled in delight and the former pulled her son close to give him a big kiss on the cheek. "Good morning, Nana!"

"Happy Birthday, darling!" Molly pulled Severus' face close to give him an identical kiss on his other cheek.

"Whoa!" A shout came from the doorway, causing everyone to turn in its direction. "Did I just hear the word 'birthday' in here?" Sirius cried, his eyes glowing with laughter.

Severus giggled and then curled himself into a ball, for he knew what was coming next.

"Did I hear the word 'birthday' in here?" The animagus shouted all the louder as he snaked into the room and made a reach for the infant.

Before Sirius' tickling fingers could even reach him, Sev squealed in laughter and began wiggling and kicking like mad.

"Yeah, you know what you're getting!" Sirius chuckled. "You know what you're getting, don't you?" The animagus tickled him until his face turned red and Ginny had to stop the tickle fest for fear of Severus suffocating.

"Happy birthday, cub!" He greeted once Sev had caught his breath. He held out an open palm and the infant slapped it in a high-five gesture. "Alright!"

"Now that you're _finally_ up, Sirius," Molly barked from behind him, making the animagus groan and roll his eyes, "there's a list of things I'd like your help with—"

"Yes, yes! I'm going!" Sirius growled as he turned and headed out the door, Molly snapping orders at his heels.

Severus giggled as he watched them go. _Seeing the mutt bossed around by Molly Weasley for the sake of MY birthday party is all the entertainment I require, thank you very much!_ His big voice cackled at the back of his mind. This was entertaining for the both of them.

"Come on, cub." Harry spoke up, folding the morning paper and throwing it aside once more. "Let's get ready for your naming ceremony." Severus felt himself being passed from Ginny to Harry. "The pastor should be here soon, as should your godfather." The infant stuck his thumb in his mouth and pushed up against his father's chest to study his surroundings—his _true_ home. "We want to look nice and handsome for them now, don't we?"

Severus cooed and grinned around his thumb.

_**

* * *

**_

"Honey! Stop tugging at it!" Ginny rebuked Severus softly.

The infant ignored her and continued to tug at the collar of his shirt. It was too tight! "Mo wike dis!" He whined. "Mo wike!"

"It looks good, sweetheart!" Ginny tried tugging at his wrist, but the infant merely wiggled his hand from her grip and continued to tug at his collar.

"Daddy!" He called, tugging at his tie this time.

"What's going on here, huh?" Upon his approach, Harry immediately reached for Severus' collar.

"Harry—"

"Relax, sweetheart, I'm just going to undo the top button." He did so and then lengthened the sides of Sev's clip-on tie. "There. Now you look suave, without looking sloppy."

"He looked perfect to begin with." Ginny argued.

"Mo wamp weaw dis!" Sev scowled.

"Sorry, kid, but this is a formal ceremony, not unlike a wedding. I'm not having you named in your pajamas." He brushed the shoulders of Sev's vest and looked him up and down one more time.

"Mummy!" Sev whined. "Mo wam ehw weaw dis!" He argued, looking around at all the guests. It was true! Almost everyone from the Order of the Phoenix and Dumbledore's Army were here, along with the rest of his extended family, and none of them were wearing suits like he was!

"That's because they're not the celebrant." Harry answered his thoughts. "And you missed a few people. The pastor is wearing a suit, as am I, and as is your godfather."

"Plus, the ceremony is about to start, love." Ginny added in a placating tone. "It's only about fifteen minutes. After this, daddy will take you upstairs, and you both can change into something a little more casual for your birthday party."

Sev's ears perked up at that. "Pomeh?" His hopeful eyes kept moving between his mother and his father.

"Fifteen minutes, cub." Harry nodded.

"Hello everyone!" A loud voice called above the din of the guests. Everyone turned to find Pastor Ed gesturing them in the direction of the big back porch, where he stood. The minister caught Harry's eye and they exchanged a nod before he continued. "If everyone could just make their way over to this side of the backyard, please. The Naming Ceremony is about to commence."

Harry took Severus into his arms and slowly began pushing his way to the front to stand next to the minister, Ginny following at his heels. A quick check to his right confirmed that Remus and Dora were pushing their way forward as well. "On behalf of Harry and Ginny, I'd like to thank you all for coming on this gorgeous day," the minister took a second to grin at the bright blue sky, "and on such short notice as well!" The crowd chuckled at the minor joke. Half-a-day really _was_ quite short notice, especially for something as significant as a naming ceremony/first birthday/house warming party. Yet nearly everyone Molly had invited the day before managed to make it this morning; and, even more miraculous, they all came bearing gifts!

"Ladies and Gentlemen," Pastor Ed smiled at Harry as the teen settled beside him, "we are all gathered here today to mark a very special occasion—the introduction of a very special young man into the Potter family." Severus grinned around the two fingers in his mouth when Pastor Ed winked at him, and he playfully buried his face in his father's chest, peeking out every now and then to see what was happening. "And also, from what I understand, this is his first birthday party _and_ a housewarming bash as well. Is that right?" He turned to Ginny.

"We decided to just make it one big day of celebration." Molly replied from the bottom of the porch steps.

"And it was well-deserved!" The minister acknowledged with a smile. The crowd laughed and cheered in agreement.

"Now, Harry, if I may?" Pastor Ed nodded towards Severus and reached out for the infant.

"Mo, daddy! Steh woo!" Sev protested, peering at his father with pleading eyes.

"Sev, someone else has to hold you for this part, cub. I can't do it." Harry explained. "I need to have my hands free."

"Mummy!"

"She has to have her hands free, too." Harry sighed when Sev scowled. "Come on, kiddo. It'll only take a few minutes."

"Your daddy and mummy will be standing right there the whole time, Severus." Pastor Ed explained gently. "And I promise not to move."

Sev peered at the pastor warily. The man looked trustworthy enough, but prior experience told him that it was the trustworthy-looking ones that he shouldn't trust for anything!

_Now you're not making ANY sense whatsoever!_ The voice at the back spat in disgust.

_Shut up!_ His little voice retorted.

_Just let the man hold you, for pity's sake! Your father said it would only take a few minutes. You're acting like such a baby!_

Sev's little voice blew raspberries at the big voice in the back.

"Foo mimuts." The infant babbled as he reluctantly reached for the Pastor.

"Ata boy!" Harry praised with a smile, exchanging a happy look with his girlfriend as he passed his son over to his longtime friend and mentor.

"Very good!" As soon as Severus was settled in his arms, Pastor Ed turned to fully face Harry and Ginny. "Now…Mr. Potter? Do you have anything to say to this young man over here?" He gestured towards the child in his arms.

Harry straightened his suit and cleared his throat, looking for all the world like he was about to deliver an important speech. Yet he wasn't facing the crowd. Instead, he was looking directly at Severus. "I am Henry James Potter, Head of the Family Potter, and Master of its House." He announced in a booming, authoritative voice. Sev's eyes widened as he gave his father his full attention. "I hereby solemnly swear to take you into my home, keep you, clothe you, feed you, and provide for you." Harry locked eyes with his infant and Severus held his gaze. "I swear to love you with every fiber of my being, every single day of your life, without condition. I promise to discipline you, firmly yet justly, should you need it. I promise to never lash out at you in anger. I promise to train you in the magical arts until there is nothing left to teach. I will defend you and protect you until the day I die, from all enemies, near and far. I promise to raise you to the best of my ability, so that you may grow to be an upstanding citizen of this community, this country, and the world in general. I solemnly swear to be there to guide you on this road of life, to be the shoulder to lean on, the ear to listen, and the voice to help you on your way. Before these witnesses, on this day, and with these promises, I name you my son."

Only then did Harry break eye contact with him, and it was to turn towards Dumbledore at the bottom of the porch steps. Sev watched as the Headmaster offered his daddy a small bowl full of golden powder. Harry dipped his thumb in the bowl, getting golden powder all over the tip, before turning back towards Severus. Before the infant could blink, he felt something swipe across his forehead and a pleasant tingling sensation began to trickle down his body, tickling him in all his ticklish spots. The baby couldn't help but giggle at the funny sensations.

"Fairie dust." He heard Remus whisper in the pastor's ear. "It's real, rare, and reserved for only special occasions such as these. It seals Harry's promise to his son, almost like an Unbreakable Vow."

That meant that Severus should probably stop giggling and squirming right about now, shouldn't he?

_It would be appropriate._ The voice at the back droned.

"Hush now, child!" The minister gently rebuked in his ear. Out loud, he said, "That was wonderful, Henry. Miss Weasley?"

This time, Ginny stepped forward and fiddled with her dress nervously. Reaching forward, she took her baby's hands into her own and, like Harry, looked him square in the eye. "I am Ginevra Molly Weasley, Lady of the Family Potter, and Lady of its House." From the corner of her eye, she saw quite a few people exchange furtive looks, but she chose to ignore them. Right now was all about her baby and she refused to let herself get distracted by her gossipy friends. "I hereby solemnly swear to take you into my home, keep you, clothe you, feed you, and provide for you." she began, "I swear to love you with every fiber of my being, every single day of your life, without condition. I promise to nurture you and teach you to appreciate the finer things in life. I promise to help you become a gentleman, respectful of everyone in word and deed. I will defend you and protect you until the day I die, from all enemies, near and far. I promise to raise you to the best of my ability, so that you may grow to be an upstanding citizen of this community, this country, and the world in general. I solemnly swear to be there to guide you on this road of life, to be the shoulder to lean on, the ear to listen, and the voice to help you on your way. Before these witnesses, on this day, and with these promises, I name you my son."

Severus bit his lip and grinned as she too dipped her thumb in Dumbledore's golden powder before turning back towards him. This time, the infant was determined to watch her as she swiped it across his forehead. As her thumb approached, Sev even went so far as to tip his head back to watch her golden thumb—a feat which only served to move his forehead farther away from her thumb. His curious fidgeting caused a small chuckle to travel through the crowd.

"Hold still, lad." Pastor Ed gently admonished with a laugh.

Reluctantly, Sev did as he was told, watching as best he could with his eyes as Ginny wiped the golden faerie dust across his forehead. There was a brief gleam of magic and then the ticklish, tingling sensation once again trickled down his body; but once _that_ subsided, the gleam went away, and the golden powder on his forehead, he assumed, disappeared along with it.

"Thank you, Miss Weasley, that was beautiful." Pastor Ed nodded at her with a smile. "And now, the conferring of the godparents." He signaled towards Harry. "Mr. Potter?"

Harry stepped forward and gestured to the two people standing behind the minister. "Unto you, my son, I bestow thy godparents—" He announced in the same authoritative voice from earlier. "Remus John Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks Lupin."

Tonks had a silly grin on her face as she rocked Teddy in her arms, and Remus cleared his throat tensely as he stepped forward and approached Severus. "I am Remus John Lupin, Head of the Family Lupin, and Master of its House. I speak on behalf of my wife, Nymphadora Tonks Lupin," the silly grin on Dora's face faltered slightly, "and myself. Your parents have named us your godparents, and, as such, unto you we swear this…" he looked Severus square in the eye and took a deep breath, "…we swear to be your confidants. Should there be something you cannot tell your parents, come to us and we promise to help you as best we can. Should anything, God forbid, happen to your parents, we promise to take you into our home, keep you, clothe you, feed you, provide for you, and treat you as if you were our own son. _In loco parentis_, we promise to carry out all that your mother and father swore—to love you, protect you, discipline and nurture you, instill in you proper values, ethics, morals and all that you may need to grow up to be a good man and an upstanding member of this community, this country, and the world in general. We solemnly swear to be there to guide you on this road of life, to be the shoulders to lean on, the ears to listen, and the voices to help you on your way. Before these witnesses, on this day, and with these promises, we name you our godson."

Albus offered him the same bowl of golden powder that he offered to his parents. This time, Severus endeavored to stay as still as possible. Yet he couldn't help the tiny bubbles of laughter that popped up whenever the tingles hit a ticklish spot.

"Thank you, Mr. Lupin." Pastor Ed nodded at the werewolf before readjusting Severus in his arms so that he may look at the infant properly. "And, finally, if I may make one final blessing?" A short nod and an encouraging smile from Harry gave him all the answer he needed. The minister nodded his thanks and then turned to the now-curious infant in his embrace. "My child, as your father knows quite well, I have a keen fondness for Irish blessings, and before I officially name you, I would just like to take this time to say…" he cleared his throat and looked Sev right in the eye, a tiny smile tugging at his lips, "These things I warmly wish to you—someone to love, some work to do, a bit o' sun, a but o' cheer, and a guardian angel always near; may you always have walls for the wind, a roof for the rain, tea beside the fire, laughter to cheer you, those you love near you, and all your heart might desire; may your neighbors respect you, trouble neglect you, the angels protect you, and heaven accept you; may your blessings outnumber the shamrocks that grow, and may trouble avoid you wherever you go; may the best day of your past be the worst day of your future; may your pockets be heavy and your heart be light, may good luck pursue you each morning and night; may you live as long as you want, and never want as long as you live; and finally…dance as if no one were watching, sing as if no one were listening, and live every day as if it were your last."

As the pastor mirrored his parents' and godparents' actions with the faerie dust, Sev's mind couldn't help but flash back to the day, seven months ago, when the Lady of the Lake bestowed her own blessings unto him.

"_May you always remember the road that you have traveled to help you through strife; and may you walk gently through the world and know its beauty all the days of your life."_

"Lay-dee…" Sev closed his eyes as the tingling sensations ran down his body once more.

"_Wait for her, and she will come back to you…" The Lady whispered._

Sev opened his eyes and instinctively turned towards the voice. There was no Lady of the Lake there, but there _was_ a little girl—with stunning green eyes and bright red hair, wearing a white summer dress and a yellow summer hat—smiling at him from the backyard of the empty house next door.

"_She will come back soon, Severus…" The Lady's voice echoed in the wind._

The little girl's smile turned into a grin and she gave him an enthusiastic wave.

"_She will come back to you…sooner than you think…"_

Severus blinked and the little girl was gone.

"And now, Ladies and Gentlemen, I introduce to you Severus Henry Potter!" There was a giant applause, soon followed by whistles and cheers. The sudden noise startled Severus out of whatever hallucination he was probably having and back into the real world.

"Come here, love." Ginny said, reaching for him. The infant immediately dove into her arms.

"Alright!" Sirius' voice called out above the din. "We'll be pausing briefly to prep for the barbeque and birthday party. Stick around for free food and a ginormous cake. I'll be taking any special orders for the barbeque over here!"

As soon as the animagus shut his mouth, the gathered crowd instantly split into two—half of the guests converged on Harry, Ginny, and Severus to offer the little one congratulations and birthday wishes, while the other half of the guests swarmed Sirius, yelling out food orders so fast the animagus had a hard time writing all of them down. The guests would then switch off, visiting the new family or accosting the self-appointed "barbeque master", depending on whom they visited first.

"Harry, if I may, I would like to perform a house blessing now." Pastor Ed said, as soon as the last guest had greeted them.

"Yes, absolutely!" Harry nodded with a smile. "I'll walk with you."

"Daddy!" Sev whined, tugging at his collar once again. "Mo wamp weaw dis!"

"Yes, we'll change as soon as we get to the second floor." Harry assured him, unclipping his son's tie and unbuttoning some of those pesky top buttons Sev was fussing with. The infant immediately piped down, a look of relief crossing his face.

"We have to get some baby dress shirts that aren't so uncomfortable." Ginny whispered as they entered the living room.

"I don't think those exist, love." Harry murmured in reply.

They all watched in silence as Pastor Ed looked around the now fully-furnished living room, holding his hand out before him and mumbling something under his breath. When the minister started walking around the living room, however, he immediately collided with something big, hard, and…invisible.

"Ouch!"

"Oh! Pastor Ed, I'm so sorry!" Sirius exclaimed, popping up behind them. Harry shot his godfather a look of surprise. "Harry, I forgot to mention to you that, um…"

"There is something…" Pastor Ed began feeling around the invisible object, managing to knock on something that sounded like glass immediately next to something that felt like wood, "…here."

"Yes, we, uh…" Sirius blushed, "Arthur—Ginny's father—and I have a bit of a surprise for the family."

"And I happen to have bumped into it, I see." Pastor Ed chuckled. Now he had a taste of what it truly felt like to be blind.

"You should have put tape around it or something!" Ginny frowned at the animagus.

"I was about to!" Sirius retorted, holding up a roll of blue tape just to prove his point.

"It's quite alright, Ginny." Pastor Ed laughed. "That was a rather interesting experience."

"Just stay clear of this area." Sirius said, gesturing in the area against the new wall, between the front hallway and the bathroom.

"Will do!" Pastor Ed nodded with a smile. He rubbed at the bump on his arm good-naturedly as he continued to bless the living room.

The small group then continued to walk around the rest of the house, with Pastor Ed quietly blessing each room and marveling at their design—from the library and Harry's now-tidy lab in the basement, to the bathroom, kitchen, dining room, and study on the ground floor, to all the rooms on the second floor, and, finally, to the attic.

It was Severus who reminded his mother of the gift she had for his father. As soon as he and Harry emerged from the master bedroom, dressed in more comfortable clothing, he announced it to the world. "Mummy! Appic!" He cried, pointing to the ceiling. "Git! Daddy git!"

"I'm a _what_?" Harry exclaimed, frowning at his son. "Did you just call me a git?"

"Mo!"

"He said _gift_, Harry." Ginny corrected with a roll of her eyes. She took Severus from Harry's arms and gestured towards the ceiling. "Remember? Sev and I had a super-secret project in the attic that we were making for you?"

"Oh!" Harry's eyes widened at the reminder. "Oh, yes! I completely forgot."

"Would you like me to bless that room too?" Pastor Ed asked.

"Sure, if you like!" The teen smiled.

"What's up there?"

Harry lowered his voice to a whisper as he and the minister followed Ginny and Sev to the end of the hall. "Your guess is as good as mine, sir. She and Severus have been working on this room for months, and they've been mum on the exact details."

Pastor Ed chuckled and gave Harry's shoulder a supportive squeeze. "I'm pretty sure whatever it is, you're going to love it."

"Here we are!" After waving her wand at the ceiling, Ginny stepped aside as a staircase fluttered down from the ceiling and appeared in the middle of the hallway.

"Ah!" Pastor Ed grinned. "A pull-down entrance! How very economical of you, Ginny." He nodded at her in compliment. "That's quite a space-saver!"

Ginny grinned. "If you think _that's_ economical, wait 'til you see the attic." With that, the witch slowly began leading them up the attic steps, Severus bouncing excitedly in her arms.

"Git! Daddy git!" The infant chanted. "Daddy kwi-mas git!"

Pastor Ed snorted and Harry shook his head. "I think he's doing that on purpose."

"Harry, welcome to the one room in the house you'll probably never want to leave." Ginny remarked from her place atop the staircase, a wink and a mischievous smile dancing across her face. Harry narrowed his eyes at her, wondering why she had been teasing him so much with this project.

As soon as his head cleared the attic floor, however, all his questions and comments immediately popped out of his mind. "Oh, my…!" Running the rest of the way up the stairs, Harry jumped onto the landing and simply gaped at the sight before him.

He blinked.

It was still there.

He rubbed his eyes.

It was still there.

He peered at the grinning Ginny and Severus, across from him.

And when he turned back…

…it was still there!

"Oh my!" Pastor Ed exclaimed with a smile. "Is that a pool table?"

"Gam woom!" Severus cried, giggling into Ginny's chest.

"It's an entire game room!" Ginny explained. "And it also doubles as a guest room good enough for two to four people."

"Gam woom! Gam woom! Gam woom!"

"You're right." The minister chuckled. "That's _very_ economical!"

"Merlin me…" Harry approached the gleaming new pool table with something akin to reverence.

"You see the beds over here." Ginny continued, pointing to the two twin beds on either side of the staircase. "That's a wardrobe that doubles as a bench for that window." She gestured to the window on the wall between the beds. "And each of these other three windows has a bench that actually double as a toy box." The teen pointed to the windows on each wall of the attic. "On either side of each window are storage shelves for games, toys, and whatnot. Dora, the boys, and I filled them up with toys and board games before we left for New York." She then pointed to a long table on the far left corner of the room. It had eight chairs surrounding it. "That table is for playing board games."

"It's family sized, I see." Pastor Ed noted with approval.

"I used to love playing board games with my family when I was younger." Ginny explained happily. "It's a tradition I hope to continue."

"It's a fantastic way for a family to bond." The minister nodded.

"It's a pool table…" Harry croaked, his voice no higher than a whisper. He carried a note of pure shock in his voice, and Sev wondered idly if his daddy realized that the pool table was actually _there_, and wasn't just a figment of his imagination.

"And next to the game table are three couch-sized bean bags." Ginny carried on, as if her fiancé wasn't standing in the middle of the room, drooling over a mahogany table with a green fur hat. "Severus _loves_ bean bags."

The infant grinned. "Yup!"

"And that thing across from it is just a small television with a, uh…oh…what was it?" Ginny looked confused. "I think it's called a…Ninja Kendo?"

Severus rolled his eyes. "Mim-pem-bo!" He corrected his mother for what felt like the thousandth time since they bought it.

"Mimpendo?"

"Ah! Yes, a Nintendo!" Pastor Ed nodded with a laugh.

"My dad said something about the sixty-fourth version, or something."

"No, ha, ha!" The minister shook his head. He simply _loved_ the wizarding world and how most of the magical youth weren't bothered with having the latest craze in technology. "It's a Nintendo-64. I believe it's the newest video game system."

"Yes, yes…" Ginny shook her head. "And I believe that other black box is called a DVD player. I don't know." She shrugged. "I think all of this is just a phase."

"HA!" The minster snorted. "From your mouth to God's ears!"

"I LOVE YOU!" Was the only warning Ginny received before Harry ran straight into them, wrapping his fiancé and son in the biggest bear hug he had ever given anyone in his life! The teenager giggled into his shoulder as the infant laughed between them.

"You always said you liked playing pool." She replied into his shoulder with a grin.

"This whole room is _BRILLIANT_!" Harry exclaimed happily. "I love it! I love it! I love it!" And just to prove his point, the teen gave his fiancé a long, slow, and passionate kiss.

"Wew-com, Daddy!" Severus cooed in their ears, making the couple grin in amusement.

All the while, Pastor Ed busied himself by blessing the room and admiring the intricate designs carved into the shelves on the wall.

"Hello! What have we here?" A familiar voice echoed from the foot of the stairs. Two seconds later, a well-known shaggy head popped up from the floor and began looking around. "WHOA! Is that a pool table?" And, just like Harry, the footsteps double-timed it up the stairs before the owner of said footsteps leapt onto the landing. "It _IS_ a pool table!" He breathed in shock. "Holy Merlin! It's stunning!"

Harry grinned at his godfather. "I know, right?" He still had his arm wrapped around his fiancé's shoulders.

"Hey, Moony! Check this out!"

"Oooh! The attic!" Dora's voice filtered up from below. "Oh, go on, Remus. You're going to love it!"

"Ginny gave me a pool table for Christmas." Harry announced down the staircase. He felt an elbow against his ribs. "Oh…and a whole lot of other stuff too."

"No way!" Remus' eyes widened as he took in the entire room before him. "Ginny…this is amazing!"

"Hey! _I_ helped too!" Dora interjected indignantly, coming up the stairs behind her husband.

"Well…well, yeah. I meant _all_ of you!" Remus corrected almost immediately, much to the amusement of his two best friends.

"See? Now you have a place to relax, sweetheart." Dora nudged her husband on the arm with a grin. "Told you you'd like it."

"Teddy!"

"Eb!"

As the girls took the infants for a tour of the game shelves, the boys and the minister gathered around the shiny new pool table. Sirius was drooling over it almost as much as Harry was. "I'm telling you, pup—you have got one hell of a woman!"

Harry snorted. "Thanks, Padfoot."

"By the way, Harry." Remus interrupted softly, before Sirius could continue doting over the table. "Dora and I came up here to let you know that, um…we would like to accept the house."

"Really?" Sirius exclaimed excitedly.

"What house?" Pastor Ed asked, amused by the animagus' reaction.

"Oh, I own all the houses in this whole square." Harry explained, gesturing out the window. "This one is my parents' house, and I also managed to buy and renovate the other three next door and across the street."

"Really?" The minister looked surprised. "You've certainly been busy!"

"So you'll take it?" Harry grinned as the werewolf nodded in return. "Excellent! That's fantastic!"

"Good choice, Moony." Sirius remarked.

"I'll take care of the ownership papers straight away."

"You're _giving_ them the house?" Pastor Ed widened his eyes at the teen, himself surprised by the extent of the generosity.

"Yes, sir. Of course!" Harry shrugged. "What am I going to do with four houses?"

"That's a good question." Ginny commented.

All of a sudden, an altogether familiar bellow resounded from below.

"**LUNCH IS SERVED! EVERYONE COME DOWN TO THE BACKYARD! LUNCH IS READY!**"

"Goodness gracious!" Pastor Ed exclaimed. "That was louder than a loud-hailer!"

"That's my mother for you." Ginny rolled her eyes.

The group made their way back down to the backyard, where long rows of tables, topped with white sheets, were set up, complete with place settings and everything. Even Ginny was surprised by how far her mother had gone to make this day memorable for everyone.

"Bick cay!" Severus squealed in delight, pointing to the three-layer birthday cake sitting in the middle of the center table. "Bick cay!"

"And you get to blow out the candle, sweet!" Ginny added, giving her one-year-old a light kiss on the cheek. The infant began bouncing excitedly in her embrace.

Severus had to admit—the mutt's barbeque sure tasted good!

Harry and Ginny had cut up the meat and chicken into tiny little pieces and gave him a small plate full, complete with peas and corn. And where his bottle should have been, they instead gave him a strange-looking object Ginny had called a "sippy cup".

"You want to try feeding yourself, love?" His mother asked, holding out a tiny, bright green spoon for him to take.

Severus had been astounded. They were letting him feed himself?

They were letting him _feed himself_?

The infant grabbed the spoon out of his mummy's hand excitedly. "Me eah!" He exclaimed with a grin. "Me eah!"

Harry and Ginny exchanged a look of amusement. "That's right, cub! You're one year old today, and one-year-olds should be big enough to feed themselves. Right, mummy?"

Easier said than done.

Severus' first hurdle was actually grasping the spoon at the right angle to pick up his food. _Which would be easier to achieve if the spoon were facing in the right direction, don't you agree?_ The voice in the back grumbled.

The infant grinned. After dropping the spoon onto his high chair table with a clank, he quickly picked it up again so that the head of the spoon was actually facing his plate, rather than the sky.

"Well, look at that!" Sirius snorted. "He's halfway there."

"Hush, Padfoot!" Ginny scolded him mildly, picking up the camera to take yet another round of photographs.

"Love?"

"Hmm?"

Harry cleared his throat. "Do you, um…do you want to make the announcement now? So that we can get it out of the way?"

"In a second, Harry." Ginny replied distractedly, snapping another picture of Severus trying to use his spoon.

_Easy does it…_Sev chanted in his head. _Slow and steady…_

The infant's tongue slowly snaked out of a corner of his mouth as he tried to get his wrist to cooperate and turn the spoon so that it came at his plate from a 45-degree angle, rather than a 90-degree drop. This resulted in his wrist facing upwards and his arm contorting to the most awkward position imaginable. When he stretched his arm up above his head, the position felt right, but when he tried to bring his arm close to his plate, his shoulder and wrist began to complain.

_God! Who knew learning how to use a spoon would be so difficult?_

His first attempt at scooping up a piece of chicken resulted in all of his chicken and half of his peas being driven off his plate.

_It's quite possible that you were holding the spoon correctly the first time around._ The voice at the back deduced.

Severus felt like kicking himself. Rather, he felt like kicking that moron at the back of his mind!

"Ah!" He cried in frustration, banging the head of the spoon against his plastic baby plate before flinging it halfway across the yard.

"OW!" Dean exclaimed in surprise, after Severus' spoon hit him right between the eyes.

"Oh my god!" Ginny gasped as Sirius promptly burst into laughter. The rest of the DA weren't far behind him. Remus was discreetly laughing into his napkin, pretending to pass it off as a cough, and Harry looked like he was having a very hard time keeping a straight face. "Are you alright, Dean?"

The other teen nodded offhandedly as he shoved a laughing Seamus on the shoulder before reaching for a napkin to wipe the barbeque sauce off his face.

"Severus!" Ginny rebuked her oblivious son. "Apologize!" She demanded, pointing at a scowling Dean.

The infant blinked. He had no idea what she was talking about! After throwing his spoon away, he promptly began eating with his hands.

Harry cleared his throat rather forcefully, trying to get rid of the bubbles of laughter he could feel coming up. "You just nailed Dean right between the eyes, Sev." He explained, unable to stop the snort that emerged at the last minute.

_Ah! So __**that's**__ why he's giving me the evil eye right now!_ Severus felt like giggling himself, but, instead, he took his cue from his father and did his best to suppress the laughter. "Soweh." He replied simply, before swiftly turning back to his food. This barbeque chicken was divine!

Ginny sighed and sent an apologetic look Dean's way.

"It's okay, Gin." The other teen replied, sending Seamus a death glare. The Irishman had yet to stop laughing.

"Looks like this spoon-and-fork business is going to take some time." Sirius remarked, nodding towards Severus, who sat contentedly eating his lunch with his fingers.

"It wasn't bad for a first try, though." Hermione pointed out.

"Brilliant aim, too!" Ron snorted. Dean threw the baby spoon at him.

"Gin?" Harry called softly, tugging at her wrist to get her attention.

"Hmm?"

"Let's just announce it now." He pushed. "So that the rest of the day can be about Sev."

"Alright! Alright! Hold on…" After wiping Sev's mouth clean of barbeque sauce, Ginny wiped her own hands and then promptly hid them under the table, slipping an extra piece of jewelry onto one of her fingers.

Harry took the opportunity to tap his fork against a glass. "Ahem! Excuse me!" The all-familiar call to attention silenced everyone almost immediately. An entire party of curious faces then slowly turned towards Harry, who now stood at the head of the master table. "Um…" he gave them all a shaky smile, "…Ginny and I have an announcement to make."

"Oh, I'll bet a hundred galleons I know what that announcement is." Fred remarked with a laugh.

"Shhh!" His mother quickly shushed him with a scowl. "Go on, Harry, dear!" She said, looking like she was sitting on the edge of her seat.

"Well…" Harry cracked a nervous smile and then gestured for Ginny to stand up as well.

His fiancé practically jumped to her feet and graced everyone with a joyous grin. "We're engaged!" She announced, holding her left hand out so that everyone could see the gleaming ring.

"AH!" A loud cheer resounded and nearly all the guests burst into applause and began shouting out congratulations. Molly, Hermione, Tonks, and most of the girls from the DA flocked towards Ginny straight away.

"Oh! Let me see it, sweetheart!"  
"How'd he do it?"  
"Oh, WOW!"  
"It's gorgeous!"  
"It's a snitch!"  
"Oh, that's clever!"  
"Oh, just _look_ at it!"  
"So? _How'd he propose?_"

"How _did_ you do it, pup?" Sirius asked, not looking the least bit surprised.

Harry took Severus from his high chair (seeing as how he was being knocked around by the girls that ran past him to get to Ginny) and settled him on his lap before turning back to his godfather. "New Years' Eve."

"Was it at that big party you were telling me about, mate?" Ron asked, shoving a forkful of mashed potatoes into his mouth.

"Yup! I asked her right before midnight—during the countdown."

"Sounds fantastic!" Remus remarked, feeding Teddy some mashed potatoes.

"By the time the New Year came along, we were engaged."

"When the clock struck twelve?" Tonks squealed, grinning madly at a nodding Ginny. "Oh, how _romantic_!"

"Daddy! AH!" Sev cried, pointing to Harry's spoonful of mashed potatoes and opening his mouth wide. He wanted some too!

The teen chuckled at how unconcerned his son was at having all the attention diverted from him.

"Looks like the birthday boy doesn't mind sharing all the attention with mummy and daddy." Pastor Ed commented with a smile.

"Oh, believe me, Minister, he's come a long way." Sirius replied.

"Which makes _me_ all the more proud." Harry added, planting a kiss atop Sev's head as the infant picked at his lunch with his fingers.

_**

* * *

**_

It had taken an hour and more congratulations than Sev could count, but eventually everyone finished their lunch and looked about ready for dessert.

Now was the moment Sev had been waiting for his whole life—the moment that he, Severus, and _**ONLY**_ he, Severus, got to blow out his own (as in belonging to _him_ and _**ONLY**_ _him_) birthday candle!

The infant couldn't help himself. He grinned and began bouncing up and down on his daddy's lap as his nana and grandpa placed the three-layered cake with the lit birthday candle in front of him.

"Oh, just look at him! He's all excited!" Molly gushed. "Alright! Ready everyone?" The new grandmother looked around, the expression on her face promising dire consequences to anyone who dared to _not_ sing _Happy Birthday_ to her precious new grandson. "1…2…3!"

"Happy Birthday to you!"

_Sev seeing Harry for the first time when the teen peered into his crib._

"Happy Birthday to you!"

_Harry teaching Sev how to crawl._

"Happy Birthday, dear Severus!"

_Ginny teaching Sev how to walk._

"Happy Birthday to you!"

Sev closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

_Waking up in between his mummy and daddy in the big white bed._

He didn't need to make a wish, for he already had everything he wanted.

"And many more!"

_SWISH!_

Raucous applause followed the first birthday candle he had ever blown out in both his lifetimes. The infant grinned. So _this_ was how it felt to be loved, accepted, and celebrated by a family.

"Alright, everybody, let's have cake!"

The cake was divine (of course, seeing as how his nana made it), and after the cake came the gifts. There were three kinds—gifts for Severus on his first birthday, gifts for Severus on his Naming, and gifts for Harry and Ginny on their housewarming. The first was most plentiful, the second almost so, and the third not so much. Remus alone, much to Sev's surprise, gave all three kinds. The housewarming gift wasn't important (at least, not to Sev). For his first birthday, though, Remus gave him the adult stuffed lion to go with the cub that the infant already owned. Along with it was a small silver charm, meant for a necklace, of lion _family_—a lion with his lioness and his paws wrapped around their cub. Sev immediately wanted to wear it, but was somewhat disappointed when his daddy pointed out there was no chain for it. The disappointment soon vanished, however, when he opened his godfather's gift for his Naming. Remus had given him a sterling silver keepsake box—shiny and gorgeous and engraved with the note: _To My Godson Severus, You are a special child, chosen freely, accepted heartily, and loved completely. I will guard you forever. Love Uncle Remus. 01-09-99_. Inside the box, they found a tiny pouch; and inside the pouch, they found a silver necklace laced with a charm of a silver wolf with dazzling blue eyes. Sev wouldn't stop bouncing until both charms hung from the chain and the chain hung around his neck.

"Ank ooo, Unka Moomy!" Sev shouted, without any encouragement whatsoever from his parents. He even went so far as to reach out for a hug, to which Remus happily obliged.

The big voice in Sev's mind scoffed in disgust, while the little voice cackled in delight. Maybe next time the big voice would keep quiet while he figured out how to use his own spoon!

After all the gifts were opened, Arthur and Sirius surprised everyone by announcing that they had one more gift to present—an engagement gift.

"No way!" Ginny frowned, remembering the invisible 'thing' that Pastor Ed had bumped into earlier.

Sirius' eyes merely twinkled at her in response before he bounced towards the house, calling for everyone to follow him into the living room.

"I was the first to know that Harry was going to propose," Arthur explained as soon as everyone was gathered in the living room, "on account of he actually asked me for her hand in marriage." A few people chuckled at that. "And Sirius and Remus knew of it because they overheard Harry ask me, of course."

Tonks gasped. "So _that's_ what he was asking you that one day we were here!" She exclaimed out of the blue. Once she realized she had actually said that out loud, a deep blush colored her face, much to everyone's amusement. "Sorry! Sorry. Go on!"

"Anyway…" Sirius chuckled, "I figured Harry was going to pop the question at some point during their holiday to…New York City, apparently…and so Arthur and I decided pitch in and get the couple an engagement gift for when they returned."

"We lucked out on the after-Christmas sales." Arthur threw in.

"That's for sure!" Sirius agreed with a laugh. "Ladies and Gentlemen! We present to you…" the animagus grabbed the blue tape he had wrapped around their invisible gift earlier, "…the latest and greatest in muggle entertainment technology!"

Sirius pulled back on one side of the invisibility sheet while Arthur pulled back on the other to reveal an entire entertainment center hidden underneath! At the center of the center, of course, sat the biggest and most unusual television any of them had ever seen.

"_This_, Ladies and Gentlemen," Sirius started, sounding every bit like the salesman he probably bought it from, "is, from what I've been told, the latest in muggle television technology. It is called a 'flat-screen TV'."

"Yes, it's a 1998 edition." Arthur continued, reaching for the power button. "It was released last year. It's thirty-six inches. Um…"

"We attached it to this VDR thing over here—" Sirius added, pointing to a silver box on one of the shelves of the entertainment center.

"That's a V_C_R, Sirius." Dean corrected.

"Oh! Thank you."

"And the sound is connected to those things." The animagus waved his wand and a giant _whoosh_ preceded the uncovering of four speakers—two on the mantle above the fireplace across the room and two next to the television.

"What happened to all the wires?" Dean asked, perplexed.

"Oh! It turns out we didn't need them!" Arthur replied with a tiny laugh. "We were a bit worried about the boys being electrocuted, so Sirius and I worked on a way to get the sound to connect to all the speakers without needing all those pesky cables."

"Thanks for your help, though, Dean." Sirius added offhandedly, fiddling with some buttons on the VCR.

"You made the whole thing wireless?" The teen gaped at them in awe. "_WICKED_!" Some of the guests murmured sounds of agreement.

Ginny, for her part, appeared to be a bit overwhelmed and more than a bit confused; Severus merely looked curious, and Harry had a big, goofy smile on his face.

"So?" Sirius' gaze moved from Harry to Ginny and back. "What do you think?" He asked, his voice carrying a note of apprehension.

"What do _I_ think?" The corner of Harry's lips wouldn't stop twitching. "I have a pool table in my attic and a big-screen TV in my living room." A shit-eating grin suddenly burst forth. "I'm living the dream!"

"YEAH!" Someone growled at the back of the room, causing half the guests to crack up.

"I'm afraid I don't know much about any of this." Ginny murmured softly, but then turned to her father with a big grin. "But thanks anyway, dad."

Arthur smiled as his daughter gave him a kiss on the cheek. "You're very welcome, sweetheart!"

"So how does it work?" Someone shouted from beside the fireplace.

"Well, you see…" As Arthur dove into a whimsical yet thorough explanation of the inner working of a television, some of the older, less interested guests dispersed throughout the house, leaving the wonders of modern technology to the younger generation.

"Harry, you, um…" Ron cleared his throat rather hesitantly and gestured his head towards the side of the room. "…do you have a minute, mate?"

"Yeah, sure!" As the two of them walked over to stand by the windowsill, Harry couldn't help but notice the looks Ron kept exchanging with Hermione, who was staring at them from her place next to Ginny. "Is everything alright?" He asked, unconsciously mirroring Ron's earlier hesitation.

After glaring at his girlfriend for almost a full minute, Ron turned back to Harry with a fierce scowl. "No, everything's _not_ alright!" He practically snapped. Harry's eyes widened, taken aback by his best friend's intensity.

"He's lying, Harry." Hermione broke in, pushing past Harry to take her place in front of Ron. Her hands immediately flew to her hips. "Everything's _just_ fine!"

"Like bloody hell it's fine!" Ron returned heatedly.

"We will _not_ be accepting the house, Harry." Hermione told him, her tone deceptively pleasant. "I'm sorry."

"It's a bloody mistake, I'm telling you!" Ron snapped.

"Keep your voice down! Everyone's starting to stare!" Hermione growled.

"Look! You've insulted Harry." Ron hissed, pointing a finger at Harry's face and causing the other teen to dodge out of the way to avoid it.

"Harry's not insulted!" Hermione shot back.

"He is too!"

"You haven't even _looked_ at him over the past five minutes, Ronald!"

"It's a house, Hermione!" Ron tried changing tactics. "It's a bloody _HOUSE_!"

"We had this discussion already!" Hermione hissed in his face. She sounded at the end of her rope. "And you _AGREED_ with me!"

"How do you expect we'll pay for a flat in London, huh?" Ron returned. "Shall I pull the money out of my ass?"

"_Must_ you be so crude?"

"I'm angry!" Ron shot back. "I _must_!"

"You know what—"

"GUYS!" Harry exclaimed, stopping them mid-argument and calling their attention back to him. "Let's all calm down, shall we?"

"Humph!" Hermione crossed her arms over her chest. "Tell that to the Neanderthal over here!" She scowled at her boyfriend, who returned the scowl full-force.

"I'm _not_ insulted." He assured them both. "I promise you, I'm not. It's okay that you don't want the house."

"Uh, _SHE_ doesn't want the house!" Ron corrected rather pointedly.

"Whatever." Harry rolled his eyes. "I'm fine with it. I'll just put out an ad in the muggle newspaper for renters. It's not a big deal."

"Oh, yes, it is." Ron murmured under his breath.

"Ronald, you can be such a—"

"Hermione!" Harry held up his hands to placate her. "Just let him vent. It's fine." He turned to Ron, "Look, mate, if it makes you feel any better…" the teen glanced back at his godfather, who was busy fiddling with the remote control for the new TV, "…Sirius doesn't really want to stay at Grimmauld place for the time being. He's making his home here with us." Harry turned back to Hermione. "If you really want a flat in London, maybe you could consider living at his place until you save up enough to buy your own house or condominium. How's that?"

The scowl on Ron's face lessened considerably as he gave it some actual thought; and even Hermione, much to Harry's surprise, looked like she was leaning towards the idea.

"So?" His gaze moved back and forth between his two best friends. "Have we reached a compromise?"

No response.

Meanwhile, across the room, Ginny sat down on the new couch, facing the TV. Her father and Sirius were on the floor, at the base of the TV, trying to figure out how to get it to work with the VCR.

"Gampa ah Papoo!" Severus giggled, pointing a tiny finger at the two of them. They were now fighting over which button to push on the remote control.

"Yup. They look like a pair of big kids, don't they?" Ginny smiled, pulling her baby back against her chest and planting a kiss atop his head. Oh, how she loved the smell of his baby shampoo!

"Ahem! Uh…Ginny?" The teen looked up to find Dean Thomas standing a few feet away from her, his hands hidden behind his back. "Is that seat taken?" He asked, nodding towards the empty spot beside her.

"UH-HUH!" Severus snapped, scowling fiercely at the other teen.

"Severus!" Ginny rebuked softly. "Don't be rude!" Turning back to Dean, she gave him a tiny smile. "Go ahead, Dean."

The other wizard smiled gratefully as he took the seat next her, his hands coming out from behind his back to reveal a rectangular, colorfully-wrapped package, which he settled on his lap. "Look, Gin—"

"Beh deh-ew!" Sev cried, leaning over his mother's arm to push Dean's leg away from Ginny's. "Beh deh-ew! Beh deh-ew!" The infant noticed their knees had been touching and he didn't like that one bit!

"Honey!" Ginny exclaimed, bewildered by her son's actions. "Come now, sweetheart!" The witch sent her friend an apologetic look before readjusting Severus in her arms so that he lay nestled in the crook of her elbow. "What's the matter, love?" She asked, straightening Sev's shirt as she looked into his eyes.

The infant wasn't focused on her, though. He was too busy glaring at Dean. "Daddy!" He called at the top of his lungs, pointing a finger at the black wizard. "Daddy, wook!"

The call had not only Harry turning around to look at them, but everyone else as well! Both Dean and Ginny blushed at the sudden unwanted attention.

_What's the matter, cub?_ The teen asked, confused as to why his son seemed so upset.

_Daddy! Dean Thomas is talking to Mummy! You should come over here and beat him up!_

The reply had sent Harry into a fit of laughter, which he struggled to hide with the back of his hand. Ron, apparently, thought he was choking, for he immediately began to slap his friend's back rather strongly.

"I—I'm fine, Ron." Harry said as soon as he calmed down. Meeting Dean's eyes from across the room, Harry gave his friend a small smile before turning away again.

_Sev…I don't think that's really necessary right now, son._ He replied gently.

"Severus, relax!" Dean cried, looking directly at the infant in Ginny's arms. "I'm not trying to…" he glanced at Ginny awkwardly, "…steal your m—mother away or anything."

"Yah wigh!" Sev narrowed his eyes at him.

"Alright, Severus, that's enough!" Ginny broke in, putting her foot down and giving her son the tiniest of shakes.

Sev widened his eyes at his mother's rarely-used stern tone. "Wha?"

"Now, you be nice to Dean!" She told him firmly. "He's done nothing to you to deserve this behavior. This is the only warning I'm going to give you!"

_You best heed her warning, cub._ His father encouraged, winking at him from his spot next to the window.

"Now apologize to him!"

Severus sighed. Hearing his mother lecture to him in that tone of voice made him feel guilty much faster than whenever his father lectured to him! "Soweh…" he murmured with a pout.

"Thank you." The infant blushed and shifted in her arms, burying his face in her chest. Ginny ignored the half-hearted ploy for attention and turned back towards Dean. "I'm sorry."

"No, no!" Dean waved it off. "It's okay. I mean…I don't…" he shrugged, "…mind."

"So!" The teenage witch gave him a small smile. "Did you want to talk to me or something?"

"I did! Uh…" Dean picked up the brightly-colored package on his lap and held it up for Ginny to see. He had a stiff smile on his face; one that didn't quite reach his eyes. "My peace offering." He said with a sigh.

Severus unburied his face from Ginny's chest to study the package suspiciously.

"Peace offering?" Ginny looked confused.

"Uh…yeah. It's more of a gift for…" he gestured the package towards Sev, "…the little guy here."

Severus instantly sat up upon hearing that.

"See?" Ginny raised her eyebrow at him. The look on her face clearly spelled out 'I told you so.'"And you were treating him badly a second ago!"

The infant bit his lip and blushed once again. Boy, his mummy _sure_ knew how to make a man feel guilty!

"Look, Gin…" Dean started, his voice soft and gentle. Yet the witch could still hear a note of regret in his tone. "…I just wanted to say that, um…"

"Me git?" Sev babbled, reaching for the package in Dean's hands. "Me git?"

"Sev…"

"Here you go, kid…" Dean put the gift on Sev's lap before looking directly into Ginny's eyes. "I'm sorry it didn't work out between us." He blurted out before he could lose his nerve.

The look in Ginny's eyes immediately transformed from one of concern to one of pity. "Oh…Dean…" She sighed.

"Please don't take that the wrong way or anything!" The wizard hurriedly clarified. "I'm not trying to…change your mind or anything. I don't want to. I just…" Dean released a shaky breath as he scratched the back of his neck nervously. "Um…"

"Look…" Ginny laid a hand atop Dean's, causing him to meet her eyes in surprise. "I'm sorry it didn't work out as well."

Sev stopped fumbling with Dean's poorly-wrapped present to study their touching hands with rapidly-narrowing eyes. "Mo!" He exclaimed with a scowl, pointing at their hands. "Mo, mummy!"

"Oh, sweetheart!" Ginny rolled her eyes but removed her hand from Dean's anyway. She then planted a kiss atop her son's head to calm him down. "Dean, I promise—one day, you're going to find that one special lady that will make you feel a thousand times happier than I ever made you feel."

"Oh, I highly doubt that." The teenage wizard replied with a small chuckle.

"No. It's true!" Ginny assured him.

"Well, in any case…" Dean met Ginny's eyes with the most serious look the witch had ever seen on him, "…I will always love you, Ginny Weasley. Remember that."

The declaration made Severus freeze. A flash of déjà vu suddenly coursed through him.

_If you love me, let me go._

"I will _always_ be there for you." The teen wizard continued. "I wish you and Harry happiness and a long, prosperous marriage; but know that I will always be here if you need me."

The infant looked up just as Dean laid a kiss upon Ginny's cheek, but, unlike before, he didn't have the heart to protest the action. The emotions running through Dean's eyes reminded him very much of what he felt that day in the cemetery, when he finally let Lily go after chasing her for most of his life.

This was the conversation they _should_ have had before she married James. He should have told her everything that Dean was telling Ginny now. He should have told her he loved her. And he should have let her go.

"Thank you, Dean." Ginny whispered, laying a hand on the side of his face and running her thumb up and down his cheek. "That means a lot to me. It really does!"

Oh, what Sev wouldn't give to hear Lily say that to him; to have her touch him like Ginny was touching Dean, to have her look at him with the same look in her eyes that Ginny was wearing. What he wouldn't give to smile at Lily like Dean was smiling at Ginny. If only he had realized back then that Lily being happy meant more to him than having her to himself.

_You live and you learn, cub._ Harry commented from across the room. The infant looked up to find his daddy leaning against the bookcase, nursing a drink and staring intently in their direction. _That's why Ginny and I didn't want to oblivate you. We figured you'd enjoy life more if you knew you were living it the second time around._

_So I don't make the same mistakes twice._ Sev nodded as his bottom lip slipped between his teeth. That made a lot of sense.

"Come on, kid! Are you going to open the gift I gave you or not?" Severus looked up to find both Dean and Ginny smiling down at him, the former glancing down at the package on his lap suggestively.

"Ah!" Sev had honestly forgotten about the gift the other wizard gave him. He studied it once against with renewed interest.

"Here, sweetheart." Ginny said, running her finger over a tiny rip in the wrapping, one that Sev hadn't noticed before. The infant wasted no time in grasping the loose flap between his fingers and giving it a hearty tug!

_Riiiiiiiiiip!_

The sound of the paper being ripped apart brought a satisfied smile to his face. Merlin, how he _loved_ that noise! "Ah! Bah!" He cooed nonsensically as he began bouncing in excitement.

His mother chuckled and shook her head as she helped him rip the wrapping off the gift. For some reason, the sound of ripping paper now never failed to make her baby boy laugh until he was red in the face. The entire opening-gifts phase of the afternoon turned out to be a big laugh-fest that had Severus, Sirius, and, consequently, everyone else rolling with laughter every time the infant made a tiny rip in the paper.

"I don't know what it is." Ginny commented to Dean. "He never found the sound of ripping paper so funny before."

"_**WHAY KEY!**_" Severus squealed in excitement, drawing everyone's attention once again. "WHAY KEY! WHAY KEY! _**WHAY KEY!**_"

"It's _The Lion King_!" Ginny translated for the guests' benefit.

Severus immediately grabbed the VHS tape and began waving it up and down with a big grin.

Dean chuckled at the infant's enthusiasm. _Never_ in his life did he think he was going to see the day when Snape smiled, much more reacted like this! "Your dad and Sirius had me come over a few weeks ago to help them set up the entertainment center." Dean explained. "That's how I knew you had a VCR."

"Excellent! Now we have something to _watch_ on the new VCR!" Sirius remarked, holding his hand out for the tape. "We just got it working, I think."

"What do you say to Dean, sweetheart?" Ginny said, nudging the one-year-old in her arms.

"Ank ooo!" The infant replied with a shy grin as he carefully handed the tape to his Uncle Sirius.

"You're welcome." The wizard answered with a satisfied smile, getting comfortable against the arm of the couch.

As the opening notes of _The Circle of Life_ blasted from the surround sound speakers, and as everyone else in the room settled down on the couches and the chairs to watch the intriguing little lion cartoon, Harry took a seat on Ginny's other side and wrapped an arm around his fiancé and son. He felt his future wife settle her head on his shoulder, his adopted son crawl into his lap, and a pair of eyes turn to peer at them with muted envy. Harry met Dean's gaze over Ginny's head and held a hand out to his former roommate and friend. Then, finally, after what seemed like forever, the muted envy melted from Dean's eyes and a look of acceptance took its place. His friend gave him a genuine smile and took his hand. The two exchanged a secret handshake that they and their three other roommates invented back in their first year, officially mending whatever fences had broken between them, and restoring their strong friendship back to its former glory.

* * *

**Hello everyone! :-) I got a few reviews last chapter that told me that some of you assumed that the custody hearing was the last chapter in the story. As you can clearly tell, it's not. The last chapter in _this_ story is, in fact, the epilogue after the wedding scene (5-6 chapters from now). I didn't have Harry propose just for nothing, now did I? ;-P **

**That being said, next up, Severus finally makes his debut around the halls of Hogwarts, all the Seventh Years are in NEWT-cramming mode, Harry continues teaching the boys magic while Sirius begins teaching the boys a few tricks of his own, and details for the wedding begin to emerge. **

**NOTE: I'd just like to take a minute to thank all of you who read and/or reviewed last chapter (and the chapters before). You're all very wonderful! I'm sorry this chapter took a month to come out, but I've got more projects on my plate than I care to think about at the moment. Some of which include the media for this story and the website it's supposed to go on. Hopefully, the next chapter won't take quite so long. I'm aiming for it to be up maybe next weekend or the weekend after. In the meantime, I hope all of you enjoyed this chapter and please don't hesitate to let me know what you think! :-)**


	46. Something Old, Something New

**WARNING: Some smoking, drinking, cursing, and gambling (during the boys' poker night).**

* * *

"Wake up, baby boy! You're going to work with Daddy today!"

The morning reminder of the day's much-anticipated activity had its desired effect. Severus' eyes shot half-open and he grinned up at his mother excitedly. "Wooh!" He croaked groggily.

Ginny chuckled at her baby's valiant effort to wake himself up. "That's right, love." She reached down to lift him out of his crib. "You finally get to see Hogwarts again!"

"Mmm-Hmmm…" Sev cooed half-heartedly as he snuggled into the crook of his mother's neck. Today was a special occasion indeed! Despite living on Hogwarts grounds, Sev had seen very little of the school since the start of the school year. Whenever he visited the infirmary or was treated to the occasional Quidditch game, he had constantly been snuck about the grounds under the guise of his father's invisibility cloak. And even then, his activities were restricted to anything he could do inside the niche in his little sling.

Today, however, was totally different! Today, his daddy was putting away the invisibility cloak and parading him all around Hogwarts just like his Uncle Remus had been doing with Teddy all these months!

"Oh, I wouldn't go so far as to call it 'parading', Sev." Ginny commented with a laugh as she changed his nappy.

_I would._ The infant internally retorted with a mischievous cackle.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "So…what do you want to wear today, love? Do you want to wear semi-formal clothes like Daddy? Or do you want to be more relaxed?"

Sev gave it some real thought. How did he want to make his Hogwarts debut? In some nice, professional clothes? Or in jeans and a t-shirt? What sort of statement did he want to make?

_Oh, this is bloody ridiculous! The answer should be obvious! When have we EVER worn jeans and t-shirts before?_ The voice at the back chimed in, disgusted by his hesitation.

The infant grinned. Jeans and a t-shirt it was then!

"You know, despite all her eccentricities, I must say, Luna makes some _wonderful_ choices for baby clothes!" Ginny remarked as she adjusted the zipper on Sev's new brown-and-aqua-striped hoodie, a birthday gift from Luna Lovegood. "This looks absolutely fantastic on him!"

"Mm-hmm…" Harry grunted from behind the morning paper. Behind him, Sirius snorted into his cooking.

"Good morning, Daddy!" Ginny pushed, giving the child in her arms a light nudge.

"Mow-ming…Daddy!" Severus echoed happily. That word was _never_ getting old!

The morning paper drooped considerably as Harry peered over the edge to find the two loves-of-his-life heading towards him. "Good morning, my son!" He replied, unable to suppress the smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "And my soon-to-be wife." The teen grinned as Ginny brought Severus close for a morning peck on the forehead and then leaned in for a quick kiss of her own.

"Ooh!" The teenage witch gasped. "That reminds me! I need to ask my mum to pick up some wedding catalogues and bring them over to the Den this weekend."

"I can do that." Sirius spoke up as he brought the pancakes over to the table. Harry and Ginny both raised an eyebrow at him while Severus peered at him with wide eyes.

"What?" He exclaimed defensively. "I happen to know that there are _at least_ a handful of beautiful, _single_ women who hang around wedding stores. They say they're there just to 'window shop'," the animagus drew quotation marks in the air as he rolled his eyes, "but I bet they're in there planning their nonexistent wedding with their invisible fiancés."

"So you go to a bridal shop to pick up women?" Harry asked with a snort.

"Don't judge!" Sirius shot back, pointing a finger at his godson. "You never know. Sometimes, there are single women there who are only shopping for wedding gifts."

"And you can tell this…how?"

The older wizard smirked as he passed out the pancakes. "They're the ones with the sad looks on their faces."

"Always the bridesmaids, never the brides."

"On the plus side!" The animagus added with a raised finger and a grin, "You know they're desperate _and_ they're also serious."

Harry chuckled into his breakfast as Ginny droned, "I really don't understand you, Padfoot."

"What's there to not understand?" Sirius replied, confused.

"To mention they're desperate implies you want some kind of a one-night-stand, but to also mention they're serious implies that _you_ want something serious. Which is it?"

"You're overanalyzing this." The animagus shook his head. "I mentioned they're desperate because they want a man _now_, which increases my attractiveness factor by a lot."

_Yes, because he DESPERATELY needs the boost if he even wants a fighting chance with a woman._ Big Sev droned at the back of his mind, making little Sev laugh into his plate.

"I'm serious!" Padfoot nodded, oblivious to the commentary in Sev's head. "And that makes them more susceptible to my charms. Plus, the fact that they're fantasizing in a bridal shop means that one day—possibly soon, but not _too_ soon—they're fixing to get married."

"Which translates into…Sirius is desperate for a girlfriend, and Sirius is desperate to get married." Harry remarked with a smirk.

His godfather rolled his eyes. "'Desperate' is such a strong word…"

"Nevertheless," Harry pushed away from the table and wiped his mouth as he stood up, "it's the right one."

He sent his godfather an apologetic look as he hurriedly dumped his plate in the sink. "I'm sorry about rushing out this morning, Padfoot, but Sev's got another immunization jab with Madame Pomfrey this morning."

Sev frowned upon hearing this. "Whaaaaayyyy?" He whined, giving his father a good pout.

"Because it's good for your overall health, and because I said so." The teen answered with a note of finality.

Sirius nearly choked on his coffee upon hearing his godson's reply. "_Wow_, Henry!" He shook his head and cracked a smug smile.

"What?" Harry exclaimed defensively.

"You know…not three years ago, when I said the same thing to you, you up and told me that it'd be a cold day in hell before you used those words with your own son. _Now_ look who's using the 'because I said so' excuse!" Sirius exclaimed jovially.

Harry rolled his eyes and shook his head as he perched his son on one arm. "Shut up, Padfoot."

"Not so easy coming up with something original when you're the parent, is it?"

Severus hooked an arm around Harry's neck and then turned towards Sirius questioningly. What the heck was he talking about?

"Before you know it, _your_ cub's going to be answering back with, 'That's not a good enough reason, Daddy!'" At that, Sirius gave the infant a discreet wink.

Severus gasped. That's _exactly_ what he should say right now!

"Sirius!" Harry widened his eyes at his godfather.

"Daddy! Mo goo mupp wee-som!" The infant exclaimed, turning a scowl upon his own father and crossing his arms for good measure. "Mo goo mupp!"

Ginny immediately turned away and began laughing into her hand, while Sirius flashed his godson with a grin that spread from ear to ear. Harry, in turn, glared daggers at the animagus. "Thank you _so much_ for that, Sirius. Now he's going to be repeating that all the way to the infirmary!"

"Mo goo mupp!"

The older wizard smirked and leaned back smugly in his chair. "Hey! It's the curse all parents put upon their children, pup." He pointed a finger directly at his godson and put on a mock serious face. "I hope you have a kid someday that acts exactly—like—you!"

Harry turned away with a growl and began grumbling under his breath. "Yeah, well, this is all _your_ doing!" Marching over to the side table, he shouldered Sev's diaper bag before making his way over to Ginny. "I'll get you back for that, Padfoot."

"Sure, you will, Harry." Sirius answered with a snort before disappearing behind the morning paper.

"Daddy! Me seh mo goo mupp!"

"Goodbye, my fiancé." The teen murmured, leaning in to kiss Ginny goodbye.

"Goodbye, my love." After kissing Harry, she also made sure to plant a kiss on her scowling son's cheek. "Have a good day, baby."

"DADDY! Ooo mo hewe me!"

Still paying no heed to Severus' complaints, Harry turned towards the opening portrait hole and added over his shoulder, "Good morning, my student!"

"Good morning, Professor." Came the reply.

"Ooh! That is _so_ kinky!"

"Shut up, Padfoot!" The two teens rebuked in unison.

"Daddy!" Severus whined.

"Hush now, cub." Harry gave Merlin a wave of greeting as they started down the hall. "I know perfectly well that you can take a jab like a man. Now, none of this complaining."

"Good Morning, Profe…" A young Slytherin girl, whom Severus could only assume was in her second or third year, had come walking towards them with a smile that began to falter once she caught sight of the him, "…ssor…Potter…" Now she stood frozen in place, all but gawking at them as they passed her in the hall.

"Good Morning, Miss Pillsbury." Harry greeted with a friendly smile and a nod as he rushed by.

Severus boosted himself up to look over Harry's shoulder and gave the little girl one of his "cute" smiles and a wave. "Mowming!" He exclaimed, giggling at how quickly her eyes widened at him.

The infant turned back just in time to catch a pair of Hufflepuff girls coming down the stairs towards them. "So, I told Hugh that I was not interested in him anymore, not after the—Oh! Good Morn—"

"Oh my God! Baby!" The other girl squealed, startling Sev and making Harry flinch.

"Good Morning, Helen, Hilda…" Harry greeted with a fake smile that belied his groan.

Helen's (or Hilda's) squeal had alerted an even larger group of Hufflepuffs on the moving stairwell across the hall, as well as other students on the stairwells above and below them. Before Severus knew it, the noise level in the staircase grew as everyone peered over the railings to see what all the fuss was about.

"What?"  
"Whose baby?"  
"Teddy?"  
"NO! It's _Harry's_ kid!"  
"What?"  
GASP!  
"Look! It's Snape!"  
"Wow."  
"Didn't you hear? It's 'Potter' now."  
"What?"  
"He adopted him."  
"His name's Severus Henry Potter now."  
"Awwww! He's so _adorable_!"  
"He's been living here this whole time?"  
"It was a joint adoption, from what I hear. Ginny's his legal mum."  
"In the castle?"  
"How come they've never brought him out before?"  
"But they're not even married yet!"  
"Who would've thought Snape was ever a baby?"  
"_Everyone_ starts out as a baby, you big dolt!"  
"This is too weird!"  
"Rumor has it they're engaged."  
"We should ask Jenny. She's in Gryffindor and a bigger gossiper than Rita Skeeter."  
"He looks exactly like he looked like in the paper."  
"And I thought _that_ was weird enough."  
"Get a load of the pipsqueak traitor."  
"He's not that cute of a baby."  
"Ugh!"  
"Speak for yourself!"  
"What? I just think he makes an ugly baby!"  
"Christina from Slytherin told Maria in Ravenclaw, who told Maria in Hufflepuff, who told Christina in Gryffindor, who told my roommate's sister's fake gay boyfriend in Hufflepuff, who told me that _she_ was able to peek into Ginny's cabin on the train and she _swears_ she saw a ring on her finger!"  
"He's so adorable when he smiles!"  
"EW! That thing looks _SO_ gross!"  
"That's so mean!"  
"Well it's true…"  
"It's a _baby_, not an animal!"  
"Baby animals tend to look cuter than _that_."  
"You need to get your eyes checked."  
"Ooh! I hope Potter brings him to class. I want to take a closer look at him."  
"He's not a puppy, Amanda!"  
"I don't see what the big deal is."  
"That's 'cause you're a guy."  
"This is just too weird."  
"I never thought Potter would be the one to take care of Snape. I always thought those two hated each other."  
"Possibly a change of heart?"  
"I don't think that was it."  
"I just want to pinch his cheeks!"  
"There has to be some other reason Potter adopted the little git. I mean why would anyone willingly take _that_ in?"  
"I just want to gag."

Severus blushed and buried his face in the crook of his daddy's neck. He had been expecting the sudden onslaught of attention, sure. However, the whispers and the strange looks that trailed behind them in the hall was something he wasn't entirely comfortable with; never mind the fact that not all of the comments or the stares were friendly.

"Those clothes are so cute on him!"

"Hey, look at that, cub! They like your clothes!" Harry chuckled, trying to distract his son from the constant murmurs. Yet his tactics had little effect, as Severus merely wrapped himself into a tiny ball in Harry's arms and inched his thumb into his mouth.

The teen sighed. "Aw, cub…" Pulling Sev's hood over his head, Harry tightened his hold on the infant in an effort to comfort him. "And now you know why I make an effort to keep you hidden, don't you?" He felt a tiny nod against his chest.

As they were passing through the hallway that led to the clock tower, a familiar face turned the corner. "Hello there, Harry! Severus!"

"Good Morning, Professor Dumbledore." Harry nodded at him politely.

"My goodness! Something has the students buzzing this morning—that's for sure!" The headmaster chuckled, as if he didn't already know what that 'something' was. "Enjoying the newfound attention, are we, Severus?"

The infant wanted to turn and blow raspberries at the old wizard.

Harry grimaced. "Please don't go there, Headmaster. He didn't quite enjoy the trek up here."

The headmaster frowned. "Why not? I'd have thought he would've liked being out in the open again and spending time about the grounds." Dumbledore commented curiously. "What? After spending months under that invisibility cloak…"

"It's not really that part, Headmaster." Harry shook his head. "It's more of the whispers that follow us down the hall."

"Ah!" Dumbledore nodded in understanding. "Of course!"

"Well! Look who decided to join me this morning!" Madame Pomfrey greeted them with a frown as they walked through her doors. Harry opened his mouth to explain their tardiness, but the no-nonsense matron merely waved them towards a bed, all the while turning a fierce scowl onto the headmaster. "I expected you up here a full _hour_ ago, Albus!" She snapped.

As per the headmaster's style, Dumbledore merely waved her off with a smile and hopped up on the bed next to Harry. "I apologize, Poppy. A rather urgent matter literally crashed into me as I was heading out my door this morning, and I decided to take care of it right away."

"Yes, I'm sure it was urgent." Madame Pomfrey replied with a scoff. Turning to Severus, she began taking his vitals and recording them in his file. "Albus, as long as you're just sitting there, roll up both your sleeves, please." She then addressed the father-son duo before her, "Mr. Potter, it is my recommendation that you start looking for a regular pediatrician for your family."

Severus looked up in surprise and gasped involuntarily.

"Wha?" "What?"

"Mo!"

"I'm sorry, Madame Pomfrey…" Harry, himself stunned by the suggestion, peered at the school matron in confusion, "…but I don't quite understand."

Madame Pomfrey sighed. "Mr. Potter, I can't treat Severus forever. And what's to happen when you and Miss Weasley have biological children? Am I to be their pediatrician as well?"

"You know, Harry, she has a point." Dumbledore chimed in from behind her.

"Mo!" Sev shook his head. He didn't want another healer. He wanted Madame Pomfrey! He was used to her already and she knew of his special needs. No other healer would understand him like she did! "Mo wamp! Mo wamp…ah-mo-bew…heweh!"

"Severus, I already have my hands full taking care of all the students in this school by myself—" Pomfrey argued, but Severus cut her off.

"MO! MO! MO!"

"Hey!" Harry gave the infant a tiny shake and frowned down at him. "That's enough! Don't be rude."

Severus looked up at his father for some support. "Mo wamp, daddy! Wamp hew!" He exclaimed, pointing to Madame Pomfrey for emphasis.

"I know you do." Harry nodded understandingly, "But she has a point though, Sev." He conceded. "She can't take care of all my kids."

"Me owy!" Sev argued desperately.

"We'll talk about it tonight, cub." Harry tried, "You, mummy, and I will all have a big talk about it." As he laid a comforting kiss upon his son's head, he locked eyes with Madame Pomfrey and used his eyebrows to indicate that he agreed with her and would try to convince Severus to come around.

The matron nodded and began steering the conversation in a different direction to distract the infant, "So…how often is he being nursed now, Mr. Potter?"

"Well…" the teen rolled his eyes in thought "…he feeds about half the day now. We have him on solid meals for part of breakfast, part of lunch, and all of dinner, but for the other parts, as well as snacks, he still nurses from Ginny."

"Mummy!" Sev exclaimed with a grin, completely out of the blue.

"But Ginny and I have been trying to wean him from it for a while now." Harry finished.

Pomfrey nodded and continued to scribble in Sev's folder, "And how has it been going?"

"Um…moderately successful."

"Moderately?" Dumbledore asked with a twinkle in his eye.

"Yes," Harry chuckled, "this one tends to be rather picky when it comes to things he eats."

Severus grinned at that. Boy, was that ever so true!

"Well, in any case, he's developing quite nicely." Madame Pomfrey commented, shutting the file with a snap and then waving her wand at the table across the room. A tray immediately began floating over. "_And_ he's perfectly healthy, so whatever it is you and Miss Weasley are doing, continue doing it."

Meanwhile, Severus watched in dread as a small vial full of liquid and a needle came within range. He swallowed and peered up at his father desperately, but Harry was busy talking with Madame Pomfrey.

_MUST you go through this little melodrama EVERY time you come in for an immunization injection?_ The voice at the back drawled in disgust.

Severus ignored him.

"Daddy…" The infant called patiently, tugging on his father's sleeve and tilting his head back in order to see his face. "Daddy…"

"In a minute, cub." Harry nodded, not taking his eyes off the talking school matron.

"Daddy, mo wamp dab…" Sev shook his head and began tugging on the sleeve just a little bit harder. "Mo wamp…"

"So I'll send over a list of pediatricians near Godric's Hollow." Madame Pomfrey said as she picked up the vial and syringe.

"Daddy, mo wamp dat!" Sev squealed desperately, all his patience gone out the window. His cry caught Harry's attention immediately.

"Oh, come now, my boy…" Harry sighed.

"SEVERUS!" The infant turned just in time to see Dumbledore hop off his bed and begin jumping around like an idiot. Sev's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

_What in Merlin's name…?_

"Do you know what dance this is, my boy?" He asked, slightly breathless but jovial.

Both Severus and Harry gaped at him for quite a while. That was supposed to be a _dance_?

"_Daddy, I think he's finally gone mental."_ Severus commented, his thoughts accompanied by brief flashes of concern for the man before him.

Harry snorted. _"Just humor him, cub. He's over 150 years old. I'm surprised it's taken him so long to go this route."_

"_So you mean that now we have to deal with TWO crazy Dumbledores?"_ Sev peered up at his father skeptically. Harry merely smiled down at him and winked before turning to answer the headmaster.

"That looks awfully like what muggles call the 'Chicken Dance', Headmaster." The teen snorted. Severus giggled at that. He remembered the Chicken Dance! And Dumbledore certainly looked like he was dancing like a chicken. Although…it also looked like he was doing a bit of the Robot dance in between clucks.

"The Chicken Dance?" Dumbledore tilted his head to the side, much like chickens did when they felt just as curious. The look, combined with his arms, which were currently in the chicken-wing position, made him look all the more like an oversized piece of poultry. Both father and son burst out laughing at the ridiculousness of it all.

"Alright! All done!" Madame Pomfrey declared with a smile as she happily snapped off her gloves. In contrast, the smile melted off Severus' face when he turned back to her in confusion.

"See? Look at that, cub!" Harry praised with a grin. "Didn't feel a thing, did you?"

Sure enough, when Sev checked, there was a magical bandage stuck to the crease in his arm and Madame Pomfrey was tossing an empty vile and syringe back onto the tray.

"Wow…" The infant's eyes widened in awe. It really _wasn't_ that bad! He didn't even notice when the needle went in!

"And now for you!" Moving faster than he had ever seen her move before, Madame Pomfrey waved her wand at a surprised Dumbledore and a blue light immediately enveloped his figure. Within a split second, it disappeared and a long piece of parchment suddenly appeared in her hands.

"Wow." Now it was Harry's turn to be awed.

"Yes, you see how different she treats the elderly, compared to all you young ones…" The headmaster commented with a slight scowl.

"It's not because you're old, Albus, it's because you're stubborn." Pomfrey shot back sharply. Nodding in satisfaction, she stuck the parchment in his medical folder before fixing the headmaster with a pointed look. "Well…it turns out I don't have to give you an injection today. BUT…I _still_ want you to watch your sugar intake, Albus." The old man sighed. "I shall inform the kitchen elves."

"And I shall _mis_inform them afterwards." Dumbledore muttered with a wink at Severus.

"Do that and I will banish sugar from this school!" The matron threatened as all three of them made their way to the door. "See how popular you'll be with the student body then."

"She has a point, Professor." Harry snorted.

"Yes, yes, yes…" Dumbledore shook his head as he rolled down his shirt sleeves.

The three of them walked down the hall in companionable silence for a while, the quiet only broken by the hushed whispers that started when they came in sight of the students once again. His confidence restored after enduring a jab he didn't feel _at all_, Severus sat up straight in his daddy's arms and locked eyes with every student they passed in the hall. He tried to incite the fear in them that he used to back when he was a professor, but being two-foot-six instead of six-foot-two, and his scowl being more adorable than intimidating, his attempts were not nearly as successful as he had hoped.

"_Why not try for a different image this time around?"_ His father suggested in his head. _"Perhaps one that is more…say…friendly and open?"_

"_But…" _Severus frowned at the proposition. _"How do you do that?"_

"Here's an idea, cub." Harry whispered in his ear. "Try being…yourself!"

_Most ridiculous!_ Big Sev scorned. Yet Little Sev was not so quick to judge. Being himself? Dare he actually try it? Drop the whole façade and be the person he was around the rest of his family? How would that even turn out? What would everyone think of him?

"_Look at it this way, my boy…"_ Harry chimed in, _"You've got nothing to lose. What better time to start than right now?"_

He had a point. Even the grumpy voice at the back had to see that it wasn't that bad of an idea. There was no time like the present to reinvent himself. What was the harm in giving it a try?

Leaving his son to ponder those thoughts, Harry turned back to Dumbledore. "By the way…" he started, "I just want to let you know that I gave my estate agent an ad for the house next door yesterday. Told her to put it in some newspapers in the surrounding counties. If we get lucky, we'll find a nice muggle couple to move in beside us."

"I still don't think that's an entirely good idea." The headmaster shook his head. "With my brother about? And the children? There's bound to be some magic, accidental or otherwise, flying around every now and then. How do you suppose you'll explain all that to the muggles next door?"

"Oh, I'll think of something." Harry shrugged as he squeezed through the doors of the Great Hall.

The school's dining room had been bustling with activity. There had been students running from table to table, talking about their holiday, comparing gifts over breakfast, and telling funny stories about all the family catastrophes that managed to occur over the short break. There had been rants and raves about how the food here at Hogwarts was definitely better or definitely worse than the food their mum made at home. And there had been tidbits of gossip flying around, ranging from the Potter-Malfoy custody battle to whether or not Princess Diana's fatal car crash had been planned. All of that activity ground to a halt, however, the moment Harry and Severus stepped foot into the room.

It was like somebody flipped a switch in the Great Hall. All of a sudden, there was silence. The change had been so swift and unexpected that it literally stopped Harry in his tracks. There had been no warnings, no screams of Severus' name or anything of the sort; just a nearly instantaneous shift from deafening noise to dead silence. One could hear a pin drop clear across the hall.

The stillness was eerie, and the multitude of eyes gazing at them, frozen and unblinking, was enough to put Harry on edge. He had his special shield charm prepped and waiting at his fingertips, just in case he should see anything funny flying his way. One could never be too careful in mixed company, especially with such precious cargo in one's arms. He was sure Severus—

"MUMMY!" Sev's joyous cry cut through the silence like a knife, and just like that, everyone blinked and looked around, as if each of them had just awoken from a dream. The tension Harry first sensed when he walked into the Great Hall immediately began to disperse. "Mummy! Mummy! Mummy!" The infant had zeroed in on his mother's location and looked about ready to jump out of his father's arms and fly across the room.

"Alright, alright, here we go…" Harry sighed and immediately headed for the Gryffindor table. His footsteps echoed strangely in the silence.

Half the room's prying eyes watched his every move, following him in his trek across the hall, while the other half locked onto Ginny, studying her thoroughly and making split-second judgments that would soon evolve into opinions. Those opinions would be shared and debated amongst friends before the questions inevitably sparked the speculation, which would ignite the rumors, which would then spread like wildfire throughout the castle. Yes, Harry knew exactly what was going to happen over the next few weeks. Having been through this before, he knew those whispers that followed them today would be hanging around for a while yet. His family—the most intimate part of his life—was now under the glare of spotlights. They were the newest source of entertainment in this school, and they were going to be watched accordingly.

"Mummy!" Sev sent his mother a giant grin, which Ginny returned with enthusiasm. Around her, her girlfriends giggled behind their hands.

"What's going on, baby?" She asked, delighted that Severus didn't seem to be bothered by all the attention. Harry, on the other hand, was his usual paranoid self.

"_It's too quiet in here."_ Harry replied in his defense, having caught wind of her thoughts. For some reason, being watched in a hallway by the passersby didn't bother him as much as being watched in a giant room by an equally giant crowd.

"Wook!" Sev pointed to the bandage under his elbow before turning to his mother expectantly.

"What is that, sweet?" Ginny asked, swinging around on the bench and reaching out for her baby.

"He had a jab this morning," Harry explained, smiling proudly at the boy in his arms, "and he didn't feel a thing!"

"Is that true?" The teen's eyes widened, genuinely surprised. She knew Sev didn't enjoy getting injections very much, and getting him to settle down long enough to stick the needle in was a job in itself.

"Yup!" Sev nodded proudly. His excitement tickled his parents. "Kip! Mummy…" He continued, reaching for his mother's face and taking her cheeks in between his hands.

Ginny giggled and puckered up while Harry lowered the infant just enough to let him kiss his mother smack on the lips. Their audience's reaction was immediate.

_Well! That certainly set people off._ Big Sev commented as murmurs erupted all around the room. Heads began swinging this way and that, and the silence gave way to a major gossip session.

"Don't mind them, baby." Ginny whispered in his ear while she took him from Harry and settled him in her lap. Sev's first order of business was to grab her robe tightly and wrap it around himself. She could tell he missed his sling. "They're only gossiping this much because it's the first time they've all seen you in the flesh."

"I'll get him after I get his breakfast ready." Harry said softly, giving Ginny's shoulder a supportive squeeze and, upon her nod, walking away.

"The excitement will die down by the end of the week, I think." Hermione added, smiling reassuringly at the infant.

Severus didn't share her opinion. First of all, he didn't think _everyone_ was excited to see him.

"Awwww! Ginny, he's _SO_ adorable!" His mummy's friends were the exception, of course.

The infant felt like rolling his eyes. That was most people's reaction to him until they found out who he really was. Yet these girls already knew who he really was, which made their reactions one-quarter insulting and three-quarters interesting. Pulling himself into a sitting position, he hugged him mother's arm and decided to get them on an adorability high. He was, after all, trying to reinvent his image. What better way to start than to show people just how adorable of a baby he could be?

Stage one of the plan—make adorable sounds and give everyone a nice view of those big, beautiful hazel eyes. "Mummy!" Sev pulled himself up to stand on his mummy's thigh before proceeding to inspect each of the ladies around him. He took extra care to widen his eyes and make cute curious faces at each of them. As expected, they all melted with one glance.

"Aw! It's so hard to believe this used to be Professor Snape!" One girl crooned.

"Yeah, he looks so sweet and innocent."

_Looks can be deceiving._ The Big Voice retorted with distaste, appalled by the fact that these ladies were actually falling for the act!

"Maybe it's a trick!" One of the blokes beside them yelled. The infant blew raspberries at him. That immediately got him some laughs, accompanied by a tiny shake of disapproval from his mother.

"Oh, nonsense!" Ginny rolled her eyes and readjusted the baby in her arms. "Sev here is just a sweetheart by nature, aren't you, my love?"

Sev glowed with genuine happiness at the praise his mother was giving him, and he reached up with a grin to give her another kiss on the mouth. The awes this time were louder and greater in number than before.

_Your dastardly plan seems to be working._ Big Sev commented. Yet Little Sev couldn't remember what dastardly plan he was referring to. This "being cute" business was fun!

"Alright, alright, that's enough, ladies." Harry broke in, reaching in to lift Sev out of his mother's arms. There was a brief sound of disappointment. "I daresay you'll be seeing young Mr. Potter here a bit more often from now on. There's no need to rush things."

"Buh-Bye!" Sev flashed the ladies his signature eight-toothed grin and waved enthusiastically at them. They all swooned.

"Looks like we've got ourselves a charmer." Harry chuckled while he made his way up to the professor's table.

"Oh my god, Ginny!" One of the girls sighed longingly as she watched Harry and Sev walk away.

"I know! You are _SO_ lucky, you know that?" Went another.

"Mmmm…A great man—"

"A great, _good-looking_ man."

"—a gorgeous child—"

"Who's quite the charmer, it seems."

"What more can a woman ask for?"

"What about an engagement ring?"

Just then, one of Ginny's friends gasped. "Oh! That reminds me! Is it true, Ginny? People are saying you're engaged!"

"Yeah, gay George said he heard it from Cindy, who heard it from Jerry Winston's sister in Slytherin, who heard it from her best friend's roommate, Kristine in Hufflepuff, who said that she saw you with an engagement ring on the train!"

"Uh…" Ginny chuckled nervously, reeling from how quickly the conversation switched from her son to her semi-secret engagement. "I don't know what they're all talking about." She replied with a dodgy smile, much to her friends' dismay.

"Oh, come on, Gin!" They pushed

"Aw look! Little Snape is trying to use a spoon!" One of the girls swooned, thankfully changing the subject.

"It's little Potter now, Jasmilla, haven't you heard about his adoption?"

"_That_ much is true, isn't it, Gin?"

"Of course it's true! Harry said it himself not two seconds ago! Weren't you listening?"

"Mm-hmm." Ginny nodded distractedly, her gaze turned away as she watched Harry and Sev at the professor's table. They had recently been re-teaching Severus how to use his spoon—an experience that took up several rolls of film and created a lifetime of memories at every meal. The infant had yet to get the hang of it, but he was getting better and better at holding his spoon and getting his hand to turn in the right direction. Actually getting something onto the spoon and keeping it on long enough to get it in his mouth—_that_ was the real challenge.

"Come on! Here we go…You're doing it!" She could hear Harry exclaim with a grin. Severus had what looked to be a few droplets of oatmeal on his baby spoon and was attempting to get it into his mouth while his father and godfather cheered him on. But the spoon was already beginning to tilt the wrong way, and Severus was already leaning over as far as he could, and he still had several more inches to go…!

"Let's change that up a little bit, shall we?" Harry readjusted the angle of the spoon so that nothing would fall off just as Severus pushed forward, almost falling into his oatmeal, and engulfed the tiny spoon in his big mouth.

"Yay!" Tonks cheered from beside Remus, making Severus grin around the spoon. Her enthusiastic applause drew a small audience.

"MUMMY! MUMMY!" The infant called as soon as Harry helped him remove the spoon from his mouth.

"Shhhh, Severus!" Harry shushed him calmly in his ear.

"_I know. I saw you, love."_ Ginny told him mentally. On her face she wore a gigantic smile, and her hands gave him a silent applause. Her baby bit his lip to contain his laughter as he imitated her applause whole-heartedly.

"Awwwwww!" The teenage witch turned back just in time to find most of her girlfriends gazing up at her son wistfully.

"God, I'm so jealous of you right now." One of them sighed.

"Mmmm…_SO_ lucky…" Moaned another.

The boys around them groaned and gagged while Ginny merely smiled in reply and returned to her books and toast. She knew exactly how lucky she was, there was no need to reiterate that with her friends. Besides, they probably wouldn't understand everything she had gone through over the past few months. The only person who could really empathize with her was Hermione, and she already knew everything!

Sure, all these girls were drooling over the life she was living right _now_—when her fiancé was healthy and in a good mood, and her son was trying to charm the socks off of every girl in school. Yet, for some reason, none of these gossip-obsessed women could recall the whirlwind her life had been over the last few months! They took one look at how good a father Harry was being and conveniently forgot how he had ended up in the hospital a few months ago, nearly dead from a formerly uncounterable curse. They fussed over Severus and pictured themselves as _his_ caretakers, but surprisingly couldn't recall the fierce custody battle that was fought over him not three weeks ago!

It was hard for Ginny to believe these girls were genuinely jealous of the life she was living. They were jealous of the _romanticized_ version of her life, most likely—the gorgeous, adorable baby boy and the handsome, dashing rebel war hero who saved the world from the evil Voldemort and was a fantastic father to boot. Sure, it was easy to be jealous of all of that! Yet her _actual_ life? The teenager took a long, hard look around. These girls probably wouldn't last a minute in her shoes.

They wouldn't last a minute through the sleepless nights when Severus would wake up every two hours needing to have his nappy changed or be fed. They wouldn't last a minute through Harry's self-doubt about whether he had the patience and self-constraint to father a child. They wouldn't last through the discomfort of their breasts engorging with milk or the pain accompanied by Severus figuring out how to latch on and feed properly. They wouldn't last through the nightmares that often kept Harry up at night. They wouldn't last through the crying fits and temper tantrums whenever Severus was teething or just plain frustrated with the world in general. They wouldn't be able to restrain themselves whenever Harry was properly disciplining him. They would probably run away at the first sign of one of Harry's explosive fits of anger, or otherwise bow to his wishes, even when he was being unreasonable. They would buy Severus everything he wanted, the word "no" or "savings" never once crossing their minds, because they were dating _Harry Potter_—the richest young wizard in Great Britain!

Yet how quickly would they have run away, Ginny wondered, when Harry told them he was dying? How readily would they have left when faced with the prospect of raising a child alone? How willing would they have been to stand by his side, against a silent and vicious enemy, knowing that when it all came to a head, they would most likely have to plan his funeral? How much strength would they have had to muster when putting on a happy face for Severus and the family, knowing that all the while they were dying inside, along with the man they loved? How long would it have taken for the secrecy to overwhelm them? Would they have been more successful at convincing Harry to amputate his leg rather than lose his life or his soul?

How overjoyed would they have been knowing that the Antidote was finished, and Harry now had a fighting chance to live? Would it have given them as big of a heart attack as it had given her, seeing Harry crumple to the ground and thinking for a split second that, even after all they had achieved, they had lost him? How demanding would they have been in the hospital with the ever-intimidating Healer House? How long would they have stayed worrying by his bedside? How much relief would they have felt knowing that he would live? How patient would they have been as he got used to walking again? Would they have even made sure he followed the healers' orders and used his cane as prescribed?

And after all _that_ drama, Ginny wondered, how would these girls have reacted to the prospect of losing their child? How terrified would it have made _them_ to think that at any moment, someone might come and take their baby right out of their arms? How much sleep would they have lost knowing that this child, which they had nurtured and cared for and given their heart to, could easily be stolen away by a man who couldn't care less, and who would take him away out of spite? How many nights would they have spent just watching him sleep and reveling at the fact that he was still here—safe and sound. And how much would it have _killed_ them when, just as they thought they were safe and letting their guard down, the snake in the grass decided to strike and slither off with their baby into the night? How much would they have shook and cried and despaired every minute that he wasn't in their arms? How hard would they have worked to make sure he had the best protection, that he was of sound mind and body from a distance, and that they had every base covered when it came to getting him back? How indescribably ecstatic would they have been knowing that no one could ever take their baby away from them _ever_ again?

These girls had no idea what it was truly like to live her life. They called her lucky, and she certainly knew she was. Yet she knew that Harry was nowhere near the perfect guy, and their relationship was not without its (sometimes ridiculous) obstacles; and Severus was not always an adorable, charming infant that they could dump back in the crib and be done with after ten minutes, but needed all the round-the-clock care and attention that every baby needed. What these girls saw as "luck", Ginny recognized for what it truly was—the product of hard work and perseverance. Ginny counted herself lucky because Harry was alive and healthy and Severus was alive and healthy and permanently in their custody. Money and celebrity be damned, _that_ was all Ginny needed to know to be happy with her life—her family was safe and together they would live to see another day.

"_And THAT, my love, is why I chose YOU and not the other girls beside you."_ A familiar voice echoed in her head.

Ginny peeked over her shoulder just in time to see Harry raise his glass of orange juice at her with a wink.

She smiled.

Yes…Ginny knew exactly how lucky she was.

* * *

"Okay. Boys? Boys!" Harry clapped his hands lightly in order to get Sev's and Teddy's attentions. The infants almost immediately stopped giggling and pushing their ball around to turn to him, their eyes full of curiosity. "Do you boys want to learn the shield charm now?" He asked.

"Harry, _do_ keep in mind that from an outside point-of-view, you're asking a fairly complex question to two _infants_." Sirius commented from behind his magazine, "One of which has a relatively tiny vocabulary of mostly nouns."

"All the more reason to _NOT_ dumb down everything I say when I'm speaking to them." The teen replied, bending down to pick up the ball the boys were pushing around earlier. "It's like when we speak to them in French. At the pace these two are learning, they'll be fluent at it before _we_ are!"

"Mm-hmm…" Sirius rolled his eyes. In addition to English, Harry and Ginny recently began speaking to the boys in both French and Spanish—a fact that perplexed everyone else in the family, considering neither Harry nor Ginny (nor anyone else in the family) knew how to speak either language. Yet Ginny explained that she and Harry had recently been learning the basics, with the help of some library books, in the hope that they could teach it to Severus. Apparently, Ginny felt that he would have a greater advantage in life, as well as a larger world view, if he could communicate in more than one language and understand more than one culture. Harry simply went along with the idea because it sounded reasonable enough, and of course Ginny immediately won over both Hermione and Tonks. Thus, the house instantly became trilingual, with Spanish and French being thrown around every once in a while just for fun.

Harry flopped down onto the carpet next to the infants and Teddy immediately began reaching for the ball in his hands. "Wait a second, cub." He held up his hand in a 'stop' gesture, which he knew Dora had taught Teddy to recognize. "I want to show you something."

"Baw!" Teddy exclaimed with a frown, pointing to the ball in Harry's hands yet keeping himself from reaching for it. "Baw!"

"I know." Harry nodded. "In a second, cub. I want to play a game with the both of you."

"Gam…" Severus babbled, tapping Teddy on the shoulder. "Gam, gam, gam, gam…"

"Ga, ga…" Teddy imitated curiously before turning back to give his godfather an equally curious look. "Gaga?"

From the table across the room, one of Ginny's study partners couldn't keep the grin off her face. "Oh my god, Gin, they are _so_ adorable!"

Ginny gave her a tiny smile as she passed a parchment full of notes to Hermione. "Yeah, I know. But come on! We have to focus on this! The NEWTs are four months away!"

"Okay, okay! Right!"

"Look at my hand, boys." Harry explained, making sure that the small shield that was emanating from his palm glowed a very bright blue. "What you want to do is…" he placed the ball in front of him and pushed it towards Teddy without touching it, allowing the ball to bounce off his shield instead, "…PUSH it away from you."

Teddy giggled and immediately began reaching for the ball.

"Mo! Mo, Teddy…" Sev shook his head and held his friend back from touching the ball. "Mo tup…baw!"

"UH?" Teddy frowned at him, suddenly confused.

"Mo tup!" Sev shook his head once again. "Wook!" Severus held out his hand towards the ball, closed his eyes, and concentrated for a few long minutes. "_Poof_…da…baw!" Like an engine, sputtering to life, a tiny blue shield, identical to Harry's, flicked and fluttered in front of Sev's palm. It crackled and glowed more brightly in some spots more than others, it had holes in certain areas, and it pulsated strangely, but Harry had to admit that it was rather good for a first try.

"Good job, cub!" The teen praised with a smile. "Now just touch the ball lightly with your shield and push it towards me…"

Severus bit his lip and leaned forward, determined to get this right the first time and show his daddy just how good he was! He reached towards the ball and aligned the measly surface of his shield with the small toy. Now all he needed to do was push.

All of a sudden, his shield flashed a bright blue and a pulse of energy ran from the top of the shield to the bottom, touching the surface of the ball and flinging it out like a slingshot…

…straight into Harry's nose!

"Argh!" The young wizard cried in surprise, falling back onto the carpet.

"OOOOO!" Severus, Teddy, _and_ Sirius all exclaimed together.

"Ow…" The teenager droned, lifting his smushed glasses out of his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. He could sense his eyes watering where the nose pads pushed in and poked them.

"Are you alright, Harry?" Sirius asked from the couch.

"Daddy?"

"I'm fine!" Harry waved them off casually.

Both Sev and Teddy exchanged a look and began to giggle.

"Excuse me, Sir Henry!" Merlin's voice boomed from above.

"_Wow_, that is creepy!" One of Ginny's friends commented, her eyes widening at the ceiling.

"You get used to it." Ginny replied, never taking her eyes off her textbook.

"What is it, Sir Merlin?" Harry sighed, slipping his glasses back on.

"There is a young man at the door who keeps babbling about not knowing the wand movements for a particular spell." The old wizard explained. "He seems to be in a bit of a panic."

Harry groaned. "Let me guess! Fifth year, Slytherin, stutters a lot?"

"Yes, sir. He said his name was—"

"Toby. Yes, yes…" The teenage wizard suppressed a sound of annoyance as he pushed himself to his feet and began making his way towards the door. "He's a bit of a perfectionist. An obsessive…compulsive…perfectionist. I swear, if I didn't set office hours, that kid would be knocking at every hour of the day _and_ night!"

"Which doesn't quite sit well with me." Ginny added as Harry passed.

"Yes, I know, love."

"Daddy!" Severus climbed to his feet and immediately began chasing after Harry. "Daddy! Me com! Me com!"

"AH!" Teddy whined at suddenly being abandoned by his best friend.

"No, no, cub." Harry shook his head, bending down to reroute Severus back towards the living room. "You stay here with Uncle Sirius and Teddy."

"Mo! Me com!" Sev argued, wiggling out of Harry's grasp and running around his legs and towards the door.

"No! Severus.." Harry groaned, chasing after him.

Unfortunately for the infant, the door remained firmly shut. "I am sorry, Master Severus, but your father said no." Merlin added from above.

"Mo! Opem, peas?" Sev asked, knocking on the back of the portrait and sending a charming smile towards the ceiling. Perhaps he could charm Merlin into opening the door.

"Sev, come now, cub." Despite his whining, Harry picked him up from behind and turned back towards the living room. "Sir Merlin, would you be so kind as to tell Toby to wait in my office? Tell him I'll be there shortly."

"Come here, baby! Do you want to help mummy study?" Ginny intervened, turning away from her books and reaching for her squirming son.

Severus looked interested for all of about half-a-second. "Mo! Mummy pay!" He suggested instead. "Mummy pay! Mummy pay!"

"Mummy can't play now, baby. I have to study for my NEWTs. But maybe you and Teddy could come draw with me? Nice and quiet. How about that?"

"Mo! Mummy pay! MUMMY PAY!"

"Cub, mummy already said she can't play—"

"Ginny, Ginny, go ahead and study!" Sirius waved her off as he ran in from the living room. To Harry, he pointed towards the door and said, "_You_, go and do your job. I'll handle the boys." And without waiting for a reply, he took Severus into his arms and brought him back into the den, where Teddy was waiting patiently.

"MO!" Sev whined, reaching for his daddy over Sirius' shoulder. "Me com! Me com! ME COM!"

"Severus, that's enough!" Sirius told him firmly and readjusted him so that he wouldn't fall.

"Me go mummy! Me go mummy!" Sev cried instead.

"Mummy has to study right now. She'll spend time with you later. Besides…" he tapped the infant on the shoulder and lowered his voice conspiratorially, "…I want to show you something _a lot more_ fun than what daddy was showing you."

"Mo wike!" Sev frowned, never wavering in his effort to jump over the animagus' shoulder. "Wah go mummy!"

Sirius smirked. He knew _exactly_ how to deal with that particular response. "Alright!" He replied nonchalantly. Bending down, he placed the infant on his own two feet, but whispered in his ear before releasing him. "But you're going to miss out on all the _FUN_ Teddy and I are going to have…_without_ _you_!" And with that, he released the one-year-old and slowly walked away.

Severus bit his lip and crouched down close to the floor to keep his balance. _What was that all about?_ He wondered, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion. His Uncle Sirius generally didn't take what he said seriously when he cried for mummy or daddy. He was a _baby_, for crying out loud, he was _supposed_ to cry for mummy and daddy! Uncle Sirius usually ignored him or tried to keep him distracted until they started having fun, and by then Sev was usually having so much fun he forgot about calling for mummy and daddy. _WHAT_ was going on here? He turned to study the animagus' retreating form. What was he doing? This wasn't how it was supposed to go! They had a _system_, for Merlin's sake! A _SYSTEM_!

The infant watched as Sirius picked up a curious Teddy and headed towards the master bedroom. "Teddy and I are going to go play in here so that we don't bother mummy and her friends. But off you go!" He shooed Severus away. "You said you want to go play quietly with mummy. Off you go then!" The infant glanced back towards the table where his mummy and her friends were studying. That didn't look like much fun.

Turning back towards Sirius, he stood up at full height and bounced in place. "AH!" He cried with a frown. This wasn't what was _supposed_ to happen! Why wasn't Uncle Sirius playing his game? "Ah! Ah! Ah!"

"What?" Sirius shrugged from the threshold of the bedroom as Teddy watched their exchange with interest from his arms. "You said you want to go draw with mummy. Go on!"

"MO!" Sev whined.

"No?" The animagus raised an innocent eyebrow.

"Do you want to come and draw with me, love?" Ginny asked, suppressing the smile that threatened to break through. She knew exactly what Sirius was doing.

"Mo!" Severus growled in frustration. Turning away from the annoying animagus, he ran to the table where his mummy was studying and wrapped himself around her legs. "Mo! MO!"

"What are you saying 'no' to, sweetheart?" Ginny smiled, picking up her baby and placing him on her lap.

"Wam go pay!" Severus complained, pouting at his Uncle Sirius, who merely rolled his eyes and continued into the bedroom.

"Well, your Uncle Sirius just asked you if you wanted to go play. Why didn't you go and play with him?"

Severus whined. _"Because he wanted me to go play with him, but I said I wanted to go play with you, and he said okay and that I should go play with you, but he wasn't SUPPOSED to do that, he was SUPPOSED to say that I should play with him. Now he's not doing what he is SUPPOSED to do, mummy!"_

Ginny chuckled at her son's convoluted reasoning. By now, Severus was well-used to a routine in almost everything that happened in his life. She and Harry had made sure there was a strict bedtime, there was a specific bedtime routine, and everything happened a certain way. Severus like that. He and Teddy both thrived under that. Severus even had routines when dealing with his Uncle Sirius. Neither Harry nor Ginny knew the specific rules between these two, but they were certain that there _were_ established rules regarding how they interacted with each other. They had weird games that they played off each other constantly and that's how they both liked it. Now, however, it looked as if Sirius was throwing in the towel and refusing to play with Severus altogether, which was making the infant both confused and a little bit sad.

"You see, love? You should be careful what you wish for." She whispered comfortingly in his ear and began to rock him slowly. "Because it might just come true."

Two of Sev's fingers managed to slip into his mouth as he shook his head and whined sadly. "Wam go pay, mummy! Wam go pay!"

"Well, let's go ask your Uncle Sirius if he still wants you to go play with him." Pushing her chair out, Ginny stood and made her way to the master bedroom, planting Severus right in front of the partially-closed door. "Go on and knock, love."

A tiny knock echoed throughout the room nanoseconds before the bedroom door flew open all the way. There Sirius stood, Teddy still on his arm, as if he had been waiting for this to happen the whole time.

"Wam go pay, Unca Pa-poo!" Sev cried, on the verge of tears.

"Well, why didn't you say so, cub?" Sirius exclaimed with a self-satisfied smirk. Ginny watched with a smile as the animagus bent down, scooped the now-grinning Severus onto his other arm, and then proceeded to pace around the room, a boy on each arm, as he made his little speech. "Okay! Today, boys, we are learning about the art and science of _innocent_…" the shaggy-haired wizard peeked at her with a mischievous glint in his eye, "…pranks."

The teenage witch scoffed and rolled her eyes. That's typical. She shook her head at him and gave him the evil eye, even as she turned her heel and walked away. Sure, she was probably going to regret not stopping this nonsense sometime in the near future, but whatever. She had bigger things to be concerned about at the moment. Besides, she had full faith in Sirius now. She didn't quite believe Harry before when he told her Sirius was capable of being responsible, a role model even. Yet over the last few months, the animagus had really surprised her. Sometime over the last couple of years, Sirius had made a turnaround. He wasn't _always_ the perfect role model for Severus, and there were times when the teenager he used to be would shine through, but during those times Ginny always recognized the man behind the teenager behind the man. Sirius was complex, to say the least, but Ginny knew her son was safe in his hands.

"Now remember, you two, I have _one_ rule when it comes to pranks—_no dangerous ones allowed_. Do you understand me, cubs? I will not have either of you turning into me."

"_You don't have to worry about that!"_ Ginny heard a familiar little voice echo in the back of her mind, where her link with Severus lay.

"Sev? Look at me. I'm going to trust _you_ to stay in line. At least, until Teddy is mature enough to do the job for both of you. If he's anything like his father, that is."

"_Lucky for all of us, I think he is."_ Another voice joined in the conversation. This one surprised Ginny momentarily. She hadn't quite heard this one before; not in her head, at least. It sounded a lot like the old Snape from before the deaging incident.

"_He lives in my head, mummy!"_ The familiar little voice replied.

Ah yes, the ever-present Man-at-the-Back. Ginny shook her head. She was so happy she and Harry decided not to oblivate him. Life was certainly a lot more interesting with Sev's second voice injecting his cynical opinions every now and then. If anything, considering how headstrong Severus was getting by the day, it would give her some measure of comfort knowing that there could possibly be a voice of reason telling him not to be stupid and use his head. The old Snape was certainly good for that, she recalled with not-quite-fondness.

* * *

"Oh, my goodness! Ginny, have a look at this, sweetheart!" Molly exclaimed, shoving the wedding magazine she was looking at into Ginny's hands. "Isn't that gorgeous?"

Ginny raised an eyebrow. One thing was for certain—her mother's definition of gorgeous was nowhere near _her_ definition of gorgeous. "It's nice, mum."

"What do you mean 'it's nice'? It's stunning!" Molly frowned, taking a second, more critical look at the wedding dress.

"No, no, Molly. Look at this one!" Dora threw in, sliding her wedding catalogue across the table.

"I think this one looks rather beautiful." Hermione added, pointing at the dress in the magazine she was skimming.

"Severus, sweetheart, look at this wedding dress." Molly held the magazine up for the infant to see. As if Sev didn't get a good look at it when his mummy was looking at it a second ago! "What do you think, love?"

The infant was about to blow raspberries at it, but he remembered his promise to his parents to stop doing that from now on, so he made a disgusted face and shook his head instead. Both Dora and Teddy laughed at him.

"It's nice, mum, but it's really not my style."

"Yes, Ginny has a _style_, Molly!" Dora grinned.

"Oh, hush!" Molly huffed, flipping the page as she shook her head.

It was the weekend and the family was once again at the Den in Godric's Hollow. The girls were taking a study break from almost nonstop NEWT cramming and Molly, Dora, and Teddy were over, helping them relax by poring over wedding catalogues.

"Oh, I _do_ love planning weddings!" Molly gushed. "And this is practically the only time I get to do it!"

"You can help when I plan my wedding, Mrs. Weasley." Hermione interjected.

"Oh, Hermione!" The Weasley matriarch smiled and briefly cupped Hermione's face between her hands. "Thank you, dear, but I know your mother is going to want to share that special time with you when the time comes, and I wouldn't want to impose."

"Yes, you would, mum." Ginny snorted as she turned the page. "Admit it."

"Pay no attention to her."

"Mummy! Mummy!"

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"Mummy, go daddy!" Sev whined, bored with all this talk of weddings and girly stuff.

"Where _are_ the boys this evening?" Molly wondered aloud.

"Oh, they're over across the street at Abe's house." Dora replied, pointing over her shoulder.

"Smoking, drinking, and playing high-stakes poker." Ginny added, her mouth twisted in distaste. "Baby, I don't think you want to be there right now."

_It beats being in here._ Severus retorted in his head. He was bored! At least they were having some fun over there!

* * *

"Hit me, Harry."

"Albus, that's an entirely _different_ game!" Abe snapped for what felt like the thousandth time.

"What game is that anyway?" Remus asked, putting his whiskey down to take the cards Harry dealt him.

"It's blackjack." The teen replied through the cigar in his mouth.

"Ooo! I remember that game!" Sirius exclaimed, throwing in his blind. "Harry, you should teach these guys how to play."

"For what purpose?" The teen frowned. "The point of blackjack is to beat the house, and that house is generally the casino."

"Or the mob."

"Yeah, well, that's something entirely different and a hell of a lot more dangerous."

"What are you lot talking about?" Ron broke in, confused.

"Blackjack, apparently." Dumbledore replied, examining his cards with a lost look in his eyes.

"It's complicated."

"Illegal gambling."

"There's _illegal_ gambling?" Ron raised an eyebrow at Harry while he passed his empty glass to Abe for a refill.

"You know, I should start charging the lot of you for all the whiskey and cigars you go through whenever you come over." The younger Dumbledore growled, even as he generously refilled Ron's glass.

"Yeah! You know that lawyer I went up against at the custody battle?" Sirius recalled.

"Smith? The Malfoys' lawyer?"

"I reckon he was in deep with a bookie, from what Harry told me." The animagus nodded. "And I reckon the mob was involved, too."

"What's a bookie?"

"And whatever happened to him anyway?" Remus interjected.

"Who? The lawyer?"

"'In deep' is putting it lightly." Harry scoffed. "The guy was £150,000 in the hole. That's 30,000 galleons!"

"How the hell do _you_ know that, Potter?"

"Eh?" Harry shrugged. "Ginny felt sorry for the guy."

"Ginny feels sorry for everyone."

"So I dug him halfway out."

"What?" Ron widened his eyes at him. "You're crazy, mate!"

"No, crazy would've been all the way out—"

"You're still crazy for going that far!" His best friend argued. "15,000 galleons? You _gave_ him 15,000 galleons?"

"I told him to take it as an investment for his future association with my family."

"You got yourself a lawyer." Abe snorted. "Pro bono, I assume."

"That was my condition."

"You could've done way better than that, Harry." Sirius' face was screwed up in distaste. "I mean…_I_ didn't have any formal law training and I smothered him in the courtroom."

"To be fair, the two sides were unevenly matched." Albus interjected. "Harry had a stronger case the whole way, and the Malfoys didn't do much to help their lawyer."

"Let's just be honest, though," Remus added, "their plan wasn't very smart to begin with."

"It's the Malfoys, mate." Ron shook his head, "What do you expect?"

"Desperate times, desperate measures, Moony." Sirius droned, taking a long drag from his cigar. "Mmm! Where in the world did you get these things, Abe? They're _fantastic_!"

Aberforth grinned smugly. "From the Dominican Republic. Once upon a time, let me tell ya, I used to get my hands on some Cuban cigars and they were _damn_ good! But everything's gone to the shit down there nowadays with that whatsis regime. Their soil sucks now, and I think they've forgotten how to farm tobacco properly."

"Communist regime." Harry nodded.

"Oh, what are you lot talking about now?" Ron broke in, confused once again.

"Fuck it! Let's talk about Quidditch!" Sirius shot back.

"Thank you, Sirius!"

"But first…let me kick Harry's butt and take all his money."

Harry downed a shot of firewhiskey and sat up in his chair, narrowing his eyes at his godfather. "Put your money where your mouth is, Padfoot." He smirked, keeping his cards close to his chest.

Sirius' eyes glowed with laughter. "Gladly." He replied, matching and then doubling his godson's bet.

Oh, how he loved poker night!

* * *

"I don't think I'm entirely comfortable with Ron smoking." Molly frowned.

"At least they're not smoking those cigarettes other people are smoking these days." Hermione argued.

"Oh, those small ones?" The Weasley matriarch's face screwed up in distaste. "Those don't seem very real to me."

"That's because they're not!" Hermione nodded in agreement. "Those nasty cigarette companies put all these extra chemicals in them to make them addictive. That's why people can't stop buying them."

"Oh, that's terrible!" Molly shook her head.

_From a business standpoint, that's good business._ Severus shrugged. Outwardly, he tugged on Ginny's sleeve. "Mummy! Wam go daddy!"

"Sweetheart, if your father wants to sit there, ruining his lungs, that's his choice. _I_ have the obligation to protect _your_ lungs." Ginny explained patiently. "Besides, if I brought you over there, daddy would probably bring you right back."

"That's typical." Hermione scoffed. "My uncle is the very same way. It's alright if _he_ does something, but it's not alright for his son to do it."

"Not when his son is one year old!" Ginny argued. "Harry's not a barbarian, Hermione."

"I know! I was protesting the principle of the matter, Gin."

"_Yes, yes, that's all well and good, but it still doesn't change the fact that I'M BORED!"_ Severus huffed and began to whine. "Mummy! Go dowm!" And without even waiting for a reply, he turned around on his mother's lap and began his backwards descent to the floor.

"Oh…sweetheart…" Ginny sighed and placed him down on the floor in the crawling position.

As was Sev's tendency these days, he quickly pushed himself back to his feet, dusted his hands off and looked around with a smile. "Ank ooo!" He replied, as quickly as a sneeze.

"You're going to regret doing that, sweetheart." Molly remarked as she casually flipped the page of her wedding magazine.

As if to prove her point, Severus quickly exclaimed, "Me go daddy!" before taking off through the swinging door and towards the porch.

"No! Sev!" Ginny growled in frustration as she quickly chased after her son, echoes of laughter erupting behind her.

"Me go daddy! Me go daddy!" The infant chanted excitedly while he ran.

Ginny easily overtook him with two strides. "You think you're a sneaky one, huh?" She couldn't help the smile that crept up as she snatched her giggling son from behind. "Sneaky! Sneaky! Sneaky!" She blew raspberries into his stomach, which made him laugh all the harder, as she brought him back into the dining room. "Come on. Daddy's having a little boy time with his friends."

"Me boy, mummy! Me boy!" Severus argued with a pout.

"I know, love, but you're not…" Ginny paused to search for the right word, "…resilient enough, lung-wise, to be in that room for any length of time. I'll tell daddy that you want to come with him next time, so that he can tell Uncle Abe to keep the cigars in their box. In the meantime, how about you help mummy plan her wedding, huh?" She planted a big kiss on his cheek.

"Mo!" Sev whined, squirming in her arms to express his displeasure. "Bow-bing!"

"EB! EB! EB!" Teddy cried, silencing the other infant momentarily.

"Look! Look what Teddy has, Sev!" Dora added from across the room. Underneath her, Teddy was standing on his own, but using a small push toy to keep his balance. Sev recalled seeing it once before, when he was staying at Uncle Remus' house while mummy and daddy went for their date night. He had yet to see Teddy play with it, though. So he wasn't entirely certain what it was for.

"Oh, look baby boy! That looks interesting, doesn't it? What does it do, Dora?" Ginny asked curiously. The toy had a handle, small enough for a baby's hands to fit around, which was connected to a long stick. At the end of the stick was a small platform on wheels with a toy bear sitting on it. In the bear's hands, a tiny violin and bow.

"It's for the boys to push around." Tonks explained. "As the wheels turn, the bear plays his violin, and these _adorable_ little fairies come out of nowhere, playing their pipes and flying around to the tune that the bear plays. Watch! It's fantastic! Teddy loves it. Go on, sweetie!" The metamorphamagus nodded at her son, who gladly began walking as fast as he could, pushing the toy along in front of him.

As soon as the big wheels reached their first complete turn, a fiddler's tune began bouncing off the walls and streaks of fairy dust appeared out of nowhere, allowing the boys to track the elusive pipe-playing fairies around the room.

"Fe-wee!" Severus squealed. "FE-WEE!" He squirmed to get down.

From the moment his feet touched the floor, Severus was jumping (and falling) this way and that, clapping his hands together in front of him in an effort to catch the little creatures, just like he did with nana's garden gnomes. Teddy was perfectly content with pushing the toy in circles, simply enjoying the music that came out of it and not caring about the creatures flying around his head. His best friend, on the other hand, wanted nothing to do with pushing the toy and everything to do with catching the fairies that came out of it.

"They complement each other nicely, I think." Dora remarked as she and Ginny sat back down at the table to resume their wedding planning.

"Yes. Yes, they do." The teen smiled. With any luck, Teddy would grow up with Remus' code of ethics and Dora's strength of character, balancing out Sev's clear tendency to run head-long into things sometimes, and being the voice of reason when her son wasn't thinking straight. She also had hope that he would become the best friend Sev always deserved—someone who would always have his back and call him out when he was being unreasonable.

She watched a little while longer as Teddy continued to run in circles with his toy, laughing and jumping whenever Sev came close to nabbing one of the oblivious fairies. They were both having the time of their lives, each perfectly content with the role he played in their little game. With a tiny smile filled with hope and expectation, she turned back to her wedding catalogue. "They do indeed."

* * *

"Hey! Harry!" Ron took the cigar out of his mouth and blew out a lungful before continuing. "We have to plan your stag party, mate!" He folded his hand and leaned forward, focusing on his best friend across the table.

"Oh, yeah!" Harry chuckled through his own cigar, studying his cards one more time before calling Remus' bet. "My stag party! I almost forgot about one of those."

"Hey, no worries! That's what your best mate is for, isn't it?" Ron shrugged, downing the rest of his whiskey. "Isn't it, Padfoot?"

"It most certainly is." Sirius nodded, throwing his cards away and leaning back in his seat. He turned to Ron and elbowed him as he took a swig from his beer. "Unfortunately, I hadn't been able to carry out that duty enough. There being a war going on, James never got to have a stag party." He shook his head sadly. "And this nutter never even bothered to tell me he was getting married!" The animagus kicked Remus' chair—hard, but the werewolf never budged from his stare-down with Harry. "And to my own _cousin_, no less!"

"Wow, that must've been a _super_ secret ceremony, if you didn't even tell _Sirius_ you were getting married, Moony." Ron widened his eyes at Remus.

"I didn't want to deal with all that drama." The werewolf droned, narrowing his eyes at the teen across the table as he fussed with his chips and tried to make up his mind.

"What drama?" Sirius retorted, scandalized.

"All the drama you pulled _after_ you found out we got married!" Remus felt like rolling his eyes.

"You'd have pulled it too, if you pulled on you what you pulled on me!" The animagus shot back defensively.

"Wait, wait! This is taking us off the subject." Ron interjected, steering them back to his topic. "Where do we want to have Harry's stag party?"

"Don't plan on it being in the Den, because I think Ginny wants to have her hen party in there." Harry droned, matching Remus' narrowed eyes.

"And don't count on it being in here, either!" Aberforth snapped, nabbing Ron's glass and refilling it once more. "My alcohol and cigars are for poker night and they're enough for the lot of ya! But if you're going to be inviting all the people you manage to pull out of your arse to this stag party of yours, you can forget about it!"

"Relax, Abe, he can have it at my house." Remus broke in, calling Harry's bet and then doubling it. The smile on his face grew devious.

Never let it be said that Harry Potter backed down from a challenge. "Are you sure that's okay with your wife?" He taunted, seeing Remus' bet and then raising it by his own.

"Absolutely." The werewolf called, his tiny smile blossoming into a sly grin.

"Wow! This game is getting quite competitive." Albus remarked, looking between Harry and Remus with interest.

"That's the _nature_ of the game, Albus!" Abe rolled his eyes. "Okay, gentlemen! Show your cards!"

"GOD…" Harry flew out of his chair and started jumping up and down as soon as he saw Remus' hand, "…_**DAMN**_ IT!" While the werewolf merely laughed and scooped up his winnings. "You've _**GOT**_ to be kidding me!"

"We've got Potter's Four of a Kind to Lupin's Straight Flush." Aberforth whistled as he collected the cards. "Those are _damn_ good hands!"

"So…Remus won?" Albus asked, slightly confused.

"Those are _**impossible**_ odds!" The teen ranted in annoyance from across the room.

"That would be why Potter's jumping up and down and whining like a five-year-old." Abe replied, a tiny chuckle working its way in at the end.

"Fuck you, Abe!" Harry sat back down and pouted, taking a long drag from his cigar and passing over the next hand. "I'm out for the next couple of hands."

"Don't take it personally, Harry." Remus smirked, clinking his chips loudly and purposefully. "It's just business."

"I'm glad you're enjoying this, Moony." Harry rolled his eyes and finished the rest of his whiskey, signaling for Abe to pass him a beer.

"Harry! Hello? Your stag party, remember?" Ron snapped his fingers to get his attention.

"Yeah, yeah, Ginny and I agreed on one rule—"

"You and Ginny have _rules_ when it comes to your own stag and hen parties?" Sirius raised an eyebrow disbelievingly. "Come on, pup! The purpose of those parties is to _forget_ about all those rules on your last night of FREEDOM!"

"The last night before the rest of my life." Harry countered with a tiny smile.

"Hate to break it to you, Harry, but the rest of your life started last June," Remus interjected, "when Severus came into the picture."

"Then what's the purpose of all this?"

"It's _TRADITION_!" Ron argued. "It's like a…a…a _rite of passage_ every man must go through the night before his wedding!" The redhead continued, rising out of his seat as if to make a speech. "Come on, mate! One night! Give me one night, and I will throw you the party to trump all the parties for the rest of your life!"

"_As I was saying_…" Harry rolled his eyes, "…Ginny and I have _**ONE**_ rule, Padfoot…and that is: no strippers allowed."

Ron deflated back down to his seat. "Mmm…" Dead silence filled the room. He, Remus, and Sirius all exchanged a look.

"Actually, I think that's a rule in my house too, mate." Remus added with a kind smile. "Dora would kill me if she found out."

"_IF_ she found out—" Ron's eyes were hopeful.

"Oh, I would tell her." Sirius smirked, looking none-too-pleasantly at Remus from the corner of his eye. "That's what he gets for marrying _my_ cousin without telling me."

"Yes, I have someone watching my every move." The werewolf rolled his eyes.

"You should've seen how I reacted when they told me she was pregnant."

"Right, well…" Ron sighed dejectedly before turning back to Harry, "…I think I can work with that."

"Thank you." Harry tipped his beer at him.

"So, wait! These stag parties…?" Sirius raised his hand to ask a question. "It's not only all blokes, right? I mean…I can invite a girl too, right?"

_That_ little remark got everyone's undivided attention. "Why, Padfoot?" Harry smirked. "Is there any _particular_ girl you wanted to invite?"

* * *

"Ginny?"

"Hmm?"

"What are all these marks along the sides in this catalogue?" Hermione asked, pointing to some red-inked notes and arrows on the edge of a page.

"Oh! Those are in some of these other catalogues as well." Tonks added, flipping through some of the catalogues in front of her. The red ink on the sides of the pages was clearly visible.

"I don't know." The teenage witch replied with a note of curiosity in her voice. "I should ask Sirius. He's the one who got these for me."

"_Sirius_ got these for you?" Tonks and Hermione exclaimed simultaneously.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "That's what _I_ said. But then he launched into this long explanation about how it's possible to pick up girls in a wedding store." She shook her head. "I don't know. All I know is that the day he picked up these catalogues, he didn't come home until _late_ that night. Or, I should say, early the next morning."

Tonks gasped and quickly sat up in her chair, pulling one of the wedding catalogue over to her for closer inspection. "Ooooo! What have we here?" Both Ginny and Hermione quickly took interest. "Oh my…gosh!" The metamorphamagus' eyes grew wide.

"What?" Ginny pushed.

Dora turned back towards them, her eyes wide with excitement. She clutched the wedding catalogue to her chest. "Her name's Juliet!"

"What?" Both Ginny and Hermione threw down their catalogues and raced to Dora's side. There, in bright red ink, written by a decidedly feminine hand on one of the advertisement pages, was a cute short message:

_I had a great time tonight, Sirius. You're a fantastic listener. Let's talk some more! –Juliet (020 3597 1542)  
PS: From the way you talked about your godson's bride-to-be, I think she might like the Alfred Angelo on the next page. It goes great with the groomsmen's tailcoat suits with cravats!_

"Tonks, turn the page." Ginny immediately ordered.

"Well!" The metamorphamagus grinned impishly at her. "Aren't you the curious one?"

"Wait a minute!" Hermione broke in. "So Sirius spent all night just _talking_ to a girl?"

"Apparently." Tonks shrugged, "If they got to the subject of Harry and Ginny."

"That should be a first for him."

"I know!" Dora's eyes lit up with delight. "Isn't it exciting?"

Ginny, being rather impatient and curious as to what the dress looked like, leaned over Dora and turned the page herself. She gasped. "Oh, my god…girls, look!"

"What?"

"Oh…_WOW!_" Three pairs of eyes grew as wide as saucers.

"Oh…honey, I _like_ Sirius' new girlfriend. She has you down pat!" Dora grinned.

On the far side of the room, where Severus had been jumping around, trying to catch fairies between his hands, two words stopped him cold in his tracks: _Sirius_ and _girlfriend_.

"Mummy?" Sev immediately stopped playing and ran to his mother, hugging her legs from behind.

"What's wrong, baby?" Ginny answered distractedly. She unconsciously reached behind her to brush her fingers through his thickening hair, a gesture that usually comforted him.

Only this time, it didn't quite work. Uncle Sirius had a girlfriend? That can't be possible! How can Uncle Sirius have a girlfriend? He didn't recall the animagus talking about any particular girl lately. He only blabbed about girls in general, which was what he usually did. When did all this happen anyway? Where did Uncle Sirius find this girl? And what was so darn interesting about her that he decided to make her his girlfriend already?

Something wasn't sitting right with Severus at all.

"Mummy, up!" The infant bounced on the balls of his feet, reaching so that his mother could pick him up. Ginny obliged almost immediately.

"It's simple." The teen nodded at her two friends. "And I think that's what makes it almost perfect—its simplicity." They both agreed with her. "Mum! Come look! I think we found a good one." Ginny called her mother in the kitchen.

"Mummy!" Sev shook his head and tapped his mother's chest to get her attention. "Mummy! Pa-poo…_**MO**_ gew-fem!" He argued.

Padfoot didn't have a girlfriend! He wasn't _supposed_ to have a girlfriend! If Uncle Sirius had a girlfriend, then who would play with him and Teddy? When they got bored at Nana's house, who would be there to suggest that they go outside and catch gnomes? Who would help them sniff them out and be there to help them throw the gnomes into the fields when they caught one? Who would catch them if they fell, or be the support to help them stand again if they needed it? Who would play tag with them, or let them stay up past their bedtimes when their parents went out for date night? If Uncle Sirius had a girlfriend, then who would be _their_ special friend?

The three girls all shared a look and a laugh. "Sweetie, Uncle Sirius doesn't _really_ have a girlfriend yet." His godmother replied. "I was just joking when I said that, love."

"He just met this nice girl when he was picking up some wedding catalogues for me." Ginny continued. "And they ended up talking almost all night. That's all."

That had _better_ be all! Sev felt like scowling. His Uncle Sirius couldn't have a girlfriend. Sev wouldn't allow it! He and Teddy were Uncle Sirius' special friends and that was how it was going to _stay_! No girl-from-the-wedding-store was going to take their place and steal him away from them. Not in a million, gazillion years! If this chick ever came into the picture again, Sev swore he would wage an all-out war against her!

_Oh, stop being so dramatic!_ Big Sev scoffed. But this was personal to Little Sev.

"Look at the dress she pointed out to me, sweetheart." Ginny said, holding up the catalogue so that Sev could have a good look at it. "Isn't it pretty? She has great taste, if I may say so. Your daddy's going to love it!"

The infant scowled. The dress was gorgeous. His mummy was going to look like an angel wearing it. It was the closest thing to perfect he had seen thus far.

And if his Uncle Sirius ever brought this mystery girl over, Sev was going to make her life a living hell!

* * *

**Next up, Ginny realizes what it's truly like when Hermione's in full study mode, the family helps the Lupins move in next door, Sev's baby reach gets extended dramatically when his powers for summoning begin to blossom, and the infant begins having dreams featuring a familiar red-haired, green-eyed little girl.**

**NOTE: Hello all! Once again, I'd like to thank all of you for being patient with me, reading and leaving your wonderful comments, and, for some of you, for expressing your concern with my long absence. For that, I profusely apologize. I had promised that the longest I would leave you is a month, and it has, in fact, been four. I, unfortunately, had to divert all my attention to my real life, as my mom suffered a minor stroke a few months ago, and I had to help her physical recovery. Following that was a move from my college town back to my hometown, a journey of some 400 miles. After which, came unpacking, readjustment, and focusing on what I hope would become my permanent job: creating and maintaining websites, one of which will feature the missing media for this very story. As I promised, the website (and this story's media) is almost finished, and should go live before I wrap up this tale.**

**In other news, I decided I haven't had enough of little Sev and opted to extend this story into a series. It would contain _at least_ two new stories: one featuring Sev's return to Hogwarts for his first year with Teddy and a score of new students, and the other (tentatively titled "Serendipity: A Cub's Life") would be a bridging story, featuring episodes from Sev's childhood with his crazy family, including some of his major milestones. Both stories are still in development, and may take a while in coming out. In the meantime, I am currently working on the next chapter of this story and it _may_ be outsometime next week or the week after. As before, I cannot make any promises, but that is my hope for the immediately future.**

**Once more, I would like to thank you all profusely for reading this chapter and sticking with my story for all these months, and I truly hope you enjoyed it, and please don't hesitate to let me know what you think! :-) **


	47. Snips and Snails, and Puppy Dog Tails

**"What are little boys made of? Snips and snails, and puppy dog tails. That's what little boys are made of." -Nursery Rhyme **

* * *

Harry didn't know what it was, but something had awoken him from the fantastic little dream he had been having. Perhaps it was the slight whistling of the wind outside their bedroom window, or the random creaking of the floorboards around the house. Whatever it was, it had been loud enough to pull him out of his head and now here he was, staring at the darkened ceiling and contemplating nothing of any real importance.

The teen sighed and basked in the cacophony of empty thoughts running through his mind. It was _such_ a change of pace from what had been dominating his thoughts the last few months. There were no worries about potions recipes or how long he had before the curse broke out of his leg. No chemistry equations or long passages from wizarding law books invaded his consciousness. He didn't have to worry about updating his will anymore. He knew both Severus and Ginny were of sound mind and body, so he needn't worry about them. His classes were, and had always been, right on schedule, despite all the adjustments that had to be made throughout the year. _Everything_ was as it should be.

He was a lucky man.

Turning to his side table, he glimpsed at his alarm clock and found it to be four o'clock in the morning. What in the world had woke him up? Turning to his other side, he had his answer.

Ginny was no longer there.

Severus was still sound asleep, his ever-present lion cub clutched firmly to his chest and half his thumb still in his mouth. Harry couldn't help the smile that pulled at his lips. His son was adorable.

Reaching over, he brushed some loose strands of hair out of his boy's eyes. Looked like it was time for another haircut. Sev's hair seemed to be growing thicker and thicker with each cut, a fact both Harry and Ginny found interesting, considering his hair wasn't so thick the first time around. They had always remembered it being long and greasy. Sirius pointed out that that was probably because nobody seemed to care about Sev's hair when he was growing up the first time. His parents most likely just let it grow, uncut and unwashed. Thus, when he came to Hogwarts and had to care for the hair himself, he merely continued with the same, familiar practice.

"Well, that's not going to be happening in this house." Harry whispered, brushing more strands of hair to the side. The teen recalled a period in his life when both he and Ron had hair at a length that rivaled Snape's! Yet Harry also remembered how annoying it was to keep, and how it had constantly been in his eyes, and how overall inconvenient it was. He didn't want that for his son.

After placing a kiss on his boy's forehead, Harry slowly got up, careful not to shake the bed too much and wake up his slumbering child. He packed both sides of the bed with pillows so that Severus wouldn't fall off, and tucked the comforter close so that he would stay nice and warm. Then, clad only in socks and boxers, he padded out of the room and down the stairs.

One of the first unusual things he noticed, even before he stepped off the landing, was a loud snoring noise coming from his living room. If he didn't know better, he would say that the snoring belonged to Ron. Having slept in the same room as the redhead for most of the last seven years, he was both familiar with and immune to the racket Ron could make when asleep. Turning the corner, he found that his suspicions were correct. For some odd reason, Ron was out cold on his sofa.

Harry ran his hands through his bed head and furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. He definitely didn't remember Ron being here when he went to bed last night. When did he get here? And how didn't he, Harry, know about it?

_That's probably why I woke up a few minutes ago._ The floo must've been the sound that tore him from his dreams.

"Hm." The teen grunted groggily, more curious about his best mate's arrival than concerned about his presence on his couch.

That's when he noticed the second unusual thing about this scene—the light coming from beneath the entrance to the dining room.

"Hermione, calm down!" Ginny's muffled voice could be heard through the doorway. "It's four in the morning on a _Saturday_, for Merlin's sake. The NEWTs aren't 'til next month!"

And suddenly the mystery of the morning was solved! Harry sighed and shook his head. _Hermione, Hermione, Hermione…_

The teen silently called a pair of pajama bottoms down to him and then slipped them on before schlepping through the swinging door and into the dining room.

"And there's also so much that I don't think we covered yet!" Hermione was on the verge of hyperventilating.

"I find that hard to believe." Ginny scoffed under her breath. Between her hands, she nursed a steaming hot mug of coffee, which she was currently leaning over, bleary-eyed.

"Good morning, ladies!" Harry croaked, sounding every bit as tired as Ginny. He had absolutely no idea where Hermione found all the energy to function this early in the morning, let alone pace the room in a panic whilst poring over a tome half her size. "You're up early." He remarked as he leaned over to plant a kiss on his fiancé's cheek.

"I blame _her_ for that." Ginny droned.

Harry chuckled. "I'll just start breakfast then." He added, pointing towards the kitchen.

"Yes, yes, Harry, thank you." Hermione merely waved him away.

"_You're out of luck, love."_ The teen told his fiancé through their mental link, as he pushed into the kitchen. _"When we had our OWLs going on, Ron and I had the luxury of holing ourselves up in the boys' dormitory to get away from the study queen over there. No such luck with you, unfortunately."_

"_I need to leave the COUNTRY in order to escape her!"_ She replied, annoyed. _"When she said she wanted to start early, I expected her at seven, not at FOUR in the morning!"_

Harry snorted. _"That's our Hermione for you."_

Pulling out some flour and a flat pan, he decided that a nice breakfast feast, full of pancakes, croissants, and the works, was in order. Making it would take the upside of three hours, and by the time it was done, everyone else in the house would be up and ready to enjoy. _"Hang in there, love. I've got a special treat for you."_ His fiancé's curious response made him smirk.

* * *

"Blimey, Harry! You went all out, didn't you?" Ron exclaimed, grabbing himself a croissant from the basket. "I didn't even know you could cook, mate!"

"Oh yeah!" Harry snorted. "I used to cook for my aunt, uncle, and cousin when they were still being tolerable. In between runs away from home."

"Out of the goodness of your heart?" The redhead raised an eyebrow.

"Come on, mate. Would I do _anything_ for those people out of the goodness of my heart?" The teen scoffed. Ron snorted.

"Here you go, sweetheart." Ginny said, placing a sippy cup on Sev's high chair tray. "Que dites-vous?"

"Tank ooo." The toddler replied, blushing at how happy his mother became upon hearing his correct response.

"En français, s'il vous plaît." Harry added, scooping some cooked egg yolks onto his son's plate.

"Mew…see?" Sev peered at Harry questioningly.

"Merci. C'est exact!" The teen grinned and ruffled his boy's hair as he laid the plate on his baby tray. "Y en español?"

Severus looked up from his plate and made an adorable "thinking" face. His lips pursed together and his eyebrows furrowed deep in thought. "Uh…gah…see…ah?" He frowned at his father.

"Gracias?" Harry raised an eyebrow.

"Gah-see-ah!" Sev exclaimed with a smile, a lot more confident this time around.

"That's my boy!" His father whispered praises in his ear, before planting a kiss atop his head. The toddler bounced happily in his seat. He loved it when his parents were happy with his progress, most especially his dad.

Sirius shook his head behind the morning paper. "So is this what you'll be doing with all your kids?" He muttered, letting the newspaper droop as he raised an eyebrow at his godson. "Parlez-leur en anglais, espagnol et français en même temps?"

All the adults in the room silently turned to the animagus, their mouths slowly gaping in surprise. Severus, however, merely giggled and pointed at him. "Unca Padfoo kno Fwent!"

"Who'd have thought?" Sirius smirked smugly at all his shocked housemates before disappearing once again behind the morning paper.

Harry was the first to break out of his stupor. Clearing his throat, he shook his head. "Well…um…" he exchanged a look with his fiancé, "I suppose that's what we'll be doing with all our kids. Chances are, we'll all be fluent at those languages by the time they're born."

"So why not take up a fourth? I bet you lot of overachievers can handle it." The animagus muttered.

"Hey! Who are you calling an overachiever?" Ron retorted, snatching the sports section from between the folds of Sirius' paper.

"He should take a look in the mirror, that's what he should do." Ginny snorted.

The paper dropped immediately. "I am _not_ an overachiever!" The animagus shot back, indignant. "It's impossible _not_ to learn the language with you and Harry drilling it into the boys all throughout the day!"

"Why are you so offended?" Ginny frowned. "'Overachiever' is not a dirty word, Sirius."

"Says you! Right, Ron?"

"Exactly!"

"Thank you!"

Both Ginny and Hermione rolled their eyes. Harry chuckled.

"Me big bwo-bew!" Sev exclaimed, just as he always did whenever someone brought up the topic of more kids being added to their growing brood.

"That's right, cub, you'll be their big brother." His father nodded.

The toddler grinned. He relished the idea of more brothers and sisters in his life. In his last life, his parents didn't want him, so they certainly didn't want _more_ children. None of the neighbors on either side or across the street had any children, so he had no one close by to play with. And when he was finally old enough to go out and look for some friends farther down the street, he found them to be cruel and shallow, constantly making fun of his ill-fitting clothes and greasy hair. It wasn't until Lily Evans moved in down the street that Severus was finally able to make his first (and only) true friend.

Yet this life was turning out to be the polar opposite of his last one. In this life, he had parents who wanted him so much, they adopted him. He had a best friend, whom he thought of as a brother, who lived next door and visited daily. He had godparents, grandparents, a multitude of aunts and uncles and "aunts" and "uncles". On the Sundays they were able, his parents took him to Services in town and the park barbeque that followed, where he was able to play with all the other infants and toddlers in the community. And now his parents were telling him that he would someday have _several_ brothers and sisters. Sev wanted to jump for joy! This life was by no means going to be a dull one. He wasn't going to be lonely anymore.

"Good morning!" A familiar voice, accompanied by its familiar head, popped in through the dining room door.

A chorus of "Good Morning" and an "Unca Moony" met him in reply. The werewolf zeroed in on his adorable godson as soon as he stepped into the room. "Hello there, cub!" The toddler grinned at him from behind his sippy cup. "Are you eating by yourself now?"

The sippy cup immediately came back down and Sev began bouncing excitedly in his seat. "Me do it!" He exclaimed, his eyes shining with pride and his mouth encircled by bits of scrambled eggs. "Me do it mesewf!"

"He can feed himself _relatively_ well." Ginny clarified, using Sev's bib to wipe his mouth for what felt like the thousandth time.

"Mo!" The infant made a face and squirmed in an effort to shrug her off. "Mummy!"

"Leave him alone, Gin." Harry sighed, nabbing the sports section from Ron before Sirius could get to it. "It's just egg."

"Fine, but you'll be the one to clean up after him when he's done getting egg all over the place."

"Whatever."

"Is he still nursing, Ginny?" Hermione asked. Ron made a face and disappeared behind the news section he just stole from Padfoot. "Or is he on all solid foods now?"

"No, he is still nursing. But we've got him down to just nursing in between meals. He's almost fifteen months now, so it shouldn't be long until he's off it entirely."

"What's with the box, Moony?" Sirius asked, tipping his chair back and nodding towards the small container in Remus' hands.

"Oh! Uh…" The werewolf smirked as he peered down and examined some of its contents. "Dora and I decided we'd move in today."

"Oh!"

"Fantastic!" Harry grinned. He stood up and offered the werewolf his hand. "Let me be the first, then, to officially welcome you to Haven Place and Godric's Hollow!"

"Whoo!" An applause immediately broke out in the dining room and Remus shook Harry's hand with a slight blush.

"Thank you, Harry." He replied shyly.

"Here, let me take that off your hands." The teen continued, taking the box from Remus before the werewolf had a chance to reply. "Have you eaten yet?" He asked, searching for a spot on the floor to place the container.

"Uh…yes, we have actually."

"Have a croissant anyway, Moony." Sirius interjected, blindly tossing a croissant over his shoulder to where he thought Remus was standing. The werewolf had to dive to reach the breakfast food, and it bounced between his hands several times before he was finally able to catch it completely.

The wizard sighed and rolled his eyes. "Thanks, Padfoot." He pocketed the piece for later and then turned back to Harry. "By the way, Harry, Dora's wondering if the house is connected to the Floo Network already."

The teen shook his head. "Not yet. I haven't named it yet." The smiled at his friend. "I figured I'd leave that up to you. I'll apply to have it added to the Floo Network after you and Dora have picked a name."

"Is Andromeda still living with you, Remus?" Ginny asked.

"Yes, she is. In fact, I think she's opted to stay here permanently rather than going back and forth between here and our quarters at Hogwarts." The werewolf explained. "She's grown quite fond of looking after the boys, and has asked me to tell you that she's willing to look after Severus every now and then, if you like."

"Teddy?" Sev all of a sudden looked interested in the conversation.

"He's talking about Aunt Andromeda, love."

"You know, I think mum could use the occasional break, Gin." Ron pointed out. "Don't get me wrong, she loves the boys, but a little 'her time' is warranted every so often."

"That's very thoughtful of you, Ron." Hermione remarked, surprise evident in her voice. The redhead blushed.

"Right. Give her our thanks, Moony, and tell her we fully expect to take her up on that offer." Ginny replied.

"Tell her yourself. She'll be by later." Remus informed her.

"You know what? Why don't I take you over right now." Harry said, shifting the box in his arms so that he could push in his chair. "I'll transfer security over to you, add you to the wards, put all the extra charms on, all that rubbish."

"Daddy!" Sev called out, bouncing in his high chair and reaching to be picked up. "Me come too! Me come too!"

"Later, cub. You finish your breakfast for now." His father replied from the threshold of the dining room. "Besides, Teddy's not here yet. He'll be by later."

"Then the both of you boys can help us move in. Right?" Remus winked at his godson. Severus grinned and nodded, appeased for the moment.

"Just drop everything over here for now." Harry continued as they made their way through the living room and across the street. "And the lot of us can help you carry them over to your place."

"Right." Remus nodded.

"By the way, just to let you know, I had my estate agent put an ad out for renters to that house." The teen gestured to the empty house next the Den. "Ron and Hermione decided they preferred a flat in London—"

"_Ron_ and Hermione did?" Remus interrupted, taken aback by the fact. He couldn't quite believe the redhead had rejected a free house.

"Well…" Harry snorted, "Hermione did, at least. Ron was a bit put-out that he lost that particular argument."

"I imagine."

"But I think he felt just a little better after I told them they could probably stay at Grimmauld Place until they have enough money to afford their own house."

"And what did Sirius say about that?" The werewolf asked.

"He didn't mind." Harry shrugged. With the wave of a hand, both the front gate and the front door opened for them. "He says he prefers to stay with us for the time being."

"That's all going to change the moment he finds a girlfriend, you know?" The werewolf chuckled.

"Oh, I know." The teen chuckled. "Looks like that's not long off, considering he spends a lot of time on the telephone nowadays speaking to 'Jules'." He drew quotation marks in the air.

"That's Juliet, right?"

"His pet name for her." Harry chuckled. He kicked the door closed with his foot and gently laid the box down on the bare living room floor. "It's got Sev's feathers all roughed up, it has."

"Severus?" Remus' eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Yeah, it looks like his jealousy issue's acting up again." Harry replied, his hands on his hips as he gazed around the empty room. "This time, it's with how much attention his Uncle Padfoot seems to be paying to this Juliet character, whom he's never met."

"Oh, that can't be good." The werewolf smirked and shook his head.

"Yeah, well…we'll see." The younger wizard shrugged. He touched the nearest wall with his hand and the walls of the entire living room immediately turned a lighter color, allowing light from the window to bounce off and flood the room. "It's not so bad now—all talk and such. But if it gets any worse, though, I'll have to tell Padfoot."

"You're going to let him sort it out with Severus?"

"Well it _has_ to be him. He's the crux of the matter." The teen explained. "Sev's afraid of losing his 'special friend', as he calls him, to some girl who, he's convinced himself, is a tramp."

"My god…" Remus chuckled.

"I'm telling you, mate, you better prepare Teddy to steel himself against some of the stories my boy's bound to tell. He's got a wild imagination on him!" Harry laughed along with his friend. "Now don't get me wrong, I'm proud and all that, but…sometimes some of the conclusions Sev gets to are a laugh."

"He's a boy through and through, Harry." The werewolf nodded. "Quickly becoming his father's son." He laid a hand on his friend's shoulder and gave it a supportive squeeze. "But let me tell you, if that woman survives what our boys are bound to put her through someday, she _deserves_ to be in this family."

Harry snorted. "You got that right, mate."

"So…" The older wizard clapped his hands together, deciding to change the subject. He waved around the room. "How do I come across the 'keys' to this place, so to speak?"

"Right." The teen nodded. "Come along then."

Over the next half hour, Harry magically passed all ownership of the house and its surrounding property over to Remus. He took his friend on a quick tour of the place, making sure to point out the panic room and all the additional safety features he built into it while remodeling. The teen taught the werewolf how to manipulate his special wards, so that he may let guests in or out; how to add special protection charms onto the house itself, just in case he was just as paranoid as Harry was; and how to baby-proof the place so that the boys could run around to their hearts' content without hurting themselves.

"The place is an impenetrable fortress, Harry." Remus remarked as they made their way up from the basement. "You needn't worry."

"Yes, well, it's when one lets their guard down that the worst seems to happen." The teen grimaced at his own negative attitude.

"So what of the muggles that are going to move in next door?" The werewolf asked. "Are you going to keep from them that they're living next door to a bunch of wizards and witches?" Stopping by the window, he laid his hands on his hips and studied the house next to Harry's. "Don't you think that'll be a difficult secret to keep, mate? Considering Aberforth and the boys, that is."

"Yeah, Professor Dumbledore said the same thing when I told him about the ad in the paper." Harry sighed, stopping next to him. "I don't know yet what I'm going to do about it."

"Perhaps it would be a tad bit easier if the muggle couple had a magical child." The older wizard mused. Then he smirked. "But what are the odds of that, do you suppose?"

The teen shrugged and then scowled at him. "I suppose about the same as the odds of you getting a bloody _straight flush_ now, isn't it?"

Remus cackled and caught the younger wizard in a head lock. "It's all business, Harry, remember?" He ruffled the teen's hair playfully. "All business."

"Let's see if it's 'all business' when _you're_ the one played out of a thousand galleons!" The younger wizard grumbled, trying to get himself out of the headlock.

"And just _what_ have I told you about high-stakes gambling, cub? Huh?" The werewolf smirked. Peering out the window, he saw Dora, Ginny, and Hermione coming over with a couple of boxes, and so made his way to the front door, dragging Harry along with him.

"It's stupid." The teen huffed, momentarily giving up in his struggle to get free.

"Exactly." Remus planted a kiss atop the boy's head before letting him go and opening the front door. "Good morning, ladies!"

"Oh! Good morning, boys." Dora replied with a smile as she stepped in from the porch. "Wotcher, Harry."

"Wotcher." The teen merely grunted his reply, preferring to scowl at Remus whilst smoothing down his hair.

"Oh, I think I'm going to have a grand old time, decorating this place." Tonks casually dropped the box where she stood and took a good look around the empty living room, a grin lighting her face.

"You'll have to make do for the rest of the day, though, without Ginny or I, Dora."

"Oh?" The metamorphamagus frowned at Hermione.

"Ugh!" Ginny rolled her eyes, shook her head, and proceeded to put some distance between her and the annoying study queen.

"The NEWTs are next month, and—"

"Oh! Right, right, right!" Tonks nodded and waved her off. "Yeah, definitely! Go on and study. Don't mind me."

"Don't encourage her, Dora." Ginny grumbled in a low voice, making the metamorphamagus snicker.

"Coming through! Coming through! Watch out!" Sirius cried, barreling into the room and startling almost everyone inside. Sev was perched on his right arm and Teddy on his left. Each of the boys had a toy in his hands. The animagus stopped by the open box of toys Dora dropped earlier and ordered, "Okay, boys, let them go!"

Sev and Teddy both giggled before dropping the toys into the box. Or attempting to, at least, as both toys immediately overshot their mark and ended up on the floor.

Yet that didn't seem to slow the animagus down. "Good job! Okay, next!" He swiftly began power-walking out of the house.

"Padfoot, what _are_ you doing?" Harry yelled at his quickly-retreating back.

"Helping them move in!" Sirius hollered in reply.

"One toy at a time?"

"No…_TWO_ toys at a time!"

"Yeah, _that'll_ be quick." Dora snorted.

"And I don't see him carrying any boxes himself." Hermione added.

"Just let them be." Remus sighed. "The boys seem to be enjoying it." As if to prove his point, squeals of delight reverberated from across the street, followed closely by long strings of giggles. "See?"

And that's how it carried on for the better part of an hour. Apparently, Padfoot had set an open box full of toys atop the dining room table. When he and the boys were in the Den, he would wait patiently until each of them had a toy firmly in his grasp, before power-walking (_not_ running) across the street and into the living room of the Lupins' new house. There, he would have them carelessly throw the toys in the general direction of an open box before power-walking back to the Den and repeating the whole process all over again. As expected, the whole game got on Dora's nerves after she came down from the master bedroom to find toys strewn all over the living room floor.

"Sirius!" She yelled out the door and across the street. "If I have to pick up the mess you and the boys made _one more time_, I'm putting a stop to this game of yours!" And with a single sweep of her wand, the living room floor was bare once again, all the children's playthings swept to one side.

True to form, when she walked in from the dining room ten minutes later, she managed to trip over a toy broom, land on a bobo doll, and roll into a sea of toy blocks.

"Goodness, Nymphadora!" Dumbledore exclaimed, rushing immediately to her side. "Are you alright?" He shifted the box he was carrying to one arm and used his other hand to help her up.

"Yes, yes, yes…" She giggled at herself, quickly jumping to her feet. "Oh, I'm used to it by now, Professor."

"Albus, please."

"I should have seen it coming, anyway." She blew raspberries at herself with a roll of her eyes. "He is my cousin, after all." With another sweep of her wand, the living room floor was clear of toys once more. "Welcome to our new house, by the way! May I offer you a cup of tea?"

Tonks was better at remembering to watch her step when she returned to the living room a third time to find her son's belongings strewn about in all directions. She debated with herself on whether or not she wanted to yell at Sirius now or wait until later, when her annoyance had reached its maximum and she could successfully scare him into submission.

She decided to wait. Thus, her wand cleaned up after her cousin, son, and godson for a third time.

Then a fourth.

Then a fifth.

And finally, after the sixth clean up, she snapped.

Taking her cue from Molly, she bellowed out the door in her most threatening voice, "Sirius Orion Black!"

It was his death knell and he knew it. Sirius cringed before handing Teddy and Sev over to Hermione and Ginny, respectively. "Pardon me, ladies. I have to go, uh…handle something."

_Handle something, my arse!_ Big Sev retorted in disgust. _He's going to turn tail and run. _He scoffed. _That mutt's not man enough to face his cousin after he's riled her up like he has. Mark my words!_

Little Sev considered them marked. Yet he also knew that his Uncle Sirius was more manly than his older counterpart ever gave him credit for.

The toddler giggled and looked up at his mother's face. "Unca Pafoo in twaboo!"

"And that is _exactly_ why you should listen to your Aunt Dora and Uncle Remus, right?" Ginny raised an expectant eyebrow at him.

"Uh-huh." Sev nodded, turning back to the toy in his hands. He already knew from experience not to try his Uncle Remus' patience. One night, when his mum and dad were on their date night, he had been staying over at Teddy's quarters and a student had come over asking for Remus' help with some spellwork. Sev and Teddy were playing on the floor of the living room and the fourteen-month-old toddler had felt inspired to practice some spellwork of his own—the kind his Uncle Padfoot had been teaching him.

"_It's a simple swish and flick, Toby—swish up, flick forward. Alright?" Remus demonstrated briefly before turning a kind smile onto the jittery Slytherin next to him. "That's all. Now you try."_

"_I—I—I don't know, Professor. I don't think I can do it—"_

"_Nonsense! You haven't even tried, Toby."_

_Meanwhile, in the living room, bored after several minutes of playing with his toy puzzle, Sev pushed himself onto his hands and knees and crawled towards the side table next to the couch._

"_Where are you off to, love?" Dora asked, peeking at him from behind whatever gossip magazine she was currently indulging in. _

_Sev ignored her. Settling against the lower shelf of the side table, he watched his godfather and his student practice in the den for a few minutes before his attention wandered to the belongings scattered about the room. Spotting Simba on the kitchen counter, Sev decided he wanted to practice some magic of his own. His Uncle Sirius had recently been teaching him the art of summoning things from far away; particularly, the delicious treats and sweets that his mummy and daddy kept in the tall shelves out of his reach. Summoning was different from levitation, as the toddler quickly found out. Pushing something forward and side-to-side was different from pulling it towards you. Pulling something took a lot more effort, concentration, and coordination, apparently._

_Biting his lip, Sev focused his attention solely on the toy and pictured the aura around it, just as his father taught him. With little effort, and in no time at all, he had the toy off the counter and hovering in midair._

_Now came the hard part._

_Come to me, come to me, come to me…! The toddler demanded the toy in his mind. _

_Simba floated left and Simba floated right. _

_Come here, come here, come here! _

_Simba floated up and Simba floated down._

_PLEASE come here!_

_Simba spun around, this way and that, but moved not an inch towards him._

_Stupid toy!_

_Simba flew across the room and collided with the back of Toby's head!_

"_Hey!" Rubbing impacted area, Toby spun around in surprise and instinctively looked around the room with a scowl, as if searching for whatever hooligan had thrown that at his head._

_Sev, meanwhile, dove under the shelf he had been leaning on, to hide completely under the table._

"_What's the matter?" Remus asked, spotting Sev's stuffed lion cub on the floor and bending to pick it up._

"_Something hit me in the back of the head." The young wizard explained, a look of confusion crossing his face._

"_Oh, I'm sorry about that." Spotting his godson peeking out from under the side table, he frowned at him, but said nothing. It was most likely an accident after all. "You're going to have to bear with things flying around every so often." He explained to his student, all the while making his way over to the side table and laying Simba down on the floor beside it. "With two magical infants in the house, you never know what will happen." He chuckled._

_As the professor ambled back into the den, Toby watched as a tiny arm crept out from under the side table, wrapped itself around the lion cub's neck, and pulled it into the dark abyss underneath. With a shudder, the teen turned back to the makeshift target he had been working with. That was just a little bit creepy! _

_Under the table, Sev hugged his lion to his chest and instinctively bit down on it, never once taking his eyes off Uncle Remus and Toby. He recognized the look his uncle just gave him. It meant that, while what he did was naughty, his uncle knew it was just an accident, and that he should be more careful in the future. _

_Got away with that one, didn't I? Little Sev snorted at how disgusted Big Sev sounded right now, if the grumblings at the back of his mind were anything to go by._

_As the two of them began throwing spells at the dummy once again, Sev watched with growing interest as his Auntie Tonks placed a bowl of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans on the counter next to them. Interesting sweets, those flavored beans. Sev never had any growing up. His father had forbidden it. During his first year at Hogwarts, however, excited by the prospect that he could eat whatever sweets he wanted, he tried a few at the Halloween feast. The first one he tried was mildly tasty. However, one of the subsequent ones caused him to swear off the beans entirely for the rest of his life. Severus swore the taste of dung never entirely washed out of his mouth after that! _

_I wonder if I can make them jump like Uncle Sirius can?_

_While his father was confined in the hospital, Uncle Sirius helped Sev take his mind off his worry by entertaining him with the magical candy from their Halloween trick-or-treat bags. He would turn the snapping licorice into villains and the Bertie Bott's Beans into jumping heroes. Sev didn't know how he did it, but Uncle Sirius was able to control their million-and-a-half pieces of candy well enough to act out an epic candy battle on Harry's breakfast tray! The scenes were memorable for everyone in the room._

_Jumpy, jump, jump, jump…Jumpy, jump, jump, jump…_

_The toddler had a funny little tune playing in the back of his mind as he pictured the candy beans jumping around in Auntie Tonks' bowl, trying to get out and explore the world! He wondered where they would go, once they escaped their bowl-ish confines. Would they jump their bowl only to crawl around the rug, wandering aimlessly until Padfoot sniffs them out and eats them? Or would they continue jumping? From the carpet, to the furniture, maybe onto other peoples' heads!_

"_OW!"_

_Sev gasped and crouched even lower to the ground, trying his best to disappear under the table and behind his lion._

"_What's wrong?" Remus asked, turning a concerned frown onto his student._

"_I'm not quite sure, Professor." Toby replied, rubbing the back of his head and studying the area around him. "I felt something hit me again…"_

_Unable to help himself, Sev let out a tiny little giggle at the perplexed look that dominated Toby's face._

_Which, as it turns out, was enough to make his sharp-eared godfather suspicious. Sev knew the precise moment Uncle Remus spotted the red candy bean hidden slightly under Toby's right shoe, for at that precise moment, Severus received the glare to end all laughter thereafter. The smile disappeared entirely off his face, and the toddler resumed his previous crouched position behind his lion. Sev didn't know how long his godfather stared at him, or what kind of look he was receiving from said godfather, but at some point Remus must've figured out it was yet another case of accidental magic, because the next thing Sev heard was a soft apology and the tell-tale sound of a curse hitting the practice dummy on the other side of the room._

"_Sev? Why don't you come out from under there, love, and come play with Teddy?" Dora suggested._

_Yet again, the toddler ignored her. Instead, he peeked over his lion to see if his uncle was still giving him the stink eye. Fortunately, Remus and Toby were both turned away, once again engaging the defenseless dummy in a one-sided battle. The bowl of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans was still right where he left it, and it was now beckoning him to come and play._

_I would not attempt it, if I were you. Your godfather seems to be approaching the end of his rope._

_The voice at the back wheedled at him, trying to turn him away from the temptation of the candy beans. Yet, like his aunt, the toddler merely ignored the annoying big voice. The funny little look Toby had on his face a few minutes ago was totally worth whatever glare his uncle would send his way after he made the jumping beans do a dance atop the Slytherin's head._

_It is a bad idea. I promise you, you will regret it!_

_With the carelessness of youth, Sev heard the old man's warnings and then casually flung them out his other ear. He bit down on his lion to suppress his giggles and then waited for the opportune moment. And the moment Toby's attention focused solely on his wand, and his Uncle Remus became preoccupied with the dummy across the room, the toddler's imagination took over. Within seconds, a handful of beans were jumping in their bowl, ready to fly out into the world and tango atop Toby's head. _

"_Go, go!" Sev told them, under his breath and behind his lion, the impish grin dancing across his face._

_Like tiny candy bunnies, up the red and blue beans jumped! They flew from their bowl and soared so high, they nearly touched the ceiling! And down, down, down they fell… _

_The toddler's toes curled in excitement._

_Here it comes! Here it comes! Here it comes! _

"_That's quite enough of that, thank you!" Remus' fist closed around the two brave candy beans before they could make an impact with Toby's unsuspecting head; and they found themselves back in the candy bowl in no time._

_The smile on Sev's face immediately melted off. His shoulders sagged in disappointment. With a huff, he crouched back behind his lion cub._

_Yet his uncle was having none of it. Remus walked over to the side table and got down on his belly, ensuring he was eye level with his mischievous godson. "Listen to me, Severus." He started, moving the stuffed lion out of the way so that the toddler had no choice but to meet his eyes. "This behavior is going to stop right now." The werewolf said, keeping his tone even yet firm. It was the 'serious business' tone that he knew the toddler recognized. After all, he had taught it to Sirius and they had both used it on Harry over the years, with complete success. Harry, in turn, taught it to Ginny, and they both used it on Severus with complete success, according to them. Remus had no reason to doubt that the tone-of-voice would get him the results he wanted. "This is your one, and ONLY, warning. If you throw ANYTHING at Toby's head one more time, you will be going into a ten-minute time out in the corner." He pointed to the corner next to the fireplace. "Away from everybody else."_

_Sev bit his lip and peered behind him at what he could see of the corner._

"_Do you understand?" Remus raised a stern eyebrow at him._

_The toddler turned back to his godfather, torn between narrowing his eyes at him in challenge, or widening his eyes in surprise. Uncle Remus had very rarely used that particular tone-of-voice with him. Sev heard it from Uncle Sirius more than he heard it from Uncle Remus, in fact! Having never quite been punished by Uncle Remus before, the toddler didn't know if the werewolf was being serious, or he was merely bluffing about all that corner rubbish. Sev settled for a slow nod with a dubious narrowing of his eyes. That should be enough to let his uncle know that he'd go along with behaving…for as long as it suited him._

_Remus met him with a brief dubious look of his own before he blinked and nodded with a sigh. The werewolf had the feeling the toddler was up to something sneaky, but having no reason to doubt that his firm tone and stern warning hadn't worked, Remus had no choice but to trust his godson was telling the truth when he agreed to behave. He shook his head as he climbed back to his feet. Harry and Ginny were sure to have a handful the moment this cub got adventurous enough to move from mischievous tricks to full-blown pranks. He made a mental note to have a word with the young parents and Sirius later tonight. Now was the perfect time for Sev to learn that 'no' meant NO and that 'stop' meant STOP._

_I would heed his words, if I were you._

_He's bluffing!_

_You're so sure…_

_Uncle Remus has never put me in the corner before. He's not going to start now!_

_Sev felt so assured that that was indeed the case, that as soon as both teacher and student turned away to resume their lesson, the toddler immediately began planning how he was going to land a bean on Toby's head without Remus noticing._

"_Come on, Sev! Come out from under there, love. Leave Uncle Remus and Toby alone. Teddy wants to play a game with you, sweetheart." The toddler felt a soft hand tugging at his ankle and he shook it off in annoyance._

"_Mo! Mo! Mo!" Sev shook his head stubbornly. "Uh, uh, uh!" Grabbing Simba, he once again bit down on it as he silently studied his unsuspecting prey. _

_Dora sighed. "Fine. Whatever…"_

_Uncle Remus would never put me in the corner. Maybe daddy would, or mummy, but NOT Uncle Remus!_

_If you're so sure, try your luck._

_Fine! I will!_

_So he waited. And waited. And waited. After about five minutes of uneventful watching (which took an insurmountable amount of patience on the toddler's part), Sev finally found his opportunity. Once again, his uncle was focused solely on the dummy as he explained and demonstrated a trick to perfect technique. Toby's attention, as expected, completely on every move made by the professor, every word of his explanation. Nobody was paying him any heed. Uncle Remus wasn't likely to turn any time soon. Now was the perfect time to do it!_

_Jump, bean, jump!_

_It was one bean. A single Bertie Bott's Every Flavor bean. The epitome of a stealth attack, it was small, silent, and impossible to see. He was certain he wasn't going to get caught. Victory was in his reach!_

_Go hit Toby! Go hit Toby! Go hit Toby!_

_Then the worst happened. Just when it was about to impact the student's head, Toby, in the midst of pointing out a feature on the dummy, took a step forward, and BAM!_

_Remus' head jerked violently to the side and the toddler gasped._

_Oh, no!_

"_Severus Henry Potter!"_

"_Ooops…"_

_The werewolf rubbed his ear, where the candy bean had impacted, to alleviate the slight sting before promptly turning on his heel and waving his wand at the side table Severus was hiding under. It floated seamlessly off the ground, exposing him._

"_Time out."_

_Sev's eyes widened. "Mo!"_

"_Let's go." In the blink of an eye, Remus had the toddler secure in his arms and began heading towards the corner. _

"_Mo, mo, MO!" Severus twisted his body along with the shaking of his head. He wiggled and kicked and whined with every fiber of his being. "MO! MO! MO! Unca Moomy, __**MO**__!"_

_The werewolf remained deaf to it all._

_Planting Severus on a couch cushion that seemed to appear out of nowhere, Remus held the squirming toddler long enough to say, "You are in this corner because I told you to stop throwing things at people—"_

"_MO!"_

"—_and you didn't listen to me."_

"_Mo! Mo!"_

"_Ten minutes, Severus." And with those final words, Remus stood up and walked away._

_Well, Severus was definitely not going to take his punishment without a fight! "Mo, Unca Moomy!" He cried, crawling out of the corner and towards his retreating godfather. "Pay me! Pay me now!"_

_There was a tiny giggle across the room, to which Remus responded with a grumbled, "Dora, you're not helping." To Severus, however, he said nothing. Remus simply turned around, picked the toddler back up, and silently settled him back in the cushion in the corner. Then, just as silently, he stood back up and walked away._

"_**MOOOOOOOO**__!" Sev screamed at the top of his lungs, tears beginning to spill from his eyes. This couldn't be happening! Uncle Remus wasn't supposed to be punishing him! Uncle Remus NEVER punished him! He made threats, he glared, he raised his voice slightly sometimes, but he never, NEVER punished him! Severus was beginning to rely on that dynamic between them! Uncle Remus was supposed to be the cool uncle. Which, if you threw Sirius into the equation, sounded completely ridiculous, but it was true! Remus was the one he thought he could manipulate the most. Of course, it was often subtle manipulation, but it still worked! So what the heck was going on here? First Uncle Sirius wasn't playing his game and now Uncle Remus isn't either? Sev didn't like that one bit! "__**MO**__! __**MO**__! __**MO**__! __**MO**__! __**MO**__!"_

"_Pay him no attention, Toby. Don't even look at him." He heard Remus murmur as he pulled Toby farther away from the spot where they had been practicing._

"_Unca Moomy, want pay!" Sev screamed. "Want pay, __**NOW**__!" He demanded, his voice reaching new heights._

_Yet the screeching still received no response and he swiped a hand across his eyes in order to see through the tears. Why wasn't Uncle Remus looking at him? Why wasn't he SAYING anything to him? Why was he being ignored? Uncle Remus never ignored him like this. Was what he did THAT bad?_

"_**UNCA MOOMY**__!" Sev cried in despair. Pushing off the cushion, he began crawling towards his godfather once again. He didn't want this anymore! "Unca Moomy!"_

_Although the toddler could barely see through his wall of tears, he recognized his uncle's approaching figure and it gave him a modicum of hope. Perhaps this charade was finally over. Perhaps Uncle Remus had caved! Finally, he was going to get the comfort he deserved! Sitting back on his butt, he raised his arms in anticipation of being picked up._

_And get picked up he did..._

…_only to be placed back in the corner._

"_Mo! Mo! Mo! Mo! Mo!" The toddler whined in protest, kicking and screaming and crying his eyes out. And again, Remus silently walked away. Well, Sev wasn't about to give up this fight! Over and over again he screamed, over and over he strained his voice in an effort to get their attention, over and over he crawled out of the corner, trying to get his uncle to see reason. And yet over and over his uncle said nothing. Again and again he was silently picked up, silently put back in the corner, and silently left there to ponder some stupid candy beans, and some stupid games that he decided to play, and some stupid things that ended up hitting Toby's head. _

_Why did it all matter anyway? Sev wondered angrily as he lay down on the cushion, exhausted, and stuck his thumb in his mouth. He kicked the corner in frustration. Stupid corners! If they just didn't exist, his mummy and daddy and, now, his Uncle Remus wouldn't have anywhere to put him when he was being naughty. Good riddance to them! Sev thought. Time-outs sucked! And the more annoying thought was that no matter how much he tried to get out, the more he got put back in. And for what? Uncle Remus only gave him ten minutes in the corner, and Sev figured he spent AT LEAST thirty minutes trying to get out._

_If you only stayed in to begin with, you'd be out by now._

_Sev told the Big Voice at the back to shove it. He SO didn't want to hear an 'I-told-you-so', most especially from HIMSELF! That had to be wrong on at least SOME levels!_

_The candy beans were to blame. As was his wild imagination. If his wild imagination wasn't so wild, the candy beans wouldn't have jumped, they would have never hit Toby, and Sev wouldn't be in this mess! Likewise, Toby was also to blame, because he was a big cry-baby. If he didn't make such a big deal of being accidentally knocked in the head a few times, Sev wouldn't be in this mess either!_

_So you're going to blame everyone but yourself. It's everyone else's fault that your godfather put you in the corner. It's everyone else's fault that you continued to throw candy beans around, which your uncle specifically WARNED you NOT to do. That's EVERYONE ELSE'S fault, is it?_

_I thought I told you to shove it._

_If you truly wanted me to, you wouldn't be hearing me right now. So YOU 'shove it', as you say!_

_Fine, MAYBE he should have stopped when his uncle warned him against throwing anything else at people's heads. He was just having a bit of fun! Where was the harm in that? Surely his uncle saw the fun in that._

_Without a doubt. However, perhaps the werewolf was trying to prove a different point. Or perhaps you were trying to prove it to yourself. Either way._

_What point? All Uncle Remus said was that he was in the corner because he wouldn't stop throwing Bertie Bott's beans at Toby. He didn't give Sev any other reason than that. And SEV certainly didn't have anything to prove by throwing things at Toby's head._

_You're so sure…_

_And then the toddler remembered—he did. After Uncle Remus' warning, Sev tried to prove to himself that his godfather didn't mean what he said when it came to his time-out threats. _

_Well…as it turned out, he did!_

_Ladies and Gentlemen, lesson learned._

_NOW will you shove it?_

_No._

"_Severus?" The toddler rolled over to find his godfather crouching next to him, a small comforting smile on his face. "Do you have anything to say to me, cub?"_

_Sev was so happy that his uncle was finally talking to him again, that before Remus could even finish asking, the toddler reached up and stammered a 's-s-s-so-so-wwy-wwy' in between sniffles. His breath was still shaky from all the crying he had been doing, but the sputtered apology was good enough for his godfather. A big smile immediately erupted onto the werewolf's face and he was quick to wrap his sobbing godson in his arms. _

"_There, there now."_

"_Sowwy!" Sev moaned into his sleeve, a fresh wave of tears flowing from his eyes. Counterintuitively, now that he'd apologized, the guilt he should have felt during his punishment finally assaulted him, resulting in an onslaught of new tears._

"_Come now, cub. Shhh now…" The werewolf sat down on his favorite easy chair and began rocking the toddler in his arms, whispering calming noises in his ear. "All's forgiven now, Sev. So why don't you tell me what started all this, hmm?"_

_Well, Severus knew exactly where the blame lay for that one! Pushing up against Remus' chest, he twisted just enough to spot his stuffed lion cub, still stuck underneath the side table. He held his hand out towards it and opened and closed his fingers in a silent plea. "W—W—Wamp! W—Wamp!"_

"_Alright, alright, shhh…" Remus took out a handkerchief and wiped the baby's face, cleaning him up a bit before planting a kiss on his cheek. "Come on up then, Simba!" He called, waving his wand at the stuffed creature and managing to get it to jump onto the couch. "Maybe you can help this other cub get his breathing under control, eh?" As gently as he could manage, the werewolf tucked his sniffling godson into the crook of his arm and then laid the comfort toy onto his chest. The toddler immediately enveloped it in a fierce hug._

_It had taken several minutes of calming noises, reassurances, and gentle commands to take deep breaths, but Remus had eventually succeeded in getting Severus to calm down. The toddler's breathing returned to normal, and he soon made himself comfortable in his godfather's arms, his lion under one arm and his thumb stuck in his mouth. _

"_So…are you going to tell me what that was all about, my boy?" The werewolf asked softly._

"_Pabphooph," The toddler replied. Sitting up on Remus' lap, he popped his thumb out of his mouth and quickly launched into his story. "Padfoo twy tees me caw tuff!" He explained, pointing to the spot on the counter where his lion previously lay. "He tees me caw cookie…amp…amp…foo!" The toddler pointed to the cabinets above the counter. "Caw, cus…camp weet!"_

"_Uh-huh." Remus nodded. Surprisingly, he was able to understand most of what his godson was trying to tell him. Apparently, Sirius had been teaching Severus how to summon things out of his reach, such as cookies and snacks from the upper cabinets—the foods his parents specifically kept there for good reason. That was typical! "So how did it lead to this mess, cub?"_

"_Me caw Simba! Amp…amp…mo cam!" He frowned at his godfather, as if asking him to fix this unfortunate shortcoming. "Simba mo com hewe. Go Toby, go dewe, bu mo hewe!"_

"_And Simba was what started it, I see."_

"_Mm-hmm!" The toddler nodded, happy that his uncle had understood all that. "Me camp do it!"_

"_Now wait a second here, cub. I wouldn't go so far as to say you CAN'T do it." Remus interjected, adjusting the toddler on his knee so that they could see each other better. "'Can't' is not a word in my dictionary. Trust me—you start using that word at this age, and pretty soon you'll end up like Toby."_

"_Mo!" Sev blew raspberries at the world in general. There was no way he was going to end up like that obsessive compulsive cry-baby perfectionist!_

"_No, we don't want to end up like him." The werewolf shook his head with a smile. "So…let's try to look at this problem a different way, shall we? What if we try Uncle Sirius' technique, but we do it with auras? Huh? You're father's always going on and on about them, isn't he?"_

"_Mm-hmm!" That sounded like a good idea to Sev._

"_So why don't we try…matching the aura you're projecting with…the aura projecting from the object you want to summon? Does that sound reasonable?"_

"_Yeah!" Sev exclaimed excitedly. He hadn't tried that before!_

"_Right then! Let's try it!"_

Hmm…Those soft cakes in the bowl across the table looked to be radiating a kind of yellow-gold aura. Perhaps if he tried radiating one himself he would be able to successfully summon them over to him.

Sev glanced up to see if his mother was still paying any attention to him. Thankfully, not so. She and Aunt Hermione seemed to be engaged in an intense conversation about the signs and symptoms of some kind of wizarding disease he'd never heard of. The toddler concluded then that they probably wouldn't notice if he just stole a cake from the end of the table.

_They would surely see it while it is floating over to you! _Big Sev argued.

_Not if it's floating above their heads!_ Little Sev retorted with a laugh.

Stage One—levitate the cake halfway to the ceiling so that Mummy and Aunt Hermione won't be able to see it. Easy enough! He had no trouble with that part.

Stage Two—make the cake float towards you. That's where everything got a little complicated. Uncle Sirius told him that you had to _demand_ it to come over to you, which made sense, but never really worked. He had demanded Simba to come over to him that night at Uncle Remus' and nothing happened. However, when he added Uncle Remus' slight modification, picturing the cake's aura and matching the color of his hand's aura with that of the cake, magic happened! The cake immediately began floating his direction. Sev began bouncing in his seat excitedly.

"_Shhh…don't bounce too much, cub. You wouldn't want your mother to find out you're sneaking sweets behind her back now, would you?"_ His father's voice reverberated in his head.

The toddler gasped, nearly losing his concentration and causing the cake to waver precariously in midair. Where? Where in the world…? His head swiveled back and forth.

"_Relax! Relax, cub, we're outside."_ Harry told him. _"Look out the window, son."_

With furrowed brow, Sev leaned forward in his mother's lap to peer out the dining room window. There they were—his father, Uncle Sirius, and Uncle Remus—standing just beyond the stone wall bordering the front yard. His dad was waving at him with a crooked smile, and Uncle Sirius and Uncle Remus both had their hands in their pockets with matching grins on their faces. They all seemed to be sharing some kind of joke.

"_Well go on then, cub! Your uncle Sirius told me he had been teaching you this trick. Uncle Remus said he helped you with it just the other week. Show me then, my boy!"_

Severus turned back to the task at hand with a giant grin on his face. He had thought, when he heard his father's voice, that he was going to get in trouble for sneaking dessert before they had even had lunch. But, as it turns out, his dad and his uncles were cheering him on more than they were yelling at him! That gave him a well-needed boost of confidence. That cake was going to end up in his hands if it was the last thing he did!

"You know, we probably shouldn't be doing this." Remus remarked.

"What? Cheering him on?" Sirius snorted. "Lighten up, Moony. It's just a cake."

"Sure, that's how it starts out."

"Oh, don't be ridiculous." The animagus rolled his eyes. "He's just practicing a useful skill. You know toddlers. They're always exercising some kind of new muscle at this stage—hand-eye coordination, walking, talking, navigating, etc, etc, etc. For Severus, this is just another new muscle."

"You taught it to him so that he can sneak snacks behind our backs!" Harry scoffed, rolling his own eyes at his godfather's defense. "Admit it!"

"Well, of course, I did! But it has other uses as well!" The animagus retorted.

"Not very good ones."

"Stop being such a pessimist, Moony."

"I'm a _realist_, Padfoot."

"Oh, hush up, the pair of you. He's nearly got the cake in his grasp!" Harry pointed out, waving for them to be quiet so that he could concentrate on his son's achievement.

"Hey!"

"Look at that!"

"We should cheer."

"We are!"

"I meant visually!" And with that, Padfoot threw both his hands in the air, made an exaggerated happy face, and started jumping up and down like a clown.

Both Remus and Harry immediately cracked up and had to turn away to cover their hysterical laughter. Even Severus was pointing at him from the other side of the window and laughing heartily. In fact, he laughed so hard that Hermione and Ginny both turned to see what all the fuss was all about. Sirius was quick to return to normal before they could catch him in the act. That didn't stop the girls from opening the window and questioning him about it, though.

"What's going on out there?" Hermione demanded.

"Nothing!" The animagus waved them off coolly. "Nothing at all. Don't worry about it."

Remus snorted and waited until the window was once again closed before he commented. "Good job, Padfoot. You nearly got him caught."

"I was only trying to help!"

"Load of good that did, huh?"

"Shut up!"

"He's got it!" Harry exclaimed. The two older wizards turned back to find Severus waving the cake at them excitedly, a triumphant smile upon his face.

"Hey!" "Hey!" "Yeah!" All three of them gave him a lively round of applause.

"The look on Ginny's face is priceless." Sirius remarked.

"Ha, ha, ha!" Harry burst into hysterical laughter. "I _**know**_, isn't it?"

On the other side of the window, Ginny and Hermione were recovering from a mild case of shock. In their view, the cake dropping from the ceiling had been tantamount to the roof caving in unexpectedly. They both nearly jumped from their seats and ran out of the house with the children. It was completely unexpected! One minute, the pair of them was deep in conversation about the signs and symptoms of ailuranthropy, and the next, a cake fell into their laps and everybody shrieked. Although, in hindsight, Sev's shriek was probably one of delight.

"Merlin's beard!" Ginny took a deep breath and laid a hand atop her heart, as if that would help it to slow down.

"How in the world…?" Hermione frowned, confused.

"Cay, mummy!" Sev exclaimed, waving the cake in her face and peering up at her with a charming, drool-soaked grin. "Hab cay, peas?"

As much as she wanted to, Ginny didn't have the heart to get mad at him for startling them. "Oh, sweetheart." Taking the cake from his outstretched hand, she wiped his dripping mouth and gave him a big kiss on the cheek. "Sev, do mummy a favor next time, will you please?" Grabbing a used but empty dish from the middle of the table, she began piecing the soft cake into small, bite-sized portions so that the boys could safely enjoy it. "The next time you want something like this, all you need to do is _ask_. Okay?"

"Okay." Sev agreed softly.

"How was he able to reach that when the bowl's all the way over there?" Hermione frowned, her eyes moving between Sev and the bowl of cakes at the other end of the table.

Ginny sighed. "He summoned it, I suppose."

"Harry's been teaching him how to summon things?" Hermione asked, surprised. She was under the impression that Harry was going to wait until Sev was older before he taught him the spell.

"No, Sirius has."

"Sirius?"

"Yes, our friendly neighborhood animagus seems to think I have no idea what's going on inside my own house." Ginny rolled her eyes. "He's been teaching it to Sev for this very purpose. Isn't that right, love?"

"Cay!" The toddler exclaimed, impatiently pinching one of the pieces of cake and popping it into his mouth. "Hab cay, Teddy!"

"Uh?" The little metamorphamagus replied, studying the cake pieces with wide, curious eyes.

"Oh…" Hermione frowned. "That means you're going to have to baby-proof the _top_ cabinets as well, if that's the case. Not only the bottom ones, but the _top_ ones too!"

"Only in our house." Ginny laughed, wiping her son's crumb-encircled mouth. "Everywhere else in the world, parents baby-proof everything within reach of baby's little fingers. But not for you, right, my love?" The teen wrapped her arms around her boy and gave him a kiss on the temple. "_Everything's_ within your reach, isn't it?"

"Mm-hmm…" Sev replied distractedly, too concerned with licking his fingers to care about what his mummy was saying.

"The sky's the limit." She whispered in his ear. "For you, the sky's the limit."

Whether he noticed it or not, those words traveled past his toddler brain and lodged themselves in his very soul.

_For me, the sky's the limit._

* * *

_The summer sun was bright and warm. _

_Sunny days were a rarity around here and Sev was going to soak up as much of this welcome heat as he could. Closing his eyes, he spread out his arms and extended his fingers. The soft, sweet-smelling grass on which he lay reminded him of the big comforter in mummy and daddy's room. It made him feel safe…and sleepy. Beneath his bare feet, the five-year-old could feel some errant blades of grass tickling his toes and the sensation brought a smile to his face._

_Ohhhhh…yeah! He sighed in contentment._

"_Hello, Mr. Sunny Sun Sunshine!" Sev murmured under his breath, giggling softly at the absurd make-believe name he just gave the sun. "Sunny Sun Sun Sun…" Ever so slowly, the child began to drift to sleep._

"_Sing a song of sixpence,  
A pocket full of rye…"_

_Then, just as quickly, his eyes shot open in surprise._

"…_Four and Twenty blackbirds  
Baked in a pie…"_

_He pushed himself up to a sitting position and peered in the direction of the angelic singing voice. It was coming from the house next door!_

"_When the pie was opened,  
The birds began to sing…"_

_Sev crawled over to the low stone wall that separated the two backwards, completely ignoring his mother's flimsy barrier that she supposedly set up to protect her garden, climbing over it with relative ease and trampling on half of her orchids to get to his destination. The child had no doubt that he was going to get an earful later on for his careless actions, but all he could think about at the moment was finding the source of that beautiful melody. _

"_Wasn't that a dainty dish  
To set before the King?"_

_Sev knew exactly where the hole in the wall was located. He had stumbled upon it by accident while he was helping his mother plant flowers. There was a loose rock that he could pull out, which would allow him to secretly peek into the neighbor's yard. That is, IF said neighbor hasn't yet spotted him sneaking towards the wall! _

"_The king was in his counting house,  
counting out his money…"_

_Sev wasn't delusional. He knew he was getting older and thus his natural stealthiness was diminishing, along with his age. "With age comes height." His Uncle Sirius once told him, "It's a double-edged sword, kid. On the one hand, you can see a lot more stuff now, but on the other hand, it's more difficult for you to sneak around!" Considering Sev could just about peer over the stone wall if he stood at full height, the child conceded his uncle's point—it was definitely easier to see, but altogether harder to spy. Such a tragedy, that._

"_The queen was in the parlour,  
eating bread and honey…"_

_Lying on his belly on the bed of trampled orchids, Sev pulled the small, loose rock out of the wall, and, after carelessly throwing it to the side, peeked into the yard next door._

"_The maid was in the garden,  
hanging out the clothes…"_

_A white sundress and big straw hat. Those were the first things his spying eye noticed as it roamed around the neighbor's yard. Those, and the sheets of white linen hanging from the drying lines scattered about the yard. _

_Curious. Had the neighbors moved in? Sev knew they were to expect some new neighbors soon. His daddy told him that he put an advertisement out in the muggle newspapers for renters to the house next door. Perhaps this was the family they found to rent the place? _

_But why hadn't anyone told him the new people had moved in? The child huffed. He was left out again! That was typical!_

"…_when down came a blackbird  
and nipped off her—"_

"_ACHOO!"_

_Gasp!_

_Sev wiped his nose on his sleeve and shook his head. He should've known better than that! Huffing disturbed dirt. Dirt flew up people's noses. Dirt flying up people's noses makes them sneeze. Sneezing was counterproductive for someone in the spying business!_

"_Hello?"_

_Now it was Sev's turn to gasp, and he instinctively rolled to the side so that whoever that was couldn't see him through his spy hole. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he heard Big Sev groan as he trampled over the other half of his mother's orchids in his efforts to hide himself._

"_Who's there?"_

_Sev's breaths came in short, quick puffs and sounded more like noisy dog pants to his sensitive ears. The boy cringed. He REALLY had to work on his breathing! Spies knew better than to breathe noisily. It was easy for the enemy to zero in on their location if they breathed that loud!_

"_What are you doing down there?" Sev gasped as a little girl, wearing a big straw hat, suddenly appeared in his line of vision. _

"_AH!" He cried out in surprise. Out of pure instinct, he tried to push himself off the ground, but fell onto his mother's garden fence instead, knocking it over. "Ooof!" In an effort to redeem himself, he rolled onto the grass and tried jumping up again. He succeeded this time, managing to make a clean landing on his feet. His landing being the only thing clean about him, however._

_Sev's clothes were covered in soil. He had leaves, twigs, and orchid petals stuck in his hair. His shins, feet, and hands were caked in mud, and a bit of dirt was smeared across his left cheek._

_The little girl peered at him curiously, her emerald green eyes being the only things visible between the top of the stone wall and the bottom of her straw hat. "What was that all about?" She asked._

"_Nothing!" Sev replied, a little too quickly for his own taste. He also sounded a bit nervous, for some reason. He berated himself silently. This wasn't how spies were supposed to act!_

"_What were you doing down there?" The little girl continued._

"_Nothing!" Gosh darn it! That reply was even quicker than the last one! "I wasn't doing anything!" He had no reason to sound defensive. Why on earth did he sound so defensive?_

_The little girl narrowed her eyes dubiously. "It doesn't seem like you weren't doing anything." She retorted, her voice equally as suspicious._

"_Well, I wasn't!" The five-year-old wiped his hands on his already-dirty trousers and crossed his arms over his chest stubbornly._

_The little girl rolled her eyes. "Okay." She shrugged, apparently deciding to drop the issue for now. After taking a quick second to adjust her straw hat, the mysterious young lady dusted her hands off and then surprised Severus by boosting herself onto the top of the low stone wall! The little boy backed away a step or two, suddenly uncertain._

"_Wh—what are you doing?" He frowned._

"_What does it look like I'm doing?" The girl replied. Settling herself atop the wall, she crossed her legs and then adjusted her white sundress so that it covered her knees. Like Severus, her feet were bare and her soles sprinkled with soil. When she turned back to him, her gaze was more curious than suspicious._

_It was then that Sev got to have his first good look at the little girl, from top to bottom. She may have been perched atop his wall, but the little boy hadn't failed to notice how she was speaking to him a moment ago, when she was studying him over the top of the barrier. Her eyes barely made it over the wall, which meant that she was around his height, perhaps a bit shorter. That would most likely put her around his age range, discounting the possibility that she was a midget, of course. _

"_How old are you?" Sev blurted out, unable to suppress his curiosity._

"_I beg your pardon?" The girl frowned in confusion._

"_How old are you?" The child repeated, unabashed._

"_That's a weird question." The little girl replied. "People usually ask me what my name is before they ask me how old I am."_

"_Well…" Sev bit his lip and looked from side to side. The girl had a point. He clasped his hands behind his back and began nervously bouncing from foot to foot. He was just so darn CURIOUS, though! "…how old are you?"_

"_I'm five." The girl finally answered._

_Whew! The revelation brought a smile to his face. "Wicked! I'm five, too!" Sev exclaimed, suddenly excited._

"_Well, I'm very happy for you." The girl remarked as she pulled the big straw hat off her head and shook her hair out. _

_Red hair. Bright, fiery, wild, red hair. Long, bright, fiery, wild, red hair atop curious, intelligent, slightly mischievous, enchanting emerald green eyes. _

_Severus froze. He had seen this picture before. In fact, he had heard that song before! This scene was so familiar to him, the déjà vu coursed through him in waves!_

_That hair! Those eyes! That ever so slight crease in her brow. The almost unnoticeable twitching of the corners of her mouth. It all added into an expression of mild amusement—a look that, he was told, another lifetime ago, belonged ONLY to him—and no other person in the entire UNIVERSE could pull it off, except his one, his only…_

"_Lily."_

_Those emerald green gems widened in surprise. The little girl gasped. "How do you know my name?"_

_Sev himself was surprised by his own bold assumptions. "Well…I—I—I don't, I…Uh…I just…" He scratched the back of his neck and shrugged. "You just…remind me of someone…" He looked everywhere but at her then. Two seconds ago, he couldn't take his eyes off her. Now he felt too embarrassed to look her in the eye. Why did he do that? Why did he feel so compelled to say the name out loud?_

"_What's YOUR name?"_

_The little boy looked up in astonishment. Her curious green gems immediately locked onto his chocolate browns and entranced him so that he was once again unable to tear his gaze away. "Uh…" he swallowed in an effort to slow his rapidly beating heart, "…Severus." The little boy replied. "My name is Severus."_

"_Severus Henry Potter!" His mum's voice shrilled from the kitchen window. "What have you done to my garden? Merlin me…my orchids!"_

"_Lily! Dinner's almost ready. Come on in and wash up, sweetheart!"_

"_Coming, mum!" Lily leapt off the wall and back into her own backward, but before she took off towards her house, she made sure to turn and wave at Severus. "It was nice to finally meet you, Sev! I'll see you soon!" And just like that, she disappeared._

Sev's eyes fluttered open and he found himself in a darkened bedroom. His mummy was fast asleep on his left, and his daddy on his right. Just below him, he could hear the low snores and occasional growl from their resident animagus, who apparently chose to sleep at the foot of their bed that night. The midnight melody, as his father tended to call it, filtered in through the closed window—a section of bleating goats, accompanied by a quartet of hooting owls, including a solo by the neighborhood wolf, howling at the full moon, complemented a company of crickets to form the Twilight Orchestra.

Tonight, the Twilight Orchestra was performing a rather special piece just for him. It was a calming piece. A peaceful piece. A piece that helped Severus close his eyes and clear his mind.

And that's when he realized…

Lily had called him 'Sev'!

* * *

**Now how did Lily know Severus usually went by the nickname 'Sev'? Could it just have been coincidence? Or was it...something else? o.0 Hmmm...Guess we'll see! :-)**

**Next up, you're two chapters away from the big wedding! Ginny has some news for Harry regarding the house next door that they're putting up for rent, Severus accompanies his dad to his old homeless shelter in the east end of London, and the family celebrates the Lupins' housewarming and Teddy's naming ceremony/first birthday party!**

**NOTE: Hey all! :-) I'd just like to take a minute to thank all of you who read and/or reviewed the last chapter. I know it had been a while since I updated and I was as grateful for your patience then as I am now. I apologize that this chapter took a little longer than two weeks to get out. I found myself busy with a myriad of other things that I wanted to finish and this just kept getting pushed back. But it should please you to know that I already started on the next chapter and am about a third of the way through. Perhaps when I say I may post again within one or two weeks, I may actually keep that deadline this time. Anyway, thank you all so much for reading this chapter. I hope it was to your liking, and please don't hesitate to leave me note to tell me what you think! :-)**


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